2018 celebrities
paige davis
Paige Davis is best known as the effervescent star of the hit TLC show Trading Spaces. This Emmy-nominated design reality show will be making a return with all new episodes in the spring of 2018.
Paige recently co-hosted Home and Family for the Hallmark Channel, and was the host of OWN’s Home Made Simple. Ms. Davis’ book, "Paige by Paige, A Year of Trading Spaces", spent several weeks at the top of the New York Times Bestseller list.
Paige lives in Manhattan with her husband and their adorable Maltese, Georgie.
jason cameron
On the outside, Jason Cameron looks like a TV star. But on the inside, he’s all handyman and all business. Watch him work and it quickly becomes apparent this licensed contractor really knows his stuff, especially when it comes to his own personal passions: home improvement and landscaping. Jason says he recently even gutted his own home and completely revamped the backyard. Now he’s putting his extensive hands-on expertise to work for DIY Network building, landscaping, hardscaping and more.
A native of Toledo, Ohio, Jason worked his way through Northern Michigan University as a carpenter, and then moved to the Northern Jersey/New York City area where he continued his carpentry and general contracting business. Catch Jason putting all his tools to work on DIY Network’s Desperate Landscapes, Man Caves and Sledgehammer.
sara bendrick
I’m a landscape designer by trade. I was born & raised in San Diego, California, and started at a young age with a passion for art, nature and an appreciation for anything living.
I’ve always had a passion for doing as opposed to watching. When I was young I would sew doll clothes out of my old T-shirts, draw, paint, and dig in the dirt. My whole life has been about trial & error, figuring things out as I go. When I was a little older I decided I wanted chickens, so I read a book and got to it, luckily that was a success! Unlike my attempt at a 5000 Red-worm worm farm.
I studied at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and received my Bachelors of Science in Landscape Architecture. As a college student I immediately got my hands dirty in the field working different landscaping gigs, including being a forewoman for a landscape maintenance company. After college I honed my residential design skills by working for a design/build firm and eventually when out on my own and started my own landscape design business.
I love that I have the opportunity to combine nature with a built environment to create a sense of place. I have always been interested in horticulture & art, and designing landscapes allows me to combine both of my passions. I feel very fortunate to have a career that can combine artistic expression & environmental awareness with purpose & function
As a landscape designer with a passion for being involved with my projects, hosting the DIY Network’s ‘I Hate My Yard’ was the perfect fit! I love to interact and help homeowners realize the opportunity in their exterior spaces. With a DIY attitude my crew and I tackle tough backyards with the help of the homeowners to keep the budget in check. I guide the homeowners through the renovation process by tasking them with fun, creative and aesthetically pleasing projects to take back the yard once & for all.
Kelli Kaufer
Twin Cities designer Kelli Kaufer has 12 years of experience in the television industry with over 250 innovative designs featured on HGTV and DIY network shows. Her designs can bee seen on Curb Appeal, I Hate My Kitchen, I Hate My Bath, Renovate to Rent and many more. Kelli now designs for both residential and commercial, creating unique and inspirational spaces that represent her clients’ lifestyle and personality.
Kelli's published design articles have been featured in Houzz, Forbes and Huffington Post. She loves every aspect of design where no project is too small or too challenging.
'Turning Your Inspiration Into Creative Spaces'
blue ribbon baker marjorie johnson
“I always liked to bake. I remember so well the first thing I baked. I was eight years old and I had baked a chocolate cake. After it was baked my mother and I had some cake. There was a knock on the back door and my mother went to the door and I heard her say. “Oh Doris, you must come in and have some of this cake Marjorie made. You'll never believe how great it is!” With that, Marjorie began a lifetime of baking.
Marjorie is winner of more than 1000 Blue Ribbons for her baking and has included 104 of these fabulous recipes in her cookbook “The Road to Blue Ribbon Baking with Marjorie”. She has also entered numerous recipe contests for years, and has won many prizes, including some big prizes in contests sponsored by General Mills, Paul Newman, and the Nestle Chocolate Company. She has been a Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist on three occasions. In November 2009, Marjorie won Martha Stewart’s first pie contest and showed Martha how to bake her prize winning pie on The Martha Stewart Show.
Her first appearance on national TV was on the Rosie O'Donnell talk show in November 1996. She was a featured guest twelve times until Rosie ended her show in 2002. Remembering their first meeting, Rosie O’Donnell quips, “The first time I met her, I couldn’t believe this adorable petite woman could have such a dynamic personality. She’s tough, hysterical, talks a mile a minute, has the biggest heart of anyone I know, and I just wanted to take her home with me.”
