Fresh off her first ever “Rock the Block” win, Mina Starsiak Hawk is weighing in on HGTV‘s casting for season 7.
During a fan Q&A in her Instagram Story on Tuesday, May 12, Starsiak Hawk was asked how producers “picked the pairs” for the competition series.
“You know, I have no idea how the powers that be decided who we got paired up with,” the “Good Bones” alum said. “But, they did a really amazing job. I don’t think — I think you switch any of us around and mix up different partners, it just wouldn’t have been the same.”
She continued, “It wouldn’t have been as good. It still would have been good, but I think the people in charge at the network who decided like Brooke and Scott should be together. This is going to be some dynamite, whether it’s in a good way or bad way. Vernon and I just paired really well, and so did Taniya and Drew, and Kim and Chelsea. I guess that’s the magic of the production team that none of us really know the answer to.”
‘Rock the Block’ Season 7
HGTV threw fans a curveball with the seventh season of “Rock the Block.”
For the first time ever, HGTV pros were paired with celebrity designers as they competed in renovating identical homes.
The teams take on Las Vegas homes larger than 5,000 square feet, with a budget of $275,000. The duos compete in weekly challenges, completing one area of the home at a time.
“This is a genius idea. When I first heard, I was like, ‘What? How is this going to work when they’ve never met each other before?’ Maybe it’s Season 7, and seven is a lucky number when we’re in Vegas,” longtime host Ty Pennington told TV Insider ahead of the Season 7 premiere. “But I’ll tell you this season of ‘Rock the Block’ is big. It’s exciting, it’s flamboyant. It’s like Vegas itself. It’s a big show. Maybe it’s because the HGTV stars are working with reality stars. In many ways, they are just stars.”
‘Rock the Block’ Finale
With just one week left of competition, HGTV legend Scott McGillivray and his partner, former reality star Brooke Hogan, are at the top of the leaderboard with two wins.
The duo won the first week of competition with their bedroom, bathroom, and closet transformation. They later won during week 3 for their kitchen and dining space renovation.
Kim Wolfe and Chelsea Meissner took home the prize money during week 2 after renovating the foyer, great room, and den. Week 4 went to “Battle on the Beach” star Taniya Nayak and former 98 Degrees singer Drew Lachey for their multi-generational suite reno.
Starsiak Hawk and Davis finally got a win during week 5’s “essential spaces” challenge, during which they renovated the RV garage, laundry room, and office.
She explained during her Tuesday Q&A that she and Davis were playing “the long game.”
“The way to compete on ‘Rock the Block’ is adding bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage,” she explained. “If you can add square footage, that is like your golden ticket.”
The pair ultimately won the challenge by turning the RV garage loft into usable space.
“That is almost $50,000 [in added value,] just by the loft existing,” she said. “So that was what Vernon and I had in our heads, like the long game. The whole time, this is going to be our winning moment.”
