While many HGTV shows lean into instructional content, sometimes the network turns up the heat and lets civilians and their HGTV All Stars engage in competition. From home renovation to flea market flipping, winning their own show, or bringing hotels to life, HGTV has given viewers some of the best reality television competition programs in the 21st century.
HGTV has been the home to some of television’s biggest guilty pleasures. Bringing instructional content and inspiration to the screen, HGTV decided to up the ante by bringing some unique challenges to the forefront. How can they bring their brilliance of home renovation and design and give it the reality competition spin? Marrying the joy of home renovation and the excitement of competition, these are some of the best HGTV competition shows over the years.
10 ‘Flipping the Block’
Staring Josh Temple
Hosted by Josh Temple, Flipping the Block watched as four teams of two battle it out in an eight-part renovation rivalry. The game is simple. Each team is tasked with rebuilding identical living spaces from the ground up. They will move into the space, demo, and transform it before it hits the auction block.
The series had a bit more grit than the colorful versions that have dazzled viewers today.
The winning team earned a cash prize of $50,000. With mentors including Scott McGillivray, Nicole Curtis, and David Bromstad, the 2014 series was the predecessor to the competitions of today that borrow a similar concept. To say Flipping the Block was ahead of its time is an understatement. The series had a bit more grit than the colorful versions that have dazzled viewers today. But the best part about it? The contestants literally had to live in the spaces, while it was being renovated. Although it was only on for a single season, the inaugural battle was won by Curtis Goldin and Amanda Marks.
Flipping the Block is currently not available for streaming or purchase.
9 ‘Battle on the Mountain’
Starring Rico León, Kim Myles, and Kim Wolfe
First, there was the beach, then there was the mountain. Battle on the Mountain took three teams of civilians mentored by three HGTV stars, Rico León, Kim Myles, and Kim Wolfe, as they faced off to upgrade similar mountainside homes in the stunning locale of Breckenridge, Colorado.
Like Battle on the Beach, a roster of HGTV All Stars swooped in to judge each week’s challenge as the teams tried to earn the most property value in the end. The winning team would earn a whopping $50,000 cash prize. While the star power may not have been as strong as the beach edition, the locale provided some stunning opportunities as the series helped to define the trio’s rise on the network. For its inaugural season, the winning mentor was Rico León with his team, husbands Stephen and David St. Russell.
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8 ‘Renovation Resort Showdown’
Starring Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler
Scott McGillivray purchased a new lakeside resort. To bring it to life, he enlisted manual labor consisting of four contractors and designer duos to create gorgeous waterfront cabins on the Canadian-based Renovation Resort Showdown.
Each week, the teams took on a different room as they were eager to impress McGillivray and Baeumler.
Hosted by McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler, the winning team would take home a prize of $100,000 as the civilian teams only have seven weeks to bring these cabins up to par. Each week, the teams took on a different room as they were eager to impress McGillivray and Baeumler. Troy and Rotem ended up winning the inaugural season. A second season casting call went out in early 2024, so expect more Renovation Resort Showdown soon.
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7 ‘100 Day Hotel Challenge’
Starring Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt
As the most-winning duo on HGTV, Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt, hosts of 100 Day Dream Home, took their competition inward, as they finally engaged in battle against one another. 100 Day Hotel Challenge tasked the spouses to spruce up two coastal North Carolina hotels.
Enlisting pairs of HGTV’s biggest and brightest stars each week to assist them with transforming various parts of the hotel, Brian and Mika’s welcome charm eased into this new concept. Their goal is to win, but they are there to better these two real businesses. Rather than a monetary prize for the winning couple, each week there is a donation to a charity of the guest stars’ choice. And who better to judge the hotels each week than Jonathan and Drew Scott! So which Kleinschmidt will be victorious in the end? The series is currently airing, so be sure to tune in and find out.
100 Day Hotel Challenge
- Genre
- Reality TV
- Number of Seasons
- 1
- Debut Date
- August 13, 2024
- Studio
- HGTV
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6 ‘Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge’
Starring Ashley Graham
With Barbie mania taking over 2023, HGTV had their hand in the action with Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge. Hosted by Ashley Graham, eight teams of HGTV superstars renovated a different space in a Southern California home into a real-life Barbie Dreamhouse. Each room required each team to renovate a room inspired by Barbie’s 60-year history.
