The 12 Perfectionists are introduced as the game begins. The contestants are divided into two teams. After naming themselves Team Artisan and the Crafty Beavers, the first challenge is announced: pick the most apples in the span of a half-hour, and create a project using all of the apples. The losing team, Team Artisan, is forced to eliminate one of its members.
The teams are told to plan a dinner party for the judges, putting their cooking, decorating and party-planning skills to the test. Mitch and Denise argue, and Michelle and Darlene have a tiff over some pastry-flour. The judges chose the Crafty Beavers' party as their favorite, and Michelle from Team Artisan was eliminated.
The third task: design a campsite for the judges complete with a meal and entertainment. Team Artisan bonded and grew strong as a team after Denise is randomly selected from the Crafty Beavers to join Team Artisan. Margo and Mitch emerged as leaders of their teams, and when it came to judging, they liked Mitch's all-around, ""big picture"" creativity style while they disliked Margo's choices and food. In the end, the Crafty Beavers lost the challenge and Mychael was eliminated unanimously.
In the fourth challenge, the perfectionists are told that they are to create ""living art,"" where they will create a frame, paint a backdrop, and create at least one costume for themselves to wear in the painting. Tempers flare between Margo and Kimberly, as well as Mitch and the entire Crafty Beavers team. In the end, while both ""living"" pieces of art are good, Team Artisan's work is rewarded with a win. The judges (with guest Patricia Field standing in for Bobby Flay) then decide that Tim's and Heather's indiviual projects, masquerade masks, are worse than those of Amy and Mitch. Tim is eliminated when both Mitch and Amy cast their votes for him.
Joan introduces the ""toughest task yet"" to the perfectionists - cleaning up and running the Roger Sherman Inn, a famous Bed & Breakfast in Connecticut, as well as serving a welcome snack and brunch. The Crafty Beavers choose Darlene to join their team to even it up. Players are disgusted when they see the state of the guest rooms,and are put to the test by the judges and their friends- Candace and her husband bring their dog, David brings a friend, and Bobby arrives in the middle of the night. At the end of the day, the teams are tested on hospitality, food quality and room quality and the Crafty Beavers are the winners (Team Artisan did, however, win the room quality part). The individual projects, wreaths, leave Denise and Margo nominated for elimination, with Margo being voted out with a vote of 2-0.
In their sixth task, the perfectionists are told to remodel the apartment above the workshop. Both teams are given a bedroom, as well as two other rooms. The Crafty Beavers have to remodel an office and a media center and Team Artisan has to make a fitness center and a Dining Room. Both teams mesh fairly well, but the judges do not like the colors or the fuctions of some of the rooms, specifically in Team Artisans'. The Crafty Beavers win the task, forcing the judges to choose which two of Team Artisan's handwrapped presents (without using wrapping paper) are the worst, and in the end, Denise is eliminated.
In the seventh task, the teams are told to hold an Estate Sale, where they will purchase and refurbish a minimum of four antiques. They must have two pieces of furniture, one item refinished with the decoupage method and any other antique of their choice, as well as create a central theme for the pavillion on which they will show their products. Tempers flare when Mitch is moved to Team Artisan, and when all is said and done, the results are closer than ever. David makes the final choice, deciding that the winners are the Crafty Beavers. The judges then decide that the worst individual projects - a craft item made from scratch - are those made by Dawn and Kimberly, and Kimberly is eliminated.
In a surprising turn of events, Host Joan Lunden announces that all of the previously eliminated perfectionists will be helping out with the 8th task, landscaping a vacant lot and turning it into a beautiful park, and each of them will be given an opportunity to get back into the game. Teams are chosen and the perfectionists get right to work with designing their parks. Setbacks come when Mitch of Team Artisan is injured and when the Crafty Beavers spend hours on an area of their park only to have to change it because Heather did not put it togethor properly. Darlene surprises everyone with her fantastic carpentry skills, and Heather also shocks her teammates with her terrible attitude and standoffish personality. In the end, the judges choose Team Artisan as the winners, and reward Kimberly with the reward of getting back into the game. Later, in the tensest elimination ceremony of the game, Darlene is eliminated by the team she worked with during the task.
For the first time in the game, an entire task is completley individual. In this task, the five remaining perfectionists must prepare a craft to demonstrate for a five minute screen test on the set of CBS' The Early Show in New York City. The day finally arrives and the designers are sent to the city and given makeovers for their screentests. When the screentests are finally over, the judges seem to enjoy Kimberly's display of ribbon flowers, Dawn's tablespace setting and Mitch's floral arrangement. In the end, however, Dawn, Heather and Amy are sent home, leaving only Mitch and Kimberly for the final task.
Still in New York, Mitch and Kimberly are given their final task: host a ""coming-out"" party for themselves, including unveling their premiere magazine cover. After having problems with appetizers and magazine settings, the parties finally come together, and are quite contrasting - Mitch's is a bright, red, modern party while Kimberly's is a cozy, comforting country-like party. After the unveiling of the magazine covers, all of the players - past and present - go to the rock garden to see Kimberly win the prize of being Wickedly Perfect.