Bryan Baeumler Skips Filming on ‘Rock the Block’

HGTV / YouTube Sarah and Bryan Baeumler

Season 4 of HGTV‘s “Rock the Block” kicked off with the premiere episode on March 6. The four teams — Bryan and Sarah Baeumler from “Renovation Island,” Michel Smith Boyd and Anthony Elle from “Luxe for Less,” Mitch Glew and Page Turner from “Fix My Flip,” and Jonathan Knight and Kristina Crestin from “Farmhouse Fixer” — were tasked with renovating the kitchen spaces of their identical $1.9 million homes in Berthoud, Colorado.

SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers for “Rock the Block” season 4 episode 1, “Kitchen Face-Off” (March 6, 2023). Do not read ahead if you do not want the winner of this episode spoiled.

Bryan Baeumler Missed the 1st Design Surprise

“Rock the Block” host Ty Pennington had the four teams meet him at sunrise on day four of the competition for their first design surprise. The teams were set to go up in hot air balloons to look out over the Colorado mountains and gather inspiration for their kitchen spaces.

Before they took off, however, Ty noted that Sarah was all alone, and she explained that her husband “left on the most epic day, but he had to go back and do some work, so I’m flying solo.” Sarah didn’t reveal exactly what work Bryan had to complete, but she was still able to go up in the hot air balloon with Ty.

Bryan wasn’t the only competitor to skip the hot air balloon ride, either. Jonathan was quick to point out how terrified he was of heights, and Page followed him, joking, “I don’t have an issue with heights, but I do have a doctor’s order that says I can’t go into woven baskets that leave the earth,” leaving their teammates Kristina and Mitch to ride together.

Bryan returned on day five, jealous that he had to miss the hot air balloon rides but excited to get back into the competition.

Dave & Jenny Marrs Judge the Kitchen Face-Off

HGTV stars Jenny and Dave Marrs returned to “Rock the Block” after competing in season 3 to judge the kitchen spaces challenge, which they won on their season. The Marrses liked each of the four finished spaces, which included the kitchen, dining room, mudroom, and pantry with an optional study and powder room.

Jenny and Dave felt Michel and Anthony’s “Modern Farmhouse” kitchen was very elegant and luxurious, but that its design was slightly less family-friendly than some of the others, which could limit the number of potential buyers. The judges liked the prep kitchen in Page and Mitch’s “Alpine Chic” home but were hoping for more cabinet space. Bryan and Sarah’s open concept “Aspen Chalet” blew the judges away, differentiating their home from the rest, though they felt the view in the dining room was blocked by their chandelier.

In the end, Jenny and Dave chose Jonathan and Kristina as the winning team for their “Modern Farmhouse” kitchen spaces. They loved how Jonathan and Kristina incorporated logs into their powder room’s ceiling, taking inspiration from Kristina’s trip in the hot air balloon, and liked the use of wood beams and dark and light paint to separate the dining area from the kitchen. This means that Jonathan and Kristina will have an extra $1,000 going into next week’s challenge: the Living Room Face-Off.

“Rock the Block” airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. Eastern time on HGTV and discovery+.

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