From the beginning, it was predicted. Dan Vickery and Antonio Ballatore would meet for the final challenge.

The men have two things in common: They love design and they both know their stuff. But only one of them will be declared the Design Star and awarded his own television show on HGTV on Sunday night. Dan and Antonio each redo a house for the final challenge. They get their own teams of carpenters.

The viewers are split on who should not win. Dan is just a clone of first season winner David Bromsted. Antonio offers HGTV viewers something different. Antonio is too harsh and his tattoed arms will never fly. Dan giggles too much.

It's like they rode in on horses for a showdown: The good guy and the bad guy. One in white and one in black. Good over evil.

Who will be left standing after the dust settles?

The final two designers go head-to-head in the biggest Design Star challenge yet: making over a deserving family's entire home. Even with the help of a crew of carpenters, it's a daunting task that takes everything they've got. When the dust settles, the final two designers stand before the judges one last time, and a new Design Star is chosen. HGTV put together a video together entitled The Long Journey.

More links to Design Star news.

We really can only speculate, but I had a chance to pose questions to both men. And like everything else, Dan gave longer, complete answers. Antonio kept his answers brief. Because I already know Dan — he's my nephew and godson — I asked Antonio one extra question:

When did you get the STAR tattoo on your neck?

Antonio: I got that about 7 or 8 years ago when I moved to LA from NY.

Why I should win HGTV Design Star:

Antonio Ballatore, set designer, 40, Los Angeles: Because I'm bigger, badder and bolder.

Dan Vickery, bartender, 27, Portland, Ore.: This is what I am. Despite a full and varied portfolio, especially for a 27-year-old, I am a teacher, entertainer and friend. My design goal has always been to help people live in a space that makes them excited about life and proud to claim it as their own. There is a fundamental need as humans to have a home or habitat that is ours. Why not make that space as beautiful and full of life as possible?

How did you feel at the moment when you knew you were in the finals?

Dan: There is a lot going on the moment Antonio and I find out we are in the final two. I am watching the best friend I made on the show leave and am feeling for her but at the same time and overwhelmed with excitement. I now have a

50/50 shot at having my own show on HGTV!

Antonio: Relieved that there was only one more challenge left and I could go home after, get some rest and see my dog Chewie :)

What's been your favorite episode so far and why?

Antonio: The final challenge because it really showed my design style. Plus I had an awesome crew that made my vision come to life.

Dan: The white room challenge was a really fun episode to do and to watch. It was our first opportunity to work alone and give the judges a strong impression of who we are as designers. I also flew home and watched this episode with family and close friends. That, on top of the great response I have gotten from that challenge, definitely makes it one of the best.

How much fun has this whole experience been for you?

Dan: The funny thing is we had so much fun throughout this experience. We were working everyday, no day off, no breaks and often up 16 hours a day with travelling and interviews. When we had a chance to relax we were nutty with exhaustion and filled that house with laughter. That hasn't always made it on TV but watching it now I continue to remember the excitement and the great people I was able to live and work with.

Antonio: It's been a lot of ups and downs; the whole thing is pretty surreal.

What's changed the most for you so far?

Antonio: I have a lot more Facebook friends. Ha.

Dan: Being recognized so much is not something I was prepared for. I though it would happen here and there but the positive response from people on the street has been a blast. There is a bewildered look I am starting to recognize when people don't know that the show has been shot previously. I have been asked often if someone missed an episode because 'You weren't eliminated yet, what are you doing here?'

Can you comment on the fact that you've been painted the young farm boy? Is that the real Dan Vickery and why would that work for HGTV if you had your own TV show?

Dan: I am a young farm boy. The great thing is that I am a lot more than that and HGTV has shown many sides of me. I love my family and my roots and they do make me distinct and HGTV was trying to highlight the differences between the competitors. There are lot of stereotypes that go along with being born and raised on a farm and I cannot change that. So I have to go along with it. It's a great part of who I am.

Can you comment on the fact that you've been painted the Tony Soprano of Design. Is that the real Antonio and why would that work for HGTV if you had your own TV show?

Antonio: Hahahaha. I really love the Sopranos but I really don't want anyone to think they're gonna get whacked over the color tan.

