TEN TALENTED HOPEFULS VIE TO WIN THEIR OWN HGTV SHOW IN THE NETWORK'S RETOOLED DESIGN COMPETITION SERIES "HGTV STAR" PREMIERING JUNE 9

Designer Sabrina Soto Joins Illustrious Judges' Panel Alongside Genevieve Gorder, Vern Yip and Host and Mentor David Bromstad

New York, N.Y. May 7, 2013 - This summer HGTV reveals a new opportunity for an undiscovered design virtuoso to win his or her own show on the network in HGTV Star, a new twist on HGTV's classic design competition, Design Star. Premiering on Sunday, June 9, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, the seven-episode series features 10 creative finalists who must tackle unexpected design challenges assigned by host and mentor David Bromstad and impress the panel of design experts, including network stars Genevieve Gorder, Vern Yip and series newcomer Sabrina Soto. In addition, special guests including Susan Feldman, co-founder of shopping web site One King's Lane; Sara Peterson editor-in-chief of HGTV Magazine; and HGTV's Property Brothers Jonathan Scott and Drew Scott, appear in designated episodes this season to raise the stakes in this winner-takes-all competition.

The 10 competitors, whose expertise ranges from interior design, architecture and home staging, must execute ingenious designs and display their star quality on-camera to avoid elimination. The HGTV Star finalists include: Brooks Atwood, Brooklyn N.Y.; Tiffany Brooks, Antioch, Ill.; Tylor Devereaux; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Boris Eckey, Los Angeles, Calif.; Tobin Green, Tampa, Fla.; Crisermy Mercado, Miami, Fla.; Jessie Miller, St. Louis, Mo.; Jeribai Tascoe, Sonora, Calif.; Anne Rue, Lake Mary, Fla.; Abbey Vasek, Wimberley, Texas.

"Our design competition series are top performers for us - our audiences love the thrill of watching talented and creative people battle it out for their own show on HGTV," said Kathleen Finch, general manager, HGTV. "We hope the refreshed format, new title and the addition of designer Sabrina Soto offers fans an exciting destination for Sunday night television."

Shot on location in Los Angeles, this season's finalists also compete to win the chance to design an item to be reproduced and sold on OneKingsLane.com and to be featured in HGTV Magazine for the top living room transformation. In addition, with guidance and advice from Bromstad, the finalists test their on-camera skills with an appearance on CBS's national daytime show The Talk where they demonstrate their top tips for a room design with hosts Julie Chen and Aisha Tyler.

Beginning Tuesday, May 7, visitors to HGTV.com/star can extend their HGTV Star experience online. Fans can find bios for finalists and judges, photo galleries and full episodes of past seasons. Immediately following the premiere episode, visitors can watch vlog posts by Bromstad. Additionally, on Wednesday, May 15, viewers can vote online up to ten times per day for their favorite HGTV Star designer this season. Voting fans could instantly win a $25 gift card after casting 5 votes. The winner of the HGTV Star Fan Favorite vote will be announced on Wednesday, July 24.

ABOUT HGTV

America's leading home and lifestyle brand, HGTV features a top-rated cable network that is distributed to more than 98 million U.S. households and the HGTV website, HGTV.com, the nation's leading online home-and-garden destination that attracts an average of four million unique visitors per month. The brand also includes the HGTV HOME(TM) consumer products line which showcases exclusive collections of paint, flooring, lighting, furniture, plants, fabrics and other home-oriented products. In partnership with Hearst Magazines, the HGTV Magazine, a home and lifestyle publication, is currently available on newsstands. Viewers can become fans of HGTV and interact with other home improvement enthusiasts through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., HGTV is wholly owned by Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (SNI).