While the majority of the 10, uh, finalists in the Sears Ugliest Room Makeover Contest are undoubtedly lurid, decrepit cesspools of time-worn filth, hoarder-esque organizational know-how and peeling wallpaper, the above shot takes the cake for us. Why? you ask. There are far more grotesque rooms in the lot.
True. But this room didn't arrive at its sorry state because someone just forgot to take care of it; instead, the homeowners made a number of choices that produced this very ocean-themed mess. According to their contest application, the husband won the right to stick the 10-foot-long stuffed marlin on the wall after "two hours of a grueling fight" with his wife, who might be deemed an innocent bystander if only she hadn't tried to "camouflage" the sea creature with badly proportioned and placed art. "It's difficult to decorate our office for both his and her taste," she sagely pleads. Oh, but honey—if you really think that blue in your "special haven" is "serene," you've got far bigger fish to fry.
Agree? Help these guys get the makeover of their dreams. You've got until Aug. 31st to cast your vote.
· The Ugliest Rooms in America [This Old House]