HGTV Canada and Architect Films announced today that production has begun on the second season of the successful Canadian original series Home to Win, which ranked as the #1 specialty competition series (A25-54) in its first season.* This season, HGTV Canada is bringing together 30 of the best-known celebrity builders, designers and real estate experts to pool their extraordinary expertise, creativity and reno know-how. Joined by host ET Canada’s Sangita Patel, they will completely transform an average house into a dream waterfront property. Home-winning hopefuls from across the country will vie to compete for this spectacular house in the dramatic series finale. The new season is currently slated to premiere on HGTV Canada in Spring 2017.
This season’s team of 30 celebrity builder, designer and real estate expert all-stars includes:
Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler are, arguably, the faces of HGTV Canada. They’ve both got long-running series on the air in Canada and around the world, co-starred in the home giveaway series Home to Win and allowed TV cameras to follow their lives both on and away from the construction site.
Now the pair is taking over Sunday nights—beginning this week—on HGTV Canada with projects that peel back the curtain on their family lives. Yes, there is still plenty of renovation drama in Moving the McGillivrays and Bryan Inc.—it’s what put food on the table long before the TV cameras came into focus—but there is personal footage fans have seen only snippets of in the past and been clamouring for.
(l-r) Myah, Scott, Layla and Sabrina McGillivray
The first up is Moving the McGillivrays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, a surprisingly intimate look at the journey Scott, wife Sabrina and daughters Myah and Layla go through on the path to creating their forever home while Scott keeps his responsibilities to Income Property, his production company, McGillivray Entertainment, helping Habitat for Humanity and his public speaking engagements. What appeared to be a fairly straight-forward case of finding the right house for his family turned into a nightmare. Scott and Sabrina, a teacher, knew they needed a house with storage, near their parents and close to a good school. After winnowing the list down to three properties, the couple made their pick. Episode 1 covers those first steps into renovating … and the most emotional footage of Scott I’ve ever seen on camera.
“As tough as it was for me in those moments, it was even tougher for me to see my kids seeing that,” McGillivray says during a press day at HGTV Canada’s headquarters. “It’s been a tough show and a bit of a roller coaster for sure.”
But as dramatic as the renovations on their new home are, fans will get a kick out of Sabrina and Scott’s relationship. She’s not afraid to put her husband in his place, call him out on bad jokes or roll her eyes at his confidence. And, thanks to some unearthed early footage of Scott walking around his first-ever income property, you understand why he became the success he is. Forget the orange shirt and floppy mop of hair in that grainy video: the then 21-year-old Scott McGillivray had a plan.
“After I bought the first property, at 21,” he recalls. “I was in university and had a student loan and I almost didn’t buy that first property. I just kept running the numbers in my head and realized, ‘We’re gonna make money on this property. This is insane.’ And when it actually worked, it was a massive confidence booster. I literally got a cheque for that first property, for $30,000 and I asked my friend, ‘Why isn’t everybody doing this?’ I’m still saying that today.”
Sarah and Bryan Baeumler
But while Moving the McGillivrays reveals Scott’s wife and kids, Bryan Inc.—bowing Sunday at 10 p.m. ET/PT—spotlights the role Sarah Baeumler has had for years alongside her husband. While viewers have seen Sarah weighing in on design tips during House of Bryan: The Last Straw, where the couple built a forever home, and participating in Season 1 of Home to Win, she’s been part of Baeumler Quality Construction since Day 1.
“I’ve always been involved in the company, but more on the office side,” she says. “Bryan’s the guy on-site managing the projects and I was part of the office team looking at marketing and branding. I dabbled in design in House of Bryan. This is the first time Bryan has said, ‘I think it would be good for you to see our side of the business and understand what it means, from the ground up.'”
“I think the view out there is that Sarah shops,” Bryan says. “She runs the Baeumler Family Foundation, totes our four kids around and has been heavily involved in the construction company for 15 years. The only difference with this show is that we’re filming Sarah’s involvement.”
The education starts immediately on Sunday night when the pair purchase two homes, with a plan to renovate and flip them for profit. Sarah, project manager, quickly learns working within home-buying and design budgets is easier said than done. Throw in designing the company’s offices, keeping their media company and production company on track and … oh yeah … parenting four kids, and the duo have a tough task ahead of them. Episodes catch the pair on the construction sites, in the office, with the children … just a typical day in the Baeumler’s lives.
