Paige Davis, best known as the host of TLC’s “Trading Spaces,” is sharing her audition video that started it all. As she prepares to join HGTV‘s “Totally ’90s House” as a guest judge, Davis is revisiting the story behind how she landed the iconic gig.
Paige Davis Looks Back at Her ‘Trading Spaces’ Audition Video
On July 10, Davis teased an episode of the podcast “Revealed: Trading Stories with Paige and Butz” that looked at her original audition video for the TLC series.
“We go back, waaay back, to where it all began, my ‘Trading Spaces’ audition,” she wrote in the caption.
In the YouTube video’s description, Davis explained, “This one is special, folks. We’re going all the way back to where it began, as we watch my original ‘Trading Spaces’ audition tape. Yes, the actual audition footage exists. And it’s equal parts fascinating, hilarious, and a wee bit embarrassing. 😂”
She continued, “Watching it opens the floodgates to so many stories of how I got the audition in the first place (which almost didn’t happen), what that day was really like, meeting Ty [Pennington] for the first time, what was going through my head, and the events that eventually changed the direction of my life.”
“I also share the story of how I went from Mindy to Paige, and a whole lot of behind-the-scenes history that even longtime ‘Trading Spaces’ fans may not know,” Davis noted. “If you’ve ever wanted the real origin story — the lore, the lucky breaks, and the twists that somehow led to me hosting ‘Trading Spaces,’ this episode is for you!”
In the video, she explained, “There was a host before me. Her name was Alex McLeod … she was great. They replaced her. I can’t speak on that … I’m glad it was me!”
Before watching her audition, she shared some of the backstory of getting the audition, noting how TV producer Risa Saslow tipped her off about the show looking for a new host. Davis explained her reservations about auditioning, as she was a musical theater actor who had no design experience and hadn’t done any TV before.
Davis said her audition almost didn’t happen because she was told she would be seen if there was time, but arrived to find them packing up equipment.
Thankfully, they were able to accommodate her.
The video begins with Davis entering the room and giving an introduction to “Trading Spaces” and explaining the show’s concept.
Davis explained the second part of the audition was an improvised scene with Pennington, who was pretending to work on a fireplace mantel. She shared that her approach was to focus more on the “relationship” rather than the mantel, which she believed would make for more interesting TV.
“We had good chemistry,” she said of their scene together.
Davis shared that she was “just happy that I had gotten my foot in the door so the next time an audition came up at a Discovery Network show … maybe it’ll just be a phone call from my agent to get on a list instead of pleading [to get an audition].”
Why Did Mindy Davis Change Her Name to Paige? What Happened to the Original Host?
Later in the podcast, Davis revealed that the TLC acting general manager wanted her to change her name from Mindy to her middle name for more “authority” as the host — a move the actor embraced.
It required her to keep her maiden name, however, because she was marrying actor Patrick Page and didn’t want her name to be Paige Page.
When a fan asked Davis on Instagram “why they got rid of the original host,” she was uncertain of the circumstances.
“I don’t know why they decided not to renew her. I think negotiations went south? But I really don’t know,” Davis responded. “I do feel very lucky to have been able to step into her shoes.”
