HGTV Canada/YouTube Sarah and Bryan Baeumler of HGTV
Four pairs of HGTV personalities have begun filming the fourth season of “Rock the Block,” the network’s popular competition show, and fans have lots to say about one of the duos. Since the network announced new teams for the show, scheduled to debut in 2023, fans across multiple social media platforms have cited numerous reasons they think the competition will be a real challenge for real-life couple Sarah and Bryan Baeumler.
Many Fans Think the Baeumlers Will Struggle With Budget & Time Constraints
In early October 2022, HGTV announced its hugely popular competition show, “Rock the Block” will return in March 2023, hosted again by Ty Pennington. Four pairs of HGTV personalities have begun filming their design challenges in a community of newly-built homes in the small town of Berthoud, Colorado.
The season 4 competitors are design experts Michel Smith Boyd and Anthony Elle of the new show “Luxe for Less,” renovation pro (and New Kid on the Block member) Jonathan Knight and designer Kristina Crestin of “Farmhouse Fixer,” house-flipping expert Page Turner and contractor Mitch Glew of “Fix My Flip,” and married design-and-construction team Bryan and Sarah Baeumler of “Renovation Island.”
The Baeumlers are longtime personalities on HGTV, both in Canada and in the U.S., so viewers are very familiar with the couple’s approach and dynamics — and many think it could be a recipe for disaster on “Rock the Block.”
For starters, fans can’t figure out how the couple has time to focus on the six-week competition. The native Canadians have four kids, run a resort in the Bahamas, and recently renovated their new family home in Wellington, Florida, as HGTV crews filmed the process for the latest season of “Renovation Island.” They also run a construction company, an interior design firm, a real estate investment program, and have various product endorsement deals.
When Bryan posted an Instagram photo from the set of “Rock the Block” on October 17, one fan wrote, “Can’t wait!! Like you needed one more thing to do!!”
Bryan replied, “lol my first reaction as well!!”
The couple served as the judges of HGTV’s “Battle on the Beach,” which aired during the summer of 2022, but “Rock the Block” marks their first time as contestants. Fans have expressed doubt that designer Sarah will do well with budgetary constraints, given the way other projects have gone.
On a Reddit thread devoted to discussing the new “Rock the Block” teams, one user wrote, “Well, if Sarah B is in charge of the budget, we all know they won’t have any money left for the last 2-3 rooms!”
Another chimed in, “Truth! I can’t wait to see her operate under a real budget.”
Fans on Bryan’s post echoed those sentiments, with one writing, “I mean they say opposites attract, Sarah has no budget limits and you are the practical one, hopefully you can both pull this off without blowing the budget on the outside of the house before you go inside!! I’m rooting for you!!”
Another advised, “Tell Sarah she needs to be very practical. She can’t order fancy products from Europe.”
Fans Hope Sarah & Bryan Baeumler Tone Down Their Bickering On ‘Rock the Block’
HGTV/YouTubeSarah and Bryan Baeumler of HGTV
The Baeumlers first rose to fame in Canada, with Bryan’s popular DIY shows beginning in 2007. In 2010, a reality show called “House of Bryan” — with Sarah and their four kids added into the mix — became HGTV Canada’s highest-rated series in a decade. In 2016, Sarah began working as a designer alongside Bryan in a house-flipping show.
In 2017, the couple purchased an abandoned resort located in San Andros, Bahamas. They moved their family to the Bahamas as they invested $10 million into restoring the resort, according to HGTV, and filmed the process for their show. It’s called “Renovation Island” in the U.S. and “Island of Bryan” in Canada.
Though the Baeumlers’ shows remain very popular, their tendency to bicker with each other is a frequent point of contention among fans on social media, with many now wondering whether their dynamic will keep them from succeeding on “Rock the Block.”
On a Reddit thread about the newly-announced teams, one HGTV fan wrote of the Baeumlers, “Why are they always fighting!?”
Someone replied, “Right! I like the Baeumlers’ results, and don’t mind that they sometimes disagree — but Sarah’s voice reaches an annoying pitch almost every time — and Bryan is rather condescending which is annoying.”
When Bryan shared his “Rock the Block” post on Twitter, someone wrote, “Please tell Bryan he needs to stop talking to his awesome wife the way be does. Way too much sarcasm and anger. Makes it hard to watch renovation island and we love the show. He’s a great guy, but it’s annoying to see him act that way towards his wife.”
Meanwhile, others think Sarah is the one who needs to tone it down. One Reddit member was certain that on “Rock the Block,” fellow contestant Turner will not put up with Sarah’s “condescending attitude.”
“I can’t wait to watch that,” the person wrote.
Others were even snarkier about not wanting to watch the couple on the show. “Can’t decide whether to skip it or hate-watch,” one commented.
Another Reddit user wrote that Sarah is “usually b****ing at her husband in a way I find abhorrent,” but added, “Then again, there are some HGTV hosts I started to warm up to once I saw them on RTB (“Rock the Block”), so it could happen with the Baeumlers as well.”
The Baeumlers, who have been married for 18 years, say they intentionally air some of their arguments on their shows because they want to authentically capture the real stress of renovation.
“We shared the good, the bad, the ugly and we didn’t want to just wrap it up in a neat little bow,” Sarah told Entertainment Tonight about filming “Renovation Island.”
And Bryan says they have plenty of strategies for restoring the peace at home. He even offered some advice to other couples dealing with the stress of renovations.
“Take some time off from the job to spend together, don’t talk about work,” he told ET. “Never talk about work in bed!”
As for who will win “Rock the Block,” fans are divided — and so is Bryan. On his Instagram post, he had lots of followers cheering him and Sarah on, certain that they will win the season — but he said they have stiff competition.
“There’s some serious talent here,” he told one fan. “Might be the first 4 way tie!”