HGTV/Heavy Alison Victoria and Retta
For four seasons, HGTV has been searching for the “Ugliest House in America” with the help of actress and comedian Retta serving as host. Retta has traveled across the nation touring homes that are overdecorated, unsafe, and downright ugly, selecting regional winners along the way before awarding one such winner the title of “Ugliest House in America” and a $150,000 renovation by HGTV star Alison Victoria (from “Windy City Rehab”).
The fourth season, which the show has dubbed its “Summer Road Trip”, wrapped up on Monday, September 4, where Retta revealed which of the regional winners would take home the grand prize and showed the homeowners their completed renovation. Read below for a finale recap and to see which home took home the win.
MAJOR SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers for “Ugliest House in America” season 4 episode 6, “Summer Road Trip to Stunning” (September 4, 2023). Do not read ahead if you do not want the season 4 winners spoiled.
‘Ugliest House in America’ Season 4 Finale Recap
After reviewing the regional winners from the West Coast, Midwest, Southwest, Northeast, and Southeast, Retta and Victoria teamed up to announce the winning home was the Southwest regional winner in Boulder City, Nevada, which Retta had dubbed “Penny for Your Thoughts/Disco Dome Home”.
The newest “Ugliest House in America” is a white dome-shaped structure that is reminiscent of an igloo from the exterior, with the interior mixing cobblestone, disco balls, and a carpeted spiral staircase among other clashing elements. The home also featured a bathroom with no walls, a wall art installation made out of different colored carpeting, and a moulding lined entirely with real pennies.
Retta and Victoria then surprised the homeowners Stephanie and Sean with the news of their win, and Victoria got to work on her renovation.
Victoria first went after the home’s exterior, painting over the stark snowy white with a neutral tone that brought in the tan of the surrounding desert landscape, and updated the entryway to keep its unique charm while making it less tacky.
Inside, Victoria took out all the carpeting and modernized the look of the walls and appliances throughout the home. During their demolition, Retta and Victoria took down the pennies throughout the home, counting approximately 5,000 throughout the space (equivalent to $50). Victoria also incorporated a disco ball installation in the finished home to tie in some of the home’s original ugly charm, paying for the disco balls with the pennies.
Stephanie and Sean were tearing up at the reveal, grateful that their home now felt much more open and bright than it had
Fans React to ‘Ugliest House in America’ Winner
Fans took to Reddit on September 4 to share their reactions to the winning house and the final transformation, and many were surprised at the season’s outcome.
“I was shocked that they picked this house. Kudos for the transformation though. They kept it just kitschy enough. The exterior improvement was really cool too. I like Alison on this show— I think she and Retta have a great vibe,” one user wrote.
“Although they didn’t pick the actual ugliest house (the treehouse in the woods), I have to say this was my favorite redesign ever on this show! I was afraid Allison would suck all the quirkiness out of the house and give it the usual HGTV white/gray makeunder, but no — she actually added some fun elements! It was the right choice for those homeowners (and me!),” another fan commented.
“I was shocked by the house they chose but happy they went with something legitimately ugly. The renovation looked great! Love the turquoise in the kitchen and the cascade of disco balls,” a third user added.