‘The Bachelor’ fans get a never-before-seen look inside the iconic reality show mansion as it undergoes a dramatic HGTV makeover
‘Bachelor’ fans will be treated to an intimate look inside the franchise’s most iconic property, the aptly named ‘Bachelor Mansion,’ as it undergoes a unique makeover by several former reality series stars.
Members of “Bachelor Nation,” the devoted fanbase of more than 1 million dating show enthusiasts, will get a personal tour of the property in a new six-episode collaboration with HGTV, “Bachelor Mansion Takeover,” premiering March 2 on the home renovation network.
The series will attract a cast of contenders from various ‘Bachelor’ franchise series who will compete to redecorate the famous spot with numerous limo exits, ugly shouts, last chance toasts, backstabbing and rose ceremonies.
Instead of chasing roses, twelve former contestants from the ‘Bachelor’ franchise will compete for a $100,000 prize, setting up a hotly contested competition that will be hosted by the dating show’s longtime emcee (and former star).Jesse Palmer.
Plus, they’ll be competing against the clock as it counts down to the star of ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Taylor Frankie Paul‘s debut as “The Bachelorette.”
The final results are then reviewed by Tayshia Adamsa television personality who appeared on ‘The Bachelor’, ‘The Bachelorette’ and ‘Bachelor in Paradise’, and Tyler Camerona runner-up on “The Bachelorette,” a model and, most importantly for this series, a general contractor.
But perhaps more importantly for true “Bachelor” fans, the show will offer something that no version of the dating series has given them: real insight into the sprawling property and its crumbling design, which is in desperate need of a makeover.
“For the first time ever, we’re pulling back the curtain and revealing the mansion like you’ve never seen it before,” Palmer said in a statement.
“Our twelve contestants have already experienced the twists and turns of ‘The Bachelor’ franchise. They know it won’t be easy. And the clock is ticking for this renovation to be completed before a new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ begins.”
A number of Bachelor Nation vets are getting a new design for the “Bachelor Mansion Takeover.”
Hanna Brown will help critique the completely redesigned men’s and women’s bunk beds, and other Bachelor Nation favorites will stop by to give their thoughts on areas like the pool or the rose room as the season progresses.
Guest judges also include designers and franchise fans Nate Berkusactress and franchise fan Rachel Bilsonformer “Bachelorette” and home makeover specialist JoJo FletcherHGTV host and designer Christina Haackand former “Bachelor” Sean Lowe.
The twelve contestants are all described as “legends” from “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette,” “The Golden Bachelor” and “The Golden Bachelorette,” including Dean Bell, Jill Chin, Noah Erb, Allyshia Gupta, Tammy Ly, Sandra Mason, Sam McKinney, Brendan Morais, Courtney Robertson Preciado, Jeremy Simon, Christopher Stallworthand fan favorite “Golden Bachelorette” Joan Vassos.
The twelve players start as a large group and gradually become smaller, not only at the end of episodes, but sometimes in the middle of challenges, thanks to reality show twists with names like “fate cards.”
In one early challenge, a number-driven task even offers a chance at immunity – think less word problems, more renovation math – before anyone has seriously swung a hammer. It all adds a layer of competitive tension that feels more like a rose ceremony than a typical HGTV elimination
The history of the Bachelor Mansion is a reality show in itself. Known to insiders as the Villa De La Vina, it is located in Agoura Hills, CA, in the Santa Monica Mountains, and is visible from Kanan Dume Road, the well-traveled canyon road that leads from Agoura Hills to Malibu.
It was built in 2004 by a contractor Marshal Haradenwhich it possesses to this day. Harraden designed the house with his wife for their family and personally supervised its construction. They lived in it for several years before ABC called for a permanent home for the show
The show started filming there by Brad Womack season 11 in 2007. After nearly twenty years of suitors, the mansion is in desperate need of a makeover. All those artificial flower backdrops, the cramped bunk beds, the dated kitchen, and virtually every surface worn down by heavy production equipment, insane foot traffic, and millions of tears could use a glowing statistic.
In addition to all those uses, the house is also the permanent residence of the Harraden family, who twice a year pack up and move into a hotel for about six weeks while the show takes over each production cycle. Crews are clearing out much of the family’s furniture, redecorating nearly every room and transforming everyday spaces into television sets.
The rose ceremony room, for example, is reportedly a game room with a pool table and bar when the cameras aren’t rolling. Then the house eventually returns to ‘normal’ once everyone has left the house and the regular furnishings disappear.
At various points in its history, Villa De La Vina has also surfaced as a short-term rental. It should come as no surprise that fans would pay a premium for the opportunity to stay in the same location where world-famous romances both blossomed and withered.
Some contestants have complained about life not being easy in the Bachelor Mansion. Many have criticized the famous bunkhouses for their rows of beds, cramped sleeping quarters, limited storage space and virtually no privacy, as well as the overcrowded bathrooms and chaotic crouching over suitcases right off camera – contestants have to store most of their clothes in their suitcases, which makes you wonder if there are also specific ironing rooms on site.
One of the drawbacks of the mansion that most viewers are not aware of is the fact that it is located in a fire hazard zone. During the 2018 California wildfires, the mansion was in the immediate danger zone; the fire destroyed a neighboring house and a production building on site, and the main building itself narrowly escaped the flames.
While the upstart design competitors can’t fix the venue, they can do a lot about the overstuffed bunk beds, functional kitchen, and prep areas where participants get ready for rose nights.
The participants were instructed to draw inspiration for the men’s toilets from Tuscan villas and palettes on the coast of Santorini. For the ladies’ room, they want to channel a broader Mediterranean fantasy, complete with soft, sun-drenched colors and fabrics that move beautifully on camera.
Outside, the iconic pool area, famous for countless group dates and cocktail parties that give viewers the chance to see more of the participants than usual, will be upgraded into a more modern resort hangout, with better conversation areas and a visual framing for those wide night shots.
Other workhorse spaces, such as the mixing rooms, terraces and kitchen, will be redesigned with traffic flow, noise, storage and camera angles in mind, reflecting the reality that this house must function as a set, a workspace and, at least part of the year, as someone’s real home.
Unlike the famous ‘Barbie House Challenge’, this show is not a one-off, where the house will immediately undergo another makeover and then be sold after the cameras stop rolling. The new renovations will appear in the next round of the “Bachelor” and “Bachelorette” episodes.
It turns a design show into a kind of prequel season, where the star isn’t the leading man handing out roses, but the house that’s seen it all and finally gets its own happily-ever-after renovation.
