Reality housework

The scene: Two best girlfriends and their guys living on the same block, working like dogs for 48 hours aided by two slightly crazy, egomaniacal interior designers, redesigning one room in each other’s homes on a $1,000 budget.

The outcome: Fifteen (or 30) minutes of fame, lost sleep (because of "homework;" we’ll get to that later) and possibly dismantling the new room — though many do like the finished product.

And, of course, it’s all captured on camera.

Unless you live in a galaxy far, far away or don’t have cable television, you’ve definitely heard of Trading Spaces. The Learning Channel reality home-improvement program has become legendary, spawning several other shows in the genre — and, sometime next month, two South Philly couples will be the featured redesign celebrities.

Mary and Bruce Herrin and Michelle Vazqued and Kenneth Pupo, neighbors on the 1900 block of Durfor Street, decided over a glass of wine to send in their application for an upcoming episode. Out of 700 applicants, they were selected.

Both couples were interviewed extensively — once in a five-hour phone conversation with the show’s producer, each neighbor on a different extension so their answers couldn’t be staged. Then they were visited in person and told exactly what to expect … well, except for what their living rooms would look like in the end.

Vazqued, a Bronx native and nursing assistant at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Mary Herrin, a waitress at the Penrose Diner, were more than willing to take their chances.

"We deserve this, we really do," said Vazqued, 28. "We were both so excited when we learned they picked us."

But last Thursday — the day before the Trading Spaces crew invaded Durfor Street to set up shop for the weekend — at least one of the guys wasn’t so sure.

"I just wish this were over already," said Bruce Herrin.

On Friday morning, the women were out on their front stoops, sweeping and washing the block. "It’s still hard to believe this is happening, but my customers think I should be in showbiz," laughed Herrin, 32, a mother of three young boys.

Other Durfor Street residents rallied around the two families and seemed happy to lend a hand. Two neighbors actually moved out for the weekend so the show’s crew could use their homes for production.

Finally, the famous Trading Spaces trailer and truck headed down 19th Street. The surrounding blocks were posted with police-issued "no parking" signs and Durfor Street was off-limits to nosy fans.

Herrin and Vazqued grabbed each other in a big hug and danced up and down like two teenagers spotting Elvis. "I don’t believe you’re here! I am freaking out!" Herrin told the driver.

The 23-member production crew unloaded wires, chain saws, vacuums, hammers, lights, cables, bells and whistles, and stashed everything in both living rooms, quickly filling them with the paraphernalia necessary to film the popular show.

Then, the moment of truth: The two interior designers arrived. Texan Christi Proctor was assigned to work with the Herrins on Vazqued and Pupo’s house, while West Philadelphian Kia Steave-Dickerson would be sizing up the Herrins’ living room.

Most of Friday was used for production in preparation for filming on Saturday. Both designers spent time alone in their appointed houses but didn’t share their visions with the contestants — at least not right away.

Trading Spaces host Paige Davis arrived in time for filming at 8 a.m. Saturday. Mary Herrin reported afterwards that Davis is indeed as perky as she seems on TV. "She sings and dances around the whole time. She was here all weekend. She was very cool."

Filming the "key swap," in which the neighbors turn over their house keys to each other, took three takes. Then everyone immediately got to work tearing up floors and basically making a big mess.

Lots of tedium ensued during the filming, Herrin said, but the reality premise of the show was just that — reality.

"When you watch the show and see people running into problems, you might wonder if it’s staged. It’s not. We had plenty of things go wrong," she said.

For instance, the lighting in one house wasn’t functioning as it should. (The producers were sending an electrical contractor to bring it up to code.) The curtains wouldn’t hang correctly. (They ultimately fixed this with string.) On Saturday night, both couples were left with "homework" — tasks that must get finished before the designers return the next morning for the final day of filming.

Both couples were up all night completing their tasks. Vazqued slept for only two hours. "We had a lot of painting to do," she explained.

On Sunday, the final touches were added.

Due to contractual obligations with TLC, neither couple could discuss the final product, but both women said they were "shocked."

"I swore I wouldn’t say ‘Oh my God’ on TV, but I just couldn’t help myself — the first thing out of my mouth was, ‘Oh my God,’" exclaimed Herrin.

So … good or bad?

"I think my new living room is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen," she said. (The rest of America won’t get to agree or disagree until the show airs in June.)

And Vazqued’s reaction?

She couldn’t be reached for comment — she was sleeping.