Heavy/HGTV/YouTube Rock the Block season 5 cast
HGTV’s renovation competition series is entering the home stretch as the fourth of its six episodes aired last night, March 25, on the network. Coming into the episode, Page Turner and Mitch Glew (from “Fix My Flip”) stood tall as the sole winners of the Main Suite Redemption challenge. This is their second win after the premiere’s kitchen and dining room spaces, and close behind are Bryan and Sarah Baeumler (“Renovation Island”) and Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas (“Bargain Block”), who tied for the living room win. Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis (“Unsellable Houses”) are the only team left without a win.
Read ahead for a full recap of the episode, along with the winners of the Backyard challenge.
SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers for “Rock the Block” season 5 episode 4, “Backyard Redemption” (March 25, 2024). Do not read ahead if you do not want the winner of this episode spoiled.
‘Rock the Block’ Season 5 Episode 4 Recap
Host Ty Pennington opened episode four by laying out this week’s challenge to the teams: the backyard space. This means teams will have to work to renovate their 600-square-foot covered patio, add new landscaping, and finish the pool designs that the teams began off-camera in week one. Ty also shared the teams would each receive an extra $25,000 to make sure their pools and backyards stood out.
Ty also announced that season 2 winners Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt would be returning to the Block to judge the spaces at the end of the week, their second time judging this season after the Living Room Redemption in episode 2.
At the start of their design phase, Bryan and Sarah felt confident, as they were the only team with a lot of experience building pools. They opted to not include a hot tub in their pool given the Florida heat but added a fountain on the side and decided to make their outdoor patio an entertainment space. They decked it out with a spiral staircase to the balcony above, as well as a grilling space with countertops and a full sink.
Page and Mitch noted that their two wins left a target on their back, but wanted to use that momentum to work towards a third win. They did include a hot tub in their pool design, along with a shallow submerged sundeck in their pool. In their patio space, they wanted to base their design around a cabana, adding a hanging daybed (an homage to Page’s hanging swing seats from the basement kitchen in their season 4 design), checkered pavers to line the floor, and a fireplace in the corner.
Keith and Evan noted that they do not often have experience designing pools in Detroit, but decided to make it symmetrical, complete with a hot tub in the center of the back wall of the pool. They decided to line the outdoor space with pavers, eliminating any greenery, a risk that Keith felt would play well as it would eliminate maintenance. On their patio, they planned to add a full grill, dining table, and living space.
Lyndsay and Leslie wanted their pool to be “curvy sexy”, and planned to use their pool and outdoor spaces to get payback on their competitors in the form of their first win. They wanted to include a lot of seating to make their pool (which did include a hot tub) feel like a resort. They opted to add turf instead of real grass for simpler maintenance. On their patio, they decided to add a “tiki bar” and grill, as well as an outdoor shower and mosquito screens to make sure the space could be enjoyed.
Spoiler Alert: Who Won ‘Rock the Block’ Season 5 Backyard Redemption?
After a week of hard work and some smack talk amongst the competitors, the Kleinschmidts arrived to evaluate the backyard spaces. First up for judging were Page and Mitch, whose space blew Brian and Mika away, with Mika noting it was hard to focus on just one element of their design. The judges also liked the projector and pull-down screen Page and Mitch added with the use of their $3,000 winnings from last week’s challenge. The only note Brian had was that the projector was facing away from the seating on their patio.
Next up were Keith and Evan, whose outdoor kitchen was surprisingly pleasing to the eye, according to Mika, but Brian mentioned wanting something on the walls behind the kitchen. Brian was drawn to the sound of the bubblers in the couple’s pool, and Mika noted that the firepit placed behind the hot tub was a smart addition.
The judges then went to Lyndsay and Leslie’s backyard, which they felt was very fun and energetic with the use of colors in their design. The curves of their pool were a plus from the judges, but Brian noted that the chairs in their pool faced away from the ocean view. Mika appreciated the privacy that their landscaping gave, without being overbearing. The automated screens were also a big hit with the Kleinschmidts.
Last up for judging were Bryan and Sarah Baeumler. Brian and Mika liked the fountain detailing in the Baumlers’ pool and felt the cantilever deck gave their space a resort feel, as did the palm trees over the pool. The lack of a hot tub was a negative for the Kleinschmidts, who live in Florida and noted they use their hot tub more than their pool. Brian Kleinschmidt said the Teppanyaki grill on the couple’s patio was a “showstopper.”
In the end, the Kleinschmidts met with all the teams and announced that Lyndsay and Leslie were the winners of the Backyard Redemption challenge. This is their first win this season, and with it they have earned $4,000 to put towards next week’s challenge.
Next week’s episode of “Rock the Block” will air on HGTV on Monday, April 1, at 9 p.m. Eastern, and will see the teams tackle the rest of their homes’ Exterior spaces.
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