The fourth season of HGTV Design Star premiered on July 19, 2009.
The series was filmed in Los Angeles, California for the first time.
Vern Yip returned as a judge, and was joined by newcomers Genevieve Gorder and Candice Olson.
A major change this season was that the judges decided the winner, instead of having a public vote.
[citation needed] Guest Designers: The first season the winner never was in bottom 3 or 2