“There are big, big stakes with this show,” Bryan explains. “There is a name on the side of my truck that my father threatened me with my life if I ruined. The reality of that, versus let’s just break the bank to get exactly what we want … I think people will get a welcome peek into that side of it.”
Moving the McGillivrays airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada.
Bryan Inc. airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada.
Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler, two of HGTV Canada’s biggest stars, team up for two-hours of can’t-miss television this fall with back-to-back series premieres of Canadian Original series Moving the McGillivrays and Bryan Inc. Beginning September 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Canadians get a closer look at Scott McGillivray and his endearing family as he builds their forever home in Moving the McGillivrays. At 10 p.m. ET/PT, Bryan Baeumler invites fans to experience the trials and tribulations of managing a contracting business in Bryan Inc. With his wife Sarah Baeumler taking on the high-pressure role of project manager, the pair tackles two high-stakes renovations. Each series is accompanied by a robust digital component at HGTV.ca that gives fans a closer look at the personal and professional lives of their favourite HGTV Canada all-stars through digital short series.
In Moving the McGillivrays, viewers get an unprecedented glimpse into Scott’s personal life with his wife, Sabrina, and their two girls as they build their dream home. While involved in every decision and building detail, Scott and Sabrina also have to juggle being parents with two active kids. Scott’s worked on an incredible number of homes but now he’s working for his family, his toughest client yet. The McGillivrays haven’t lost sight of the fact that there are families who need support on the home front. Scott helps build a home for a hard-working family in need, all while making sure his new house is completed on time and on budget. There is laughter and a few tears when both homes are move-in ready and two families’ dreams come true.
After each episode, fans can visit HGTV.ca for two brand new digital short series featuring Scott with his family and never-before-seen rooms to be revealed later in the season. In the candid series Kick Back with Scott, the contractor’s family, including his mom, wife, daughters, brother and best friend all sit down with the star to ask burning questions and uncover never before heard stories. When he’s not busy being a contractor, Scott is busy being a dad and that means driving his two girls around. These trips result in hilarious and candid conversations between Scott and his daughters, with the best moments caught on tape in the new series Moments with the McGillivrays. Additional how-to videos and heartwarming personal stories from Scott’s life go live each week on the site.
The second-half of Sunday night’s stellar lineup stars Bryan Baeumler and his wife, Sarah Baeumler, in the new series Bryan Inc. Bryan and Sarah worked together to build their own home, but now Bryan has hired Sarah as a project manager at his construction company. Together, they’ll buy, renovate, and sell homes for a profit. Sarah may be the boss at home but it’s Bryan who has the final say at the office. While managing their roles as builder and project manager, husband and wife, Bryan and Sarah must also balance their busy home life with four active kids: “Q†(11), Charlotte (10), Lincoln (5) and Jojo (3). Working together is bound to impact their relationship as Bryan and Sarah’s competing tastes and differing visions cause hiccups, but their humour and signature banter see them through every struggle. They’ll have to overcome challenges and surprises together if they want to make a profit on two major flips.
At HGTV.ca, Bryan and Sarah host 39 short-form videos across two new digital short series. In The B Team, Canadians catch up with the family that they have come to love over four seasons of hit-series House of Bryan. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at their country lifestyle and hectic but always fun family life. Sarah, who continues to juggle her role as mom, wife, entrepreneur, and now project manager, stars in her own digital short series Ask Sarah. In the videos, Sarah answers fan questions from her social media pages, provides advice, and reveals tips and secrets she uses to keep her busy life in check.
This April, HGTV Canada launches Home to Win – its biggest, most interactive, multiplatform series yet. For the first time in the network’s history, 20 HGTV Canada stars including Mike Holmes, Bryan Baeumler, Scott McGillivray and Sarah Richardson come together under one roof to buy an average home and renovate it from top to bottom for one lucky Canadian. Starting today, Canadians can visit HomeToWin.ca to audition to be one of three Canadians who will compete to win this ultimate property. Throughout the series the house is revealed on-air and online, with HomeToWin.ca hosting a closer look after every episode. Hosted by ET Canada’s Sangita Patel, Home to Win premieres April 24 at 10pm ET/PT on HGTV Canada.
