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National house-flipping corporation HomeVesters wants HGTV to change the name of its hit show, “Ugliest House in America,” claiming the title is too close to its own trademarks, including the company’s “We Buy Ugly Houses” campaign. HomeVesters claims the TV network has ignored its requests, so it filed a lawsuit less than three weeks before the hit show is due to launch its third season.
HomeVesters Runs an ‘Ugliest House of the Year’ Contest for Franchisees
Hosted by comedian and actress Retta, “Ugliest House in America” has been a hit for HGTV since it debuted in January 2022. A second six-episode season aired during the summer and a third season is due to premiere on January 1, 2023.
On December 12, 2022, HomeVesters filed a lawsuit against HGTV’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, in an effort “to protect its intellectual property rights.” The company says the HGTV show’s name is “confusingly similar” and “nearly identical” to its annual “Ugliest House of the Year” contest.
Each year, HomeVestors executives comb through before-and-after photos sent in by franchises across the U.S. Each franchise owner is trained by the company on how to buy and renovate “ugly” homes in their communities and re-sell them for a profit. From the submitted photos of houses that have been refurbished, one winner is named their “Ugliest House of the Year.” The 2021 winner, announced in January, was an Orlando house filled with over five dumpsters worth of junk, free-roaming critters and an awful stench, according to a press release.
HomeVesters admits that its contest is “vastly different” from HGTV’s competition, in which Retta tours oddly-designed homes submitted by their owners who are hoping to win a $150,000 makeover from HGTV host and designer Alison Victoria.
In fact, the company’s press release shades the competition for being different from theirs, saying that it “mocks owners and their homes for odd design choices, often labeling the homes as ‘heinous’ or ‘grotesque.'” The release further attempts to degrade the HGTV series by saying “most of the shows center around little more than making fun of homes and home design.”
“The nature of this television show does not align with HomeVestors’ values or brand identity,” the HomeVesters said, saying that it worries viewers will confuse HGTV’s “Ugliest House in America” with its 25-year-old brand.
HomeVesters Says HGTV Has Ignored Requests to Change Show’s Name
In its statement, the company said, “Because HGTV refused to respect HomeVestors’ trademark rights, despite repeated requests to do so, HomeVestors was forced to file suit to stop Warner Bros. Discovery from continuing to confuse the public and harm the goodwill associated with HomeVestors’ brand.”
HGTV and the show’s talent seem wholly unfazed by the lawsuit and are moving forward with promoting and airing the next season. On December 15, Victoria shared several social media posts devoted to the show, most of which Retta then shared to her Stories.
The posts included two photos of them together with the message, “Guess who’s back!! #UgliestHouseinAmerica New Year’s Day!”
They also shared a promo video from HGTV of Retta’s funny reactions to Victoria, and another video of the two cracking up while trying to harmonize on a song. Over the first video, Victoria wrote, “God I love you.”
Meanwhile, Retta also posted a video to her Instagram feed from her appearance on CBS’ “The Talk” earlier this year, telling a hilarious story about the “Ugliest House” contender she toured before realizing there were snakes inside.
In an unusual programming decision made weeks before the lawsuit was filed, HGTV will air the entire third season of “Ugliest House in America” over the first six days of the new year. The first hour-long episode will premiere on January 1, 2023, at 8 pm Eastern with additional episodes airing the next four nights at the same time. Then on January 6, the finale will air at 9 pm Eastern.