kristen griffith vanderyacht age

Big Flower Fight Judge Kristen Griffith-VanderYacht Wants to Get Back to the Dome

"It feels like you're stepping into the Secret Garden, " he says.

• Celebrity florist Kristen Griffith-VanderYacht is the judge of the new Netflix show The Big Flower Fight .
• On the show, teams of floral designers are challenged to create elaborate structures made of plants.
• In an interview with OprahMag.com, Griffith-VanderYacht opened up his career, the show, and what he really thinks of the contestants stealing flowers.

Mary Berry. Ru Paul . Simon Cowell. When it comes to reality competition shows, the judges, with their idiosyncratic personalities and catch-phrases, are as important as the talent. As judge of The Big Flower Figh t on Netflix, acclaimed florist Kristen Griffith-VanderYacht, 36, joins that lauded set—but only he knows how to construct a giant recreation of a miniature Schnauzer, made entirely of long grasses (watch the episode "Huge Hairy Beasts " to see the installation in all its glory).

"It's more than just shoving flowers into a vase," Griffith-VanderYacht, the owner of Seattle's Wild Bloom Florals , whose arrangements have been featured in celebrity weddings and on magazine covers, tells OprahMag.com of The Big Flower Fight .

That's an understatement. On The Big Flower Fight , 10 teams of two are challenged to create elaborate floral installations, ranging from life-size couture dresses made of cut flowers to super-sized insects crafted with living plants. Along with a guest judge, Griffith-VanderYacht crowns one winning team, and eliminates another.

Griffith-VanderYacht's involvement with The Big Flower Fight started with an Instagram DM. "It was probably the most nontraditional route a person could take to getting on television," Griffith-VanderYacht jokes.

The Seattle native was dropping his baby son off at daycare when he got a message on Instagram about a mysterious TV project. Griffith-Vanderyacht pulled into a Starbucks parking lot, "because they have that good WiFi, and you can't mess around with WiFi," and had a 10-minute video call with strangers.

"I didn't even know what I was auditioning for. Then I heard back maybe two weeks later, they're like, 'Okay, we would like you for this project.' And I was like, "Well, what's the project?" And they're like, 'It's for Netflix.' And then my wig blew off," Griffith-VanderYacht says.

While The Big Flower Fight came out of nowhere, Griffith-VanderYacht has been "planting the seeds" (sorry!) for a similar opportunity for years, thanks to his illustrious career in the floral industry.

According to Wild Bloom Floral's website , Griffth-VanderYacht's flowers have been in major publications across the US, including Martha Stewart Weddings , Traditional Home Magazine , and The Knot , and seen on Good Morning America and E! . His flowers for actress Julianne Hough's wedding were featured on the front cover of People .

Wild Bloom Floral is the culmination of Griffith-VanderYacht's lifelong love of flowers. Growing up in Detroit, he spent summers tending to his mother's garden in their large backyard. "I was like, yes, this is amazing! I get to play in the dirt, and pull stuff out. Little did I know it was manual labor," he says with a laugh.

While gardening, Griffith-VanderYacht says he feels "rooted in something very true to [himself]." In 2011, Griffith-VanderYacht took steps to turn his lifelong hobby into a career. "I had never really known anything about the professional side of floristry. So, I allowed myself to really just get into it and observe and read and research and play. That was probably the biggest gift I could have given myself... the opportunity to play with flowers, because through that, I discovered my own voice," he says.

As a judge, Griffith-VanderYacht hopes to be an example for other aspiring florists, especially those of color.

"I want it to be a really good representation, not just on the show, but in my everyday life, of Black excellence, and what it means to be a person of color that other little kids can look up to and say, 'Wow, I didn't know that it could be cool to be a florist!' I didn't get to have that as a little kid. It was something that I had to discover," he says.

There's one child that Griffith-VanderYacht thinks of, especially: His son Hugo, whom Griffith-VanderYacht and his husband, Aaron, adopted back in June 2019 .

"I take that role incredibly seriously, not only for myself, but also for my son. He has the rare and very singular opportunity to grow up having two parents of very different races and very different cultural backgrounds. And so I want him to experience and understand the richness and the dichotomy of both of those worlds," Griffith-VanderYacht says.

In addition to raising his son, Griffith-VanderYacht hopes to have more "flower babies" in the future, too. When asked about challenges that didn't make the season, he's reluctant to give them away.

"I'm not going to tell you because I'm hoping they'll be in season 2, if we get one," he says.

For now, The Big Flower Fight 's eight-episode first season is worth watching for Griffith-VanderYacht's jewel-toned suits, coordinated especially for the challenges, and for his commentary, which is as colorful as the flowers themselves. One particularly memorable zinger? Griffith-VanderYacht staring at the droopy face of a lion statue, and saying: "I asked for character . I did not ask for sloppy ."

While always honest, he tempers his pronouncements with kindness and genuine awe. Even now, he speaks of the contestants' accomplishments with pride. "I feel like those teams are all my babies. They're my flower children," he says.

With that sentiment in mind, he's a mentor first, and a judge second. As the teams build their structures, Griffith-VanderYacht gives restrained pointers (and occasional side-eye).

"When it was appropriate, I would give them advice. Other times, like any parent, you have to let your kids experience failure in order to learn. But it was tempting to go and help," he says.

From his position on the sidelines, Griffith-VanderYacht also bears witness to the small spats that put the "fight" in The Big Flower Fight , like when Irish team Eoghan and Declan stockpile all the tall grasses to prevent others from using it, or when Yan and Henck steal mirrors.

"Even the stealing is a little tongue in cheek. It doesn't even feel like, Ooh, I'm out to get you . It's more like, I'm just being competitive. It's all in good fun," he says.

Being an observer, not a participant, had another perk: While the participants sweated in the humid dome, where the installations were constructed, Griffith-VanderYacht could appreciate its beauty—then get fresh air.

"You can get transported walking into the dome. It feels like you're stepping into the Secret Garden. It's like you're going from black-and-white into Technicolor. You are Dorothy coming out of her house and walking into Oz," he says. He can't wait to get back to the dome—and neither can we.

For more ways to live your best life plus all things Oprah, sign up for our newsletter !

Elena Nicolaou is the former culture editor at Oprah Daily. 

Culture & News

Jennifer Love Hewitt Has Full-Circle Family Moment

Kelly Clarkson to Host Rockefeller Tree Lighting

The Best Kids Books on Race and Racism

Hopeful Words for Hard Times

Princess Kate Releases a Surprise Holiday Video

'Today' Star Craig Melvin Will Replace Hoda Kotb

Jonathan Bailey's 'Wicked' and 'Bridgerton' Roles

The Perfect Books to Gift Anyone on Your Wish List

Ariana Grande on Using Her Full Name in 'Wicked'

Kate Makes Rare Appearance at Remembrance Sunday

Billie and Sabrina Offer Solace Post-Election

Meghan & Harry Address Colombian Summit