Marjorie was a regular on the syndicated “Wayne Brady Show” with twenty-three appearances during the two seasons that the show was on the air. Marjorie teamed up with Rosie again in 2006 when Rosie invited her back to New York City for a baking segment on The View. From 2007-2013, Marjorie was on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno with twenty-one appearances in baking segments, and also as a correspondent for such improbable events as the MLB All-Star game, the NBA Finals, the X-Games, the Emmys and the Las Vegas BikeFest. She has recently been on The Talk, Dr. Oz and currently is a frequent guest on The Hallmark Home and Family Show.
As much as she loves being on national TV, she considers it a treat to be on the local Twin Cities stations, with many appearances on KARE-11 with Belinda Jensen. A Minnesota State Fair tradition, she is featured on the Joe Soucheray Radio show live from the Fair on opening day each year. During the year, Marjorie is a frequent baker and guest host of Twin Cities Live Talk Show on KSTP-TV.
Marjorie graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Home Economics, majoring in Foods in Business, and with a minor in Journalism. Marjorie was married to Dr. LeRoy Johnson, a retired dentist, for sixty-seven years, and she has three children and four grandchildren. She is a long-time residents of Robbinsdale, Minnesota. Marjorie was honored in April 2007 when the Mayor of Robbinsdale declared that April 30 was “Marjorie Johnson Day”. Marjorie is a frequent speaker and people are inspired by her fun and informative talks. She is also a judge at recipe contests.
“There are two things I love to do”, Marjorie pipes up when asked about her baking, “the first is bake and the second is talk. I especially like to talk about baking. So I am very happy baking and talking.” Happy Baking to all of you!
wcco-tv cook off
Attendees joined Amelia Sanataniello, Frank Vascellaro and Chris Shafer at the Kitchen Stage on Friday, April 6 at 7:00pm as they hosted the WCCO-TV cook off!
amelia santaniello
Amelia Santaniello co-anchors the 5p.m., 6p.m. and 10p.m. news Monday through Friday at WCCO. Ten years after being with WCCO, her husband, Frank Vascellaro, joined her as co-anchor. They’re the first married couple to co-anchor a news program in the Twin Cities. Amelia started her career at WUSA in Washington, D.C., where she was a reporter trainee. From there, she went to WETM-TV in Elmira, N.Y., to WNEP-TV in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pa., to WTIC-TV in Hartford, Conn.
Amelia grew up in a career military family and lived in Virginia (where she was born), Japan and Texas.
frank vascellaro
Frank co-anchors the 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and10 p.m. news Monday through Friday at WCCO with his lovely wife by his side. In 2006, Frank and his wife, Amelia Santaniello, became the first married couple to co-anchor a daily news program in the Twin Cities. He was awarded the 2011 and 2012 Regional Emmy® for Best Anchor.
Growing up in Denver, Frank attended the United States Air Force Academy before transferring to the University of Colorado Boulder. He later studied broadcasting at Columbia College in Chicago. He worked as an anchor/reporter at WAND-TV in Decatur, Ill., and at WHOI-TV in Peoria, Il.
chris shaffer
Chris Shaffer is an anchor and meteorologist at WCCO. He was raised in Stillwater, Minn., and attended the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, where he earned degrees in meteorology and mass communications. He’s a proud member of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and has been awarded the AMS Certified Broadcast
Meteorologist (CBM) designation.
His great uncle Wilbur was struck and killed by lightning, his family vehicle was once chased by a tornado and his family spent a night snowed in at a church; it’s no wonder why Chris is so fixated on Minnesota weather. You may have seen him over the years doing the weather at KMSP FOX9 and WFTC/UPN 29.
laura schara
Laura currently appears weekly on Due North Outdoors, MN Bound’s “Wild in the Kitchen” segments on NBC, and contributes to other stories on MN Bound
Her best catch to date is a 46” Muskie caught on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota. She is also an avid sporting clays shooter. Laura holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
bill sherck
Bill is a 9-time Emmy Award-winning outdoor reporter and show host. He has earned just about every award in the business for his unique style of storytelling.
Bill enjoys sharing his stories with conservation groups, teaching at fishing and hunting seminars and frequently fishes/guides for various charity and celebrity tournaments.
Bill was Born in Mississauga, Ontario, and eventually moved to Minnesota where his father and grandfather taught him to fish and hunt. A graduate from St. Norbert College in 1994, Bill began as a local news reporter throughout the Midwest and eventually Fox News. In 2001, Bill turned his focus to outdoor television and he’s been at it ever since!