The Oscars may be the champagne of awards shows, but the red carpet at this year’s show (or, rather, lack of red carpet) is falling flatter than expired light beer.
The traditional red carpet was replaced by a champagne colored carpet at this year’s ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
The decision to break free from tradition and go with a carpet that is not red came from creative consultants Lisa Love, who is a longtime Vogue contributor, and Met Gala creative director Raúl Àvila, according to the Associated Press.
“We chose this beautiful sienna, saffron color that evokes the sunset, because this is the sunset before the golden hour,” Love told the AP.
“Somebody’s always got a way to find something wrong with something,” she added. “This is just a lightness, and hopefully people like it. It doesn’t mean that it’s always going to be a champagne colored carpet.”
The carpet had already evoked jokes before celebrities even started strutting their stuff on it.
“I think the decision to go with a champagne carpet rather than a red carpet shows how confident we are that no blood will be shed,” host Jimmy Kimmel quipped March 8 when the carpet was rolled out.
Blood may not be shed, but fans are certainly seeing red over the carpet, electing to voice their displeasure on Twitter.
"Y’all. That carpet is dingy beige," actor Emerson Collins wrote.
"Not to sound toooooo catty, but I’m seeing 'cat furniture' beige instead of 'champagne' for this new #Oscars red carpet," someone else wrote. "You know, like those carpeted scratching posts we all hate, but our fur babies love?"
"okay the 'champagne' carpet at the #Oscars is terrible," another person commented. "They look like they’re attending a corporate banquet at the airport hilton."
"Some of you are asking, I hate the beige red carpet. It looks like cement parking lot floor," another person wrote.
"Remember it’s only a Champagne carpet if it’s made in a specific region in France, otherwise it’s just a sparkling rug," yet another user joked.
"I HATE the “champagne” carpet," someone else wrote. "Cute rebrand but be real, it’s beige, and it looks like it was ripped out of a 1980s office refurb. It’s ruining so many outfits."