Ty Pennington is spilling the tea on his two iconic series: ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and HGTV‘s “Rock the Block.”
Ahead of the season 8 premiere of the competition series, Pennington shares
‘Rock the Block’ vs. ‘Extreme Makeover’
Pennington became a household name during his run as a carpenter on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” in the early 2000s.
The series, which premiered in February 2004, was a spinoff of “Extreme Makeover.” Pennington starred alongside stars like Paige Hemmis, Paul DiMeo, and Michael Moloney, as they renovated homes for families in need. The beloved show ran on ABC through January 2012. It was later rebooted on HGTV in 2020, and saw a short resurgence on ABC in 2025.
Following his time on the heartfelt series, Pennington began hosting “Rock the Block” in 2019.
While still a show focused on renovations under tight deadlines, “Rock the Block” sees design teams compete against each other week after week to win bragging rights.
The “Battle on the Beach” star sat down with Hollywood+ for an interview published on Thursday, October 23, where he was asked to compare the two series.
“I think the experience of ‘Extreme’ was so incredible because the deadline we had to build a house in a week,” Pennington said. “I see some of those crazy deadlines we have with the teams on ‘Rock the Block’.”
He continued, “I think for me it’s great because I get to sort of be more of a mentor now and for these teams that are really trying to do their best work because of the experience I’ve had over the years. I can sort of lend that to those guys to sort of keep their eyes on the prize and stay focused, and try to be as creative as they possibly can.”
‘Rock the Block’ Season 8
The highly successful series was renewed for an eighth season — with a twist.
“Our viewers are ‘Rock the Block’ superfans who tune in every season to see the best in home renovation and design,” said Howard Lee, Chief Creative Officer, US Networks, Warner Bros. Discovery. “That’s why we’re bringing back all-stars who’ve already survived the high-stakes pressure of the block, pitting them against design legends who are new to the competition and ready to take them on.”
Hosted by Pennington, the teams consist of “100 Day Dream Home” stars Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt, “Good Bones” alum Mina Starsiak Hawk and Scott McGillivray of “Renovation Resort Showdown”, “Trading Spaces” alum Paige Davis and Carter Oosterhouse, and Sabrina Soto, host of “The High/Low Project,’ and Anthony Carrino of “Kitchen Cousins”
“We’re starting the next season of ‘Rock the Block’ and basically like a week, week and a half,” Pennington said. “So, yeah, that’s going to be awesome. We’ve got some big surprises coming this season. I can’t share too much about it, but it’s going to be big.”
One surprise that’s already been announced? For the first time, the season will spotlight homes with identical floor plans and square footage.
Season 8 does not yet have a premiere date.
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Ty Pennington Compares ‘Extreme Makeover’ and ‘Rock the Block’— & Spills on 1 Major Difference