Since the season started, fans have predicted an Antonio vs. Dan final. Who did you think you'd meet in the finals and why?

Antonio: There were so many talented people on the show. I just went at it challenge by challenge but I knew for the finale, I had to go for it and go big because Dan had the eye of the tiger so I knew it wasn't going to be easy.

Dan: More than has even made it on air, Antonio and I were compared and contrasted from the beginning. We have some very similar skill sets but also some very different approaches to design. I tired not to focus on upcoming challenges but to stay in the moment. I never got lost in trying to guess who or what would be next. However, during Lonni's elimination, I really thought she had pulled it off and it would be her and I in the final challenge. This is the first season HGTV Design Star has not had a boy and a girl in the top two.

What would you like to say about the tension between the two of you throughout the season?

Dan: This is a competition. More than that, this is one of the most intense job interviews in America. We both wanted the same thing and we had very different strategies about how to stand out. However, we could both set it aside when we had to and put our energy toward more productive things. We haven't spoken since the competition but I wish him no ill will. It's just ... over.

Antonio: What tension? Hahahah.

If you win and, tell me what you would like to do if you hosted your very own TV show?

Antonio: I have so many ideas for a show it's hard to narrow it down to just one.

Dan: I approach design as a habitat that allows you to live life in a bigger and fuller way. We are all responsive to the things around us and if we are surrounded by things we love I think we will probably live better lives. I would want to create a show that highlights that. Something that focuses on much more than just design. I want to show people using and loving a space. Entertaining and living. Each week the show could show varying degrees of interior design, furniture making, lighting design, spatial organization and even cooking and entertaining.

11. What can you say about the final challenge?

Dan: Each year the final challenge grows. After this final challenge I feel sorry for the final two next year. I don't know how much bigger they could make it.

Antonio: Go big or go home!

Anything else you'd like to say?

Antonio: Thanks so much to everyone involved - cast, crew and fans!

Dan: I have been blessed with a very strong and positive public response to what I have done so far on HGTV Design Star. It is strange to even think that I might have fans but to anyone who considers themselves my fans, Thank you. I also have a lot of people who have been there for me and supported me through the highs and lows of this competition. My sister, Karen, thanks for the love, the fan page and listening. My girlfriend, Rose, thanks for sitting back and giving me the space to do this. Your constant support and understanding is inspiring. And of course, Mom and Dad, Bev and Dick. You have pushed Karen and I our entire lives and we've both put you through a lot but you have been the foundation to build this dream on. I love you all.

Just to continue the contrast of these two men, I grabbed some of the questions and answers on their bios posted at HGTV.

Most unusual talent?

Dan: I am over 6'3", so I'm pretty tall already, but my wingspan is almost 6'8"! So I have a way of being able to reach almost everything. In most homes these days, with a classic 8' ceiling I can do a handstand and plant my feet on the ceiling.

Antonio: Don't ask.

Guilty pleasure?

Antonio: Fast cars and faster women. Food.

Dan: I don't usually feel guilty about my pleasures. Life is too short to have regrets and the term "guilt" implies you may regret it. I admit that I have occasionally been an impulsive music buyer and the Internet makes it way too easy.

Design style in four words:

Dan: Hip and contemporary history.

Antonio: Modern cave dwelling meets medieval contemporary.

Word or phrase you say too often?

Antonio: F*#k

Dan: I say "like" too much.

When designing, what can't you live without?

Dan: Fabric. My roots in my mother and grandmother's quilt shop allowed me to see the real power fabric has in its flexibility and its ability to introduce color and texture.

Antonio: Inspiration.

What's one thing about you that would surprise people?

Antonio: I love to cook.

Dan: I am a dork. I have been my entire life. I think that will become pretty obvious pretty quick. I think what will surprise people is that I do not care that I am a dork. Laugh it off, live well and move on to the next thing.

What are your most creative hours of the day?

Dan: Late evening. I function just fine in the morning but at the end of the day everything has had a chance to incubate and gel in my mind and I can finally see clearly what my brain has been trying to tell me.

Antonio: Midnight to 3 a.m.