Exclusive: 'Rock the Block' Contestants Discuss the Most Challenging Season Yet
Our favorite HGTV competition series Rock the Block is back March 4 for another exciting season, but this time there's a twist! If you've been following Rock the Block from the beginning, then you're sure to recognize each of the contestants competing this time around, because each team is returning after falling short on a previous season.
These returning teams include: Sarah and Bryan Baeumler (Battle on the Beach), Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas (Bargain Block), Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Thomas (Unsellable Houses), and Page Turner and Mitch Glew (Fix My Flip). Of course Ty Pennington will be returning to host.
What could possibly convince these teams to return to the block after all the challenges and shortcomings they faced on their first run? Well, for more than a few competitors, the shot at redemption was enough to lure them to Treasure Island, Florida, for season 5.
The Teams' Motivation to Return
"When [the producers] called us, I said 'no, thank you so much for considering us. We will pass,'" Page Turner said. "I spoke on behalf of Mitch [Glew]—I didn’t even speak to him. But then they said 'well, let me just say this, we’re calling the season redemption' and I went 'say what?' I said 'redemption? We’re in!" The producers said they would check with Mitch next and Page stepped in for her competitive counterpart: "I said 'no no no, as soon as he hears that word, we’re good. Redemption, let’s go.'"
Turner wasn't the only returner ready for redemption. Teammates Evan Thomas and Keith Bynum admitted they were eager for the same opportunity and to showcase their improvement since their first appearance on Rock the Block. "We wanted to correct the mistakes that we made the first time, and I feel like we wanted to show what we’ve been doing for the last few years. So I think that was our main motivation and the redemption theme kind of fit perfectly for that," Thomas explained.
For others it was the unique opportunities they have on the show, like the unusually large budget ($250,000) or the chanse to learn from and collaborate with other designers that convinced them to return. Though, it was also a common theme among contestants that one teammate was excited to return while the other took a bit more convincing.
That was definitely the case for Lindsay Lamb and Leslie Thomas. Lindsay said, "For me, I never get to design with this large of a budget, and so I thought it would be fun to come back. I love the challenge. I did pull Leslie into it, she was not on board at first but she was happy she did it. [...] Just being able to design with a budget, being able to be challenged by such incredible designers and stand next to them and know that you just have to level up. I think that is the reason for me why I come to the block."
Sarah Baeumler admitted that her husband Bryan only learned of their commitment after she had already agreed that they would return for season 5. She explained, "My first year doing Rock the Block, I had that 'holy crap' moment when I walked through everyone else’s houses and took in their designs. So, when I came back this year I already knew how good that feels—it’s good to walk through other people’s houses and learn something. This is how we all grow in our field, so that is exhilarating to me. That was something we were looking forward to, because it’s a field that you can continue to grow and evolve in every day. It’s an exciting opportunity to level up."
Convincing themselves and their teammate to return for Season 5 may have been hard enough, but this season brought a whole new set of challenges for contestants that, even with their veteran status, pushed them to their breaking point while also pushing them to be their bring their A-game.
A Season Like Never Before
Renovating a house on a tight schedule, on the beach no less, is difficult for even the most skilled renovation professional, but then you throw in added surprises from Ty Pennington, chaos ensues. With each house in Treasure Island, Florida, the teams had the challenge of remodeling the interior of their home and the lawn, plus an outdoor pool and boat dock.
Along with dock and pool renovations, HGTV revealed that this season will feature even more surprise elements that fans haven't seen on the show before, which undoubtedly came much to the dismay of the competing teams. "There's time where we may have had just one too many challenges thrown at us, and that it pushed us a little over the edge. Ty is no longer our friend at that moment," Lyndsay Lamb admitted. "It's definitely a sink or swim season, and some people can swim better than others," Pennington added.
As is turns out, there was one elite swimmer in the group this season, though we aren't sure that translated to his success in design. "We find out that Mitch can swim like a dolphin," Keith Bynum teased. Regardless of these HGTV star's swimming abilities, one thing is for sure: they're all well-seasoned in home renovation, which only makes the competition tougher and the stakes higher.
Ty Pennington said it best: "I know you guys don't follow international soccer, but you have to stay in this premiere league, right? And, it feels like the seasons before you made the cut, but like this particular season it was the premiere league. Like you are dealing with the best of the best bringing their best."
Tune in for the season premiere of Rock the Block on Sunday, March 4 at 9 PM on HGTV to find out which team will get the redemption they're looking for.
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