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HGTV Design Star Indiscretion?

Is Kim Myles ineligible to participate in Design Star? That is the question many are asking concerning this Final 2 contestant. Has something improper occurred or is it just a coincidence? You be the judge.

It was recently discovered that Design Star contestant Kim Myles is a personal friend of James Patrick Herman, Senior Entertainment Editor of InStyle magazine. Herman revealed on the InStyle blog, on July 20, 2007, http://partyhopper.instyle.com/2007/07/americas-next-t.html

"Kim is my friend and neighbor, .....She’s also my hairdresser, by the way...."

In this article, he references an earlier article mentioning Myles from November 2006, which suggests they were friends long before the taping began of Design Star Season 2.

Why is this important? According to the Eligibility Rules for participating in Design Star,

"...any applicant closely acquainted with any person connected with the production or administration or exhibition of the Program is not eligible..."

Every Design Star viewer knows that Martha McCully, one of the judges on the Design Star panel, is also an editor for InStyle, and that at least one of the prizes was provided by InStyle magazine. All of this suggests that Kim Myles may be ineligible to compete in Design Star.

Herman goes further by stating, "And, of course, I’d recommend rooting for Kim on Design Star!" No other contestant has been singled out in this manner or had the benefit of a recommendation from the official InStyle website.

Has an impropriety occurred? It begs these questions:

"Did Kim reveal to HGTV/Scripps Network her personal relationship with Herman?"

"Was Kim accepted as a contestant on Design Star because of her personal relationship with an InStyle senior editor?"

"Was Kim swept to the final 2 because of her personal relationship with the InStyle senior editor?"

What do you think? Would you like to get to the bottom of this?