In the series premiere, HGTV Canada stars hunt for the ideal property to buy and renovate for one Canadian to call their own. In each episode, fan-favourite builders and designers work together to renovate and revamp the home room-by-room. With 20 major renovations to complete, there’s no shortage of work for this powerhouse cast and the results are extraordinary. Once the house is complete, three Canadians compete in heart-pounding challenges to see who will be victorious and claim the keys to the house.
By visiting HomeToWin.ca, Canadians can now submit an audition video for the chance to compete for the ultimate home, which will be awarded during the Home to Win finale on June 26. To participate in casting, Canadians must enter their email address on the site by June 5 at 11:59pm ET and follow the directions emailed to their inbox. The application is as easy as submitting a video, up to one minute in length, introducing themselves and answering the question, “what makes a house a home?â€
Leading up to series launch, HomeToWin.ca transforms into a fully immersive digital experience where fans can explore design content, photo galleries and the interactive Design a Room feature. The Design a Room tool puts the audience in the driver’s seat as they design six different rooms inspired by the Home to Win house. Throughout the series, as the house is renovated on-air, Canadians get an in-depth look at every stunning detail through a captivating virtual tour with hotspots allowing them to shop the look. Canadians also get a taste of life on set through behind-the-scenes videos and can watch full episodes after they air.
Is this it for Sarah and Bryan Baeumler? After having TV cameras in their faces 24/7 for House of Bryan, have HGTV’s super-couple finally called it quits? The latest iteration of the franchise—returning Sunday with back-to-back episodes—is called The Last Straw. So, what gives? Is the title a reference to the show being set on their property close to farmland? Does it refer to this being the last-ever home they’ll renovate together? Or maybe it is, simply, the final steps in creating that forever home they’ve dreamed of.
“Is this the straw that broke the camel’s back and lead to divorce?!” Sarah says with a laugh during interviews at HGTV headquarters. The short answer is, no, the Baeumlers are not severing their marriage. As a matter of fact, their next TV project—read on for details on that—will bring them even closer together. “In the beginning, it was our goal to show our real lives. Bryan said at the very beginning that he wanted to show our house being built and everything that comes along with that, including what a couple goes through. The reality is, we have lives, there are jobs and kids and things happen.”
“Anyone that tells you, ‘I own a construction company and I’m building my house, it went perfectly, we were under budget and ahead of schedule and everybody is happy is full of shit,” Bryan says. “It’s just not like that. It’s not a railroad track. It’s a shipping channel and you’re meandering towards your destination.”
Things do, however, begin Sunday night without a hitch. House of Bryan: In the Sticks followed Bryan, Sarah and their kids Quentin, Charlotte, Josephine and Lincoln as renovations began on their home. Those episodes showcased how weather and other obstacles pushed construction on the new wing of the property way past the original deadline. Now that section of the home is done, and attention is turned to the original part of the house and the challenges that come with bringing 70s-era style into the present day.
In The Final Straw, Bryan begins the season by taking advantage of Sarah being away for two days and gutting the original structure. In no time, he and his team have dispatched old panelling, addressed some minor moisture issues and prepped for a vaulted ceiling by hauling in a massive beam to provide strength to the structure. As Sarah tells it, Bryan knows his best option is just to begin work on a project and then reveal what he’s done. That way, she can’t say no. Her reactions, of course, make for great TV.
“They’ve gotten quite a few reactions, and have had to edit out some language,” she says with a laugh. What you get from watching the Baeumlers on screen—and in a conference room with no cameras to capture it—is their sense of humour. These two take everything in stride and don’t let construction drama—or what some fans say online—bother them.
As for their next television project? They’ll be working more closely together. Bryan Inc., which began production just a week ago, spotlights Baeumler’s business by following him around during a typical day. Building and renovating homes will be part of it, as well as Sarah becoming more involved in the 60-plus employee company based out of Burlington, Ont.
“As Bryan says, ‘It’s bring your wife to work day. Let’s see how this goes!'” she says. “Bryan does have me sweeping some floors and it’s good to learn a job from the ground up. We have a really great working relationship and we’re expanding on that.”
“There are going to be challenges,” Bryan teases.
House of Bryan: The Last Straw airs back-to-back episodes on Sundays at 9 and 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV.
