HGTV / YouTube Michel Boyd and Anthony Elle
HGTV star Michel Smith Boyd is responding to his “Rock the Block” critiques in a Thursday, March 16 Instagram post.
“Specific. …with a history of shrinking the market. 😉” the “Luxe for Less” host captioned the post, making reference to the critiques he and his “Rock the Block” partner Anthony Elle have received over the first two episodes of the fourth season, which is currently airing on HGTV and discovery+.
“Petty post lol”, one user commented on Boyd’s post, which was a photo of Boyd smiling directly into the camera. “Petty boots!” Boyd responded to this comment.
The ‘Rock the Block’ Judges Feel Michel Boyd & Anthony Elle’s Design Limits Their Buyer Pool
After two episodes of “Rock the Block”, Boyd and Elle have received similar critiques for both their kitchen and living room areas.
In the first episode, guest judges Jenny and Dave Marrs (from “Fixer to Fabulous”) said they loved the team’s choice of a kitchen range and textural hardware throughout the cabinets. They also loved the two-tier porcelain island, especially since the use of porcelain saved money without sacrificing style. One con the judges had was the limited buyer pool, with Jenny Marrs saying, “I think you’re designing for a specific buyer. For a family, this wouldn’t really work well, but it feels luxurious.”
Boyd mentioned in the premiere that he and Elle wanted to “honor Colorado [where the competition is taking place], but also bring in our more contemporary POV, and our house is designed for empty nesters”.
In episode two, judges Mina Starsiak Hawk (of “Good Bones”) and Jenn Todryk (of “No Demo Reno”) had similar critiques, with Hawk telling Boyd and Elle that their bathroom gave off “Sexy bachelor man vibes”, however she added, “My only concern, you’ve maybe made your buyer pool a little smaller.”
Boyd and Elle did not win either of the first two weekly challenges, however many followers encouraged them in the comment section of Elle’s recent post, with one follower writing, “As someone who works in real estate and design in Colorado…please don’t listen to those judges. Your home is EXACTLY what luxury buyers in this area are looking for! ❤️”
“This is specifically luxury ✨️ specifically gorgeous!!!” another follower added.
Boyd and Elle also have a fan of “Rock the Block” host Ty Pennington, who spoke with Heavy ahead of this new season, and shared that they were one of the teams that surprised him the most.
“Those guys, creatively, I was blown away, they just have some incredible ideas. When it comes to design, we all want to be surprised,” Pennington told Heavy, “That’s the little clever things, whether it’s a cabinet door that turns into a secret room, or it’s something that converts into another piece of furniture.”
Michel Boyd Has Connections to ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’
According to HGTV, Boyd started working in the fashion world before learning about his passion for interior design. Once he discovered the world of design, Boyd quickly enrolled in The Art Institute of Atlanta and opened his design firm Michel Smith Boyd interiors in 2006.
As he gained success, Boyd landed a spot on the Bravo design show, “Buying it Blind”, and according to Bravo’s website, he has also worked closely with two of the stars of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta”: Shereé Whitfield and Marlo Hampton. Boyd helped Whitfield work on the Chateau Shereé, which took years for Whitfield to build from the ground up, as fans of the show know. Though less prominently featured on the show, Boyd also helped Hampton with her home’s design when the time came. Hampton even responded to Boyd’s latest post, leaving “❤️❤️❤️” in the comments.
“Rock the Block” airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. Eastern time on HGTV and discovery+.
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