The teams bringing Barbie to life included Married to Real Estate stars Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson, Jasmine Roth of Help! I Wrecked My House and Antonia Lofaso of Food Network fame, Ty Pennington and Alison Victoria of Battle on the Beach, Farmhouse Fixer star Jonathan Knight and Kristina Crestin, Christina Hall and James Bender of Christina on the Coast, Bargain Block‘s Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas, Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt of 100 Day Dream Home, and Michel Smith Boyd and Anthony Elle Williams of Luxe for Less. In the end, the winners were Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt, who continued their reign and dominance on HGTV competition shows. The joy of Barbie’s history was intertwined into the series as viewers not only learned about the iconic doll, but watched fans share their love of the toy.
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5 ‘Brother vs Brother’
Starring Jonathan and Drew Scott
Jonathan and Drew Scott are two of the biggest stars on HGTV. With a plethora of programs under their belt, sibling rivalry finally came to the screen on Brother vs Brother. On this show, the Scott brothers would go head-to-head as they mentor home improvement experts in hopes of refurbishing properties.
The series brought out the best of the bros who truly would do anything to win and not have to endure a dare if they lost.
The home flipping show took the concept of flipping properties for the highest price as its core winning determination. The series ran for eight seasons but did undergo a format change in Season 3. The team format was eliminated in exchange for the brothers facing off against one another with their older brother, J.D. Scott, as the referee. The series brought out the best of the bros who truly would do anything to win and not have to endure a dare if they lost.
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4 ‘Flea Market Flip’
Starring Lara Spencer
It’s not just homes that need flipping! Hosted by Good Morning America‘s Lara Spencer, Flea Market Flip brought yard sale lovers a new obsession. Visiting various flea markets around the country, teams of two were tasked to engage in refurbishing or reinventing three items before reselling them for the largest profit. With only a budget of $500 to hunt for potential pieces, the team who turned trash into treasure would earn $5,000.
Spencer would offer her opinion and insight, sometimes leading the teams astray.
Viewers would watch as the teams went bold in their respective workstations as they worked alongside contractors to help them. Spencer would offer her opinion and insight, sometimes leading the teams astray. The series, which debuted in 2012, ran for 14 seasons but could have lasted longer had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps a reboot is in order.
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3 ‘Battle on the Beach’
Starring Taniya Nayak, Ty Pennington, and Alison Victoria
First, they rocked the block, then they battled on the beach. With four seasons to date, Battle on the Beach watched three skilled teams of up-and-coming flippers as they hit the beach to renovate identical beachfront properties. Under the tutelage of Build It Forward‘s Taniya Nayak, Rock the Block‘s Ty Pennington , and Alison Victoria of Windy City Rehab, each mentor and their team tried to win over the judges and bring their seaside home the most added value in the end.
The competitive spirit paired with the civilian teams helped differentiate the series from the other hit series,
Rock the Block
.
Over the course of the four seasons, Nayak has won twice while Pennington and Victoria have each won once. The competitive spirit paired with the civilian teams helped differentiate the series from the other hit series, Rock the Block. The series helped to spin-off Battle on the Mountain. Where will HGTV take them next?
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2 ‘HGTV Star’ (Formally ‘Design Star)
Starring Clive Pearse (Seasons 1-3), Vern Yip (Season 4), Tanika Ray (Season 5), and David Bromstad (Seasons 6 and 7)
In 2006, HGTV was looking to expand their roster and what better way to do that than have rising designers compete for a shot at their own show? HGTV Design Star, which later changed its title to HGTV Star, followed a similar format to sister network Food Network’s program The Next Food Network Star. Airing for eight series, the series had a rotation of hosts and judges.
The hit series helped launch the careers of some of the network’s biggest names. For its inaugural season, the winner was David Bromstad, whose winning show was the hit Color Splash. The second season found Kim Myles victorious, which helped launch her show Myles of Style. While HGTV Star ended in 2013, it helped to ignite the competition series that run today.
1 ‘Rock the Block’
Starring Ty Pennington
HGTV brought together their biggest names to face off in competition. Starting in 2019, Rock the Block launched the competitive edge of their favorite personalities. Hosted by Ty Pennington, each season, teams of HGTV All Stars design four identical properties in hopes of adding the most value to the home. With each episode focusing on a different space in the home, the winning team, judged by other HGTV personalities, would earn more cash to be spent in future spaces.
In the end, the winning team would win a cash prize, as well as have the street named in their honor. Season 1 was won by Jasmine Roth, the only season to be a solo act season. Season 2 was won by Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt of 100 Day Dream Home. Season 3 was won by Married to Real Estate‘s Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson. Season 4 was won by Michel Smith Boyd and Anthony Elle of Luxe for Less. Season 5 was won by Unsellable Houses‘ Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis. Rock the Block has become the Super Bowl of HGTV. Many stars clamor to compete, and if they don’t win, they want to try again.
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