HGTV Stars Open Up About On-Set Drama: ‘So Many Breakdowns’
“Battle on the Beach” wouldn’t be “Battle on the Beach” without a little drama. And according to the stars of 5, this season — which sees three teams renovate the biggest seaside homes in series history — takes the cake.
HGTV‘s Ty Pennington told Realtor.com that season 5 saw “so many breakdowns.”
“I thought we should actually design a crying room that you could, while you were on vacation, just go in there and just cry and scream,” he added.
And he wasn’t alone. “Renovation Resort” star Sarah Baeumler and “100 Day Dream Home” star Mika Kleinschmidt, who also served as mentors this season, agreed with Pennington.
‘Battle on the Beach’ Drama
Pennington’s team consists of mother-daughter duo Michelle Mueller and Sydney Lorence. However, according to the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” icon, the pair proved that working with family is a challenge.
“I don’t think I could ever really do a show with a family member because you would have to edit everything out. It would just be like, ‘Bleep, bleep, bleep,’” he told the outlet.
As for Baeumler, she opened up about her on-set breakdown.
“I needed to bring Ty and Mika aside and just sort of unload a little bit on them and take from Ty his experience of being a mentor,” she told Realtor.com. “I remember I stood on the beach with Mika and Ty, and I’m like, ‘Help, I don’t know how to navigate this. I need some advice. I need some guidance … [on] where to push back and when to sort of say, Hey, I think you’re going in the wrong direction. Can we pull this back before it’s too late?’ Because I sort of sat back and was like, ‘This is their decision. I am here to support and guide them,’ and it just started to take its toll.”
Mika Kleinschmidt Weighs In
Kleinschmidt, who is no stranger to a competition series, told Realtor.com, “It’s always a breakdown before a breakthrough.”
According to the former “Rock the Block” winner, mentors are there to guide the competitors, but it’s the duos who are in the driver’s seat.
“f you do a competition series and you don’t have a moment that you have a breakdown, you probably don’t care enough, or you’re not working hard enough,” she said. “Sometimes, they might want to take the right turn before we give the direction, and that’s OK because it really is their opportunity to shine.”
Kleinschmidt added, “We’re there for them when they need us … but this is their platform, and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so we don’t want to overstep.”
Episode one of the season premiered on HGTV on Monday, June 1. Each team was given $19,000 to renovate the living room, staircase and second-floor entryway in their Garden City, South Carolina, homes.
Sarah’s team, husband-wife duo Steven and Angelina Jacobs from Waterbury, Connecticut, took home the win. The pair won $3,000, which they elected to pocket. New for season 5, challenge winners can elect to bank the weekly winnings, and have them added to the grand prize.
Episode 2 will see the three teams tackle the kitchen.
