HGTV’s hit renovation competition “Rock the Block” season 5 is officially two episodes in and the competition is fierce. Last night, March 11, the four returning teams were all tasked with renovating the living rooms in their $1.7 million homes, hoping to add the most value to their home’s appraisal.
Last week, Page and Mitch took home the first weekly win of the season with their kitchen/dining areas, and with it, they banked $1,000 to use towards this week’s renovation. Read ahead for a full recap of the episode, along with the winners of the Living Room challenge.
SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers for “Rock the Block” season 5 episode 2, “Living Room Redemption” (March 11, 2024). Do not read ahead if you do not want the winner of this episode spoiled.
‘Rock the Block’ Season 5 Episode 2 Recap
The episode opened with host Ty Pennington gathering the four teams and presenting them with their second challenge: the Living Room. The teams were all given free rein over their first-floor layouts, so Pennington explained that the living room “can be placed anywhere your kitchen is not.” He also revealed that this week’s guest judges would be “100 Day Dream Home” stars and former “Rock the Block” champions Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt, who would be judging the spaces without the teams there to explain their designs.
While laying out their designs, Page and Mitch (“Fix My Flip”) noted that space planning would be key to this week’s challenge, since they were allowed to place their living room in any open space on the first floor. They decided not only to create a living room, but to use the rest of their open space to make an extra flex space with a bedroom, full bathroom, half bathroom along the kitchen, and a laundry room.
Keith and Evan (“Bargain Block”) immediately thought to replace their glass doors with a “wall of glass” to maximize their seafront views. They mentioned wanting to make the space inviting and comfortable with a fireplace (despite Evan already sweating in the Florida heat). With their extra space, the boys planned to add two full bedrooms and bathrooms.
Lyndsay and Leslie (“Unsellable Houses”) followed suit with the other teams by adding a bedroom and bathroom in their extra spaces but decided to add a “second primary suite” with a larger floor plan than some of the other teams. They noted that they were making a “mullet house”, with “business in the front, party in the back.”
Bryan and Sarah learned from their mistakes in season four, leaving their oceanfront view completely unobstructed, and adding slider doors along one entire wall. Sarah also planned to incorporate her curved wall design into the living room space, continuing it from the kitchen. They also tried a new concept: a flexible ceiling made out of velum. With their extra space, they added a new powder room and bedroom.
Spoiler Alert: Who Won ‘Rock the Block’ Season 5 Kitchen Redemption?
The Kleinschmidts arrived on the Block and dove right into their solo judging. The first house they toured was Lyndsay and Leslie’s Tropical Retreat. The Kleinschmidts liked the symmetry around the fireplace but wished there was more of a mantle. They also appreciated the guest suite the pair were able to create. Despite not being there to explain their choices in person, the teams were all able to leave Brian and Mika a note going over a couple of details of their space.
Next up was Keith and Evan’s home, which Brian immediately likened to a five-star resort, noting the ceiling detailing. The Kleinschmidts were impressed that the couple was able to fit two bedrooms and two bathrooms into their space, while most of the other teams were only able to have one extra bedroom. Brian wished they mixed in more than one type of tile though, suggesting Keith and Evan may have gotten a large stock of the same tile on sale.
At Page and Mitch’s home, the Kleinschmidts liked the focal point that their fireplace created, but Brian noted that a fireplace isn’t always a necessity in Florida, even though all of the teams were opting to incorporate one. They liked the team’s laundry room but felt like they didn’t maximize the cabinet space in the area. Brian and Mika were also blown away by the hi-tech bed in the spare bedroom.
Last up for judging were Bryan and Sarah, whose Natural Zen space gave the judges exactly what they wanted to see with the fully open glass wall giving uninterrupted access to the waterfront views. The velum ceiling was also a hit for the judges but felt the additional bedroom was bland in comparison to their showstopping living room.
In the end, the judges gathered with Pennington and the four teams to announce their decision, and for the first time in “Rock the Block” history, it came to a tie. The winners of the living room challenge were Keith and Evan and Bryan and Sarah. This marks Keith and Evan’s first win on “Rock the Block”. Each team will receive $2,000 towards their next renovation.
Next week’s episode of “Rock the Block” will air on HGTV on Monday, March 18, at 9 p.m. Eastern, and will see the teams tackle their homes’ Main Suite spaces.
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