HGTV
Real estate experts Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler are teaming up for a new season of the hit HGTV show “Renovation Resort Showdown,” in which they will task a group of budding home designers with overhauling sprawling lakefront cabins to turn them into picture-perfect vacation properties.
Ahead of the on-screen premiere of the second season of the show, Realtor.com® has been granted an exclusive first look at the properties that will take center stage in the latest episodes: four brand-new builds that sit on a remote stretch of beach in Ontario, Canada.
The stakes are, as always, high, with four contractor and designer teams going head-to-head in the renovation competition in the hopes of winning a $100,000 prize—as well as assured HGTV fame.
In an exclusive clip of the series’ Season 2 premiere, McGillivray, 47, and Baeumler, 51, reveal a detailed layout of the unfinished abodes while introducing the competitors to the game.
“Welcome to renovation resort,” begins McGillivray, as the “Vacation House Rules” star officially opens the contest. “Is everybody ready to go head to head in the ultimate renovation competition?”
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(HGTV)
Baeumler, 51, follows a chorus of excited responses from the contestants with an overview of their challenge.
“Your mission is to turn this resort into a destination by working your magic on these four vacation homes,” says the “Battle on the Beach” star.
The four blank slate homes are just out of view from the stone firepit where the group is gathered, so McGillivray gives a verbal breakdown of them from top to bottom.
“Each two-level home has a front room and an entry, a kitchen, a great room, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a rec room, and a generous amount of outdoor living space,” he shares. “All four properties back on and walk out to this beautiful waterfront.”
McGillivray’s description paired with visual renderings and graphics of the blueprints make for the first comprehensive look inside the cabins.
Outside, the seemingly identical homes all share several features, including a white exterior, gray asphalt shingled roof, and an in-progress wooden upper deck that’s being erected above a cement pad.
(HGTV)
(HGTV)
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The land around each dwelling is not yet landscaped, so overall, the properties are truly undeveloped blank canvases just waiting to be transformed.
The possibilities seem endless and exciting, yet Baeumler’s reminder about the rules brings everybody back down to reality.
“Rain or shine, your task is to turn these four homes into four-season vacation rentals—and you’ve got only eight weeks to do it,” he says.
Much like last season and on other popular renovation competition shows such as “Rock the Block,” McGillivray explains the tight competition schedule.
“Each week, you will be renovating a new space, and we will be judging the results,” he says, while also noting, “We’ll be joined by expert guest judges along the way.”
Adds Baeumler, “And we will be checking in on you regularly to assess the quality, the functionality, and the creativity of your work.”
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(HGTV)
(HGTV)
With the grueling scheduling logistics clearly laid out, the cohosts move on to talk money—as in renovation budgets and a cash reward for the winners.
“You all have a budget of $150,000, and it’s up to you where to use it so be careful,” warns McGillivray about making sure competitors stretch their dollars to last through each week of the challenge.
Baeumler notes that “when all is said and done, the duo with the best home will win the bragging rights and the title of renovation resort champions,” before teasing, “but that’s not all!”
Indeed, when McGillivray reveals that “the winners will also take home a game-changing prize of $100,000,” the group erupts into cheers and a collective display of hand-clapping.
The enthusiasm is high, but so are the stakes when turning a shell of a home into a luxurious resort getaway on what McGillivray deems the design and build show’s “biggest stage yet.”
Season 2 of “Renovation Resort Showdown” premieres Tuesday, July 22 at 9 p.m. on HGTV.