HGTV’s hit series “Rock the Block” ended its redemption season on Monday, April 15, when the returning teams faced off to add the most last-minute value to their homes in hopes of finishing what they started in their original seasons.
Read ahead for a recap of the final episode, including who won the season.
MAJOR SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers for “Rock the Block” season 5 episode 7, “Finale Redemption” (April 10, 2023). Do not read ahead if you do not want the season 4 winners spoiled.
‘Rock the Block’ Season 5 Finale Recap & Winner Revealed
The finale opened with host Ty Pennington welcoming the teams and issuing them their finale challenge. Ahead of the final judging, the teams were given five days to complete their second-floor lofts and laundry rooms. Ty noted that Bryan and Sarah Baeumler had raked up an extra $11,000 to spend on these spaces after winning the last two weeks’ challenges.
He also announced this week’s guest judge, “Property Brothers” star Jonathan Scott, who would be working with a team of local real estate pros to determine the final values added to the homes.
Page and Mitch decided to add a reading nook in their final spaces, in a nod to the “Page Turner Library” that won them the Living Room challenge in season 4.
Lyndsay and Leslie entered the last week energized. They chose to add an office, the one space their home was otherwise missing, to ensure they ticked all the boxes on their final appraisal. They also wanted to make sure they spent the bulk of their remaining budget on the second-floor laundry room.
Keith and Evan already finished their laundry room in week 3, so they chose to focus on their loft space, adding a desk for a workstation and reading nook. Like their competitors, they noted that they only have a few thousand dollars left to pull off their finishing touches.
Bryan and Sarah didn’t want to take any big risks in their final spaces, but decided to continue their curved wall from the first floor into the second floor, and also opted to add as much as they could to their laundry room.
With 3 days remaining, Bryan and Sarah cruised up to the block on a jet ski, and revealed that they spent their extra money on this personal watercraft, meaning that the purchase of their home would include the purchase of the watercraft, a “power move” that they hoped would push their final appraisal over the edge.
As the time ran out, Jonathan arrived for the final judging and began to tour the homes with Ty. First up they went to Lyndsay and Leslie’s house. As he looked through he noted that the solar panels they added to their roof would be a huge value-add. Other amenities such as the sauna and cold plunge were also pluses for Jonathan, as were the twins’ bold choices of color, pattern, and texture throughout the home. Some things he didn’t love were the inclusion of three laundry spaces and the dog bath station being so far from the home’s entrance.
Next up for judging were Keith and Evan. Jonathan noted that their detailed ceiling treatment and two bedroom en suites on the main floor would add quite a bit of value, though he noted the use of similar materials in both bathrooms was a wasted opportunity to have each space be more distinctive. Jonathan noted that while he loved the calm feeling the couple’s simple color scheme evoked, it could get mixed reviews from prospective buyers. Jonathan was also blown away by the “Bargain Block” boys’ outdoor spaces, calling their pool design “brilliant.”
Third up were Page and Mitch. Jonathan loved the bi-fold windows in their kitchen, which gave the space an indoor-outdoor feeling. He noted it was his favorite feature out of any of the kitchens, though he felt the balcony on the other side of that window wasn’t as functional as their competitors. He noted that their outdoor shower was a good touch, as it allowed a homeowner to get the most out of their time outdoors.
The final home for judging belonged to Bryan and Sarah. Jonathan noted they had the best first impression of the four homes, owing to the zen garden feature. The elevator that the couple installed in week 1 also got high praise, as it can now be factored into the final appraisal. Jonathan loved the walls and ceilings in their kitchen and living areas, and told Ty, “you can tell these guys know what they’re doing because they put the money where the money needs to go.” One downside Jonathan noted was that the Baeumlers’ closet was smaller than their competitors.
After the final judging, the teams got to tour one another’s homes for the first time, and then it was time for the results. Ty and Jonathan gathered with the teams behind the houses and shared that from a $1.7 million starting value and roughly $300,000 budget, the winning home appraised at just over $2.3 million.
In lieu of the traditional fireworks behind the winning home, a series of drones lit up the sky with the names of the winners. Lyndsay and Leslie won “Rock the Block” season 5. Per tradition, the street the competition took place on was named “Lyndsay and Leslie Lane” in honor of their win.
“I can not believe we did that. I’m freaking in shock!” Leslie said. “I’m in shock, I’m speechless. The Block is not easy. The Block is not for the weak. Being on the Block is the hardest thing I have ever done in my career.”
“Ugliest House in America” returns for its 5th season in “Rock the Block”‘s timeslot next Monday, April 22, at 9 p.m. Eastern
Who Won Each Weekly Challenge Leading Into Finale Night?
Ahead of the finale, “Rock the Block” teams competed in six rounds of competition that saw them renovating on a different area of their houses. At the end of each round, different HGTV stars would stop by the block to tour the spaces and act as guest judges. The results leading into the final are:
Week 1: Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson (from “Married to Real Estate”) named Page and Mitch as the winners of the Kitchen Redemption
Week 2: Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt (“100 Day Dream Home”) couldn’t make up their minds, so in a series-first tie, both Bryan and Sarah and Keith and Evan were named winners of the Living Room Redemption
Week 3: Kristina Crestin (“Farmhouse Fixer”) named Page and Mitch the winners of the Main Suite Redemption
Week 4: Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt returned and named Lyndsay and Leslie as the winners of the Backyard Redemption.
Week 5: Veronica Valencia (“Revealed”) and reigning “Rock the Block” champion Michel Smith Boyd (“Luxe for Less”) named Bryan and Sarah as the winners of the Exteriors Redemption
Week 6: The teams judged one another, and with the highest average score, Bryan and Sarah were named the winners of the Surprise Bedroom Redemption
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