HGTV’s ‘Battle on the Beach’ Mentors Reveal What You Don’t See on TV

According to the cast of Battle on the Beach, a lot more goes into filming the HGTV competition series than what’s shown on TV.

Contrary to cancellation rumors, Battle on the Beach returns with new episodes and a new cast on Monday, June 1. Ty Pennington returns as one of the show’s three mentors alongside former judge Sarah Baeumler and series newcomer Mika Kleinschmidt. Renovation Aloha‘s Tristyn and Kamohai Kalama will also make their Battle on the Beach debut as the Season 5 judges.

Despite the cast changes, the rules remain the same. The HGTV stars will each mentor a design duo as they give a seaside vacation home a much-needed upgrade. The team that scores the highest short-term rental season rate for their home gets bragging rights and takes home a minimum cash prize of $50,000.

While the series shows the teams doing the majority of the renovation work on their homes, the mentors are more involved than meets the eye. “We don’t just pop in and go, ‘Well, this was a bad idea!’ Thank god we’re there at the beginning of the idea, sort of germination,” Ty Pennington exclusively told TV Insider. “And then, a lot of rooms you know are coming, but you haven’t gotten to them yet. So, you start sort of saying, ‘Hey, we need to start thinking about that room. It’s going to be next.'”

Pennington noted that mentors help their teams with everything from “ripping out plumbing” to “hanging wallpaper” and that being involved in the renovation is important in building trust with their teams.

The mentors also help the cast with the emotional aspects of the competition. “I think every mentor had [emotional breakdowns],” Pennington quipped. Kleinschmidt, for her part, argued that she didn’t have one but admitted to a few stressful moments.

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“I [did] have moments of wanting to take my microphone off and be like, ‘Hold up a second, wait a second.’ But it wasn’t, like, a breakdown,” she explained. “But you know why I think so? Because it was interesting how they paired each of us up with our teams. I don’t know if it was strategic, but I feel like as mentors, we had to learn real quick because there was similarities, but not really. I feel like my team was quiet, calm. I’m like, ‘That is not me.’ And so, it was interesting how we had to take that mentor thing and go, ‘Hold on. What do they need from me instead of me trying to be my normal, 100%, bossy self?’ That was hard, I’m not gonna lie.”

Baeumler highlighted how each team was “very experienced” and “well-respected” in the world of home design and renovation, which added extra pressure. “It’s natural, I think, for all of us to want to just say, ‘This is what you should be doing, and this is what I see, and you’re wrong,'” she told TV Insider. “But instead, you have to [be] like, ‘OK. Take a moment. Listen. Bite my tongue. Hear what they want to do.’ And I’m there to support, guide, and, at times, I learned a little more, probably, to speak up and say ‘I don’t agree. This is why I don’t agree. But how can we come to something that feels authentic to what they’re trying to create?'”

Baeumler continued, “At the end of the day, this is a lot of money on the line, and they are out there to win this for themselves. And I want to make sure we support that, but that it’s guided by their direction and their passion.”

Pennington previously told TV Insider that he went to his mom for advice while working with his Season 5 team — mother-daughter duo Michelle Mueller and Sydney Lorence. Mika revealed that her husband and 100 Day Dream Home co-star, Brian Kleinschmidt, was a support system for her during filming.

HGTV Star Alison Victoria Reveals What Got Her Fired From 'Battle on the Beach'

“Being away from him and traveling back and forth to South Carolina was one thing, but yeah, he was definitely supportive,” she gushed. “And him and my daughter [Jade] did come up for a weekend, so they kind of got to see a little sneaky peeky before the houses were done, and it was really cool.”

Baeumler, meanwhile, reached out to former mentors Taniya Nayak and Alison Victoria for advice before filming began. “I think what they said, which really resonated, is that we will get out from it as much as we put into it. … They become part of your extended family, these teammates. You learn about their family, their own children, or other family members. You can’t help when you’re spending 12, 14 hours a day together to really partner with them, and you do start to feel so invested in this project and with your relationship with them.”

Praising her fellow mentors, Baeumler added, “I really leaned into the mentorship role, and honestly, I loved it. And I loved working with Mika and Ty. They made it easy, even [on] my breakdown days. So, I’m very grateful for that.”

Battle on the Beach, Season 5 Premiere, Monday, June 1, 9/8c, HGTV

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