HGTV power couple Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt find themselves on opposite sides for brand new series 100 Day Hotel Challenge. The pair, who are known for 100 Day Dream Home, go head-to-head transforming two dated hotels in Salter Path, North Carolina in 100 days.
Known as the network’s winningest couple, they’ve already conquered the Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge and Rock the Block. However, facing off in this new renovation competition series is a different environment for them. They won’t have each other to lean on, but luckily there are familiar faces joining them on their teams while working on different spaces from the lobby and kitchenette to the luxury suite to the exterior.
For the premiere, Team Brian brings in Bryan and Sarah Baeumler (Battle on the Beach) to square off with Team Mika including Jonathan Knight and Kristina Crestin (Farmhouse Fixer) to give new life to the standard and double guest rooms.
Judging them along the way are Property Brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott. The weekly winning team earns $5,000 for their chosen charity with the winning spouse walking away with $50,000 for the charity of their choice, and of course, bragging rights. Winning won’t be easy as they’ll have to work on a deadline and with a budget of $225,000. We checked in with the Kleinschmidts to talk about their experience.
Brian Kleinschmidt and his team Sarah and Bryan Baeumler, as seen on 100 Day Hotel Challenge, Season 1. (HGTV)
I love the idea that these hotels are side-by-side. How did you come upon these properties?
Mika Kleinschmidt: it was definitely challenging trying to find two mom-and-pop boutique hotels on the beach near each other. This was just a perfect lineup because both of the hotel owners’ stories were heartfelt. They are both in dire need of renovation for sure. Our production company went out and scouted, I think there were about six candidates. There were these options, and not all of them were in the North Carolina area. Ultimately, this made the most sense as far as the stories of why they needed it, and the location. It was just something really fun and different to do.
How would you say this competition tested your relationship?
Brian Kleinschmidt: It was tricky. I think I learned through this process how much I do need Mika on my team. That I‘m stronger with her. It was crazy because we went home every night and stayed in the same house. We tried to figure out what each of us was doing and get inside baseball with our hotels. Ultimately, it wasn’t about Mika or Brian winning but the hotel winning and the community winning. We definitely left this community in a better place than we found it, which was the goal.
What was it like getting to know the owners and what they were looking for?
Brian: Both our hotel owners had such different stories. That’s what I think will be captivating to the viewers. My hotel owners only bought the hotel several years ago. They are immigrants from India and bought this as their American dream. Right after they bought it, a hurricane came through and wiped it out. They had to put in like $800,000 to get it operational. My hotel was forgetting about the past and fixing it up for the future and making sure that the American dream was alive and well. Mika’s was the opposite.
Mika: Mine was multi-generational. The grandfather of the hotel owner built the property with his own hands. I had to honor the past in my design decisions while setting them up with the future because everything was so outdated from a business standpoint.
Mika Kleinschmidt, Kristina Crestin, and Jonathan Knight pose together in front of the custom wardrobe in the double room at the William & Garland hotel, as seen on 100 Day Hotel Challenge, Season 1. (HGTV)
Talk about the teams we’ll see this season. Was it sort of like an NFL draft in deciding who you wanted for your side?
Brian: That’s funny. A lot of it was dependent on their availability. We all had our wishlist. HGTV had their wishlist. I could not be more happy for the team assembled for Team Brian. I know Mika felt the same way. We’ve worked with a lot of these people before, but for some, this was the first time we’ve ever met. What was so cool was that we all brought our design styles and created together. We all learned from each other. I feel like we made each other better.
Who were some of the names you hadn’t worked with before you were excited to have a chance to?
Mika: Scott McGillivray (Renovation Resort Showdown) and Lauren Makk (Design Star: Next Gen), those two were so funny. Their energy was crazy. We don’t pick favorites because we love everybody, but I do think it was interesting because almost every day we filmed it was like a new television show was being filmed because the chemistry of who you were working with was so different. Every day we wanted to let them take ownership of the design and work side-by-side with them. That was a lot of fun.
Brian: For me, we competed against Michel Smith Boyd (Luxe for Less) on Barbie, we judged him on Rock the Block, and knew how talented he was. The fact he was part of my team on the lobby episode was like hitting the jackpot with him. I learned so much. We had so much fun. Even Carmeon Hamilton (Reno My Rental), I watched her win Design Star. I knew she knew how to win, so she had to be on my team. We also loved giving some up-and-coming talent this opportunity was also special for them and for us.
The Property Brothers are the judges. How is it having them a part of this?
Mika: We love those boys. It was surreal for us because before we even got on HGTV, we would watch Property Brothers. I think when we found out they were part of the show we were like, “Look, mom. I made it. We have both Property Brothers on the show.”
Brian: The fact we got both was like hitting the jackpot. You’re lucky to get one. The fact we got two was amazing. We’ve always looked up to them. Now I can say I physically look up to them because they are taller than I am and I’m 6-foot-4. We just had a blast for them.
Drew and Jonathan Scott, Brian Kleinschmidt, Sarah and Bryan Baeumler, Mika Kleinschmidt, Jonathan Knight, Kristina Crestin in single/double room challenge reveal, as seen on 100 Day Hotel Challenge, Season 1. (HGTV)
How would you describe their judging?
Mika: They have been doing this for a long time. They notice design details. I like that they are honest. They gave some really good feedback too because every week we had challenges, but ultimately there was one winner at the very end. We were constantly getting feedback.
Brian: I have to say every time they would pick one of Mika’s spaces as the winner, I totally disagreed with their decision.
Mika: Whatever.
What were some of the biggest challenges we’ll see you overcome?
Brian: One of the biggest challenges we had the viewers weren’t going to see it or feel it. It was the fact these were living, breathing businesses and they were shut down for construction and production. So the longer we took, the more money and revenue they were losing. That was a challenge for the hotel owners that we also took on ourselves on top of everything else we had to deal with.
Mika: Another challenge more so on mine was that because my mind had been passed down through the family, I had a lot of restrictions of what I could do and change. There are different design decisions I would have probably done my way but it wasn’t about me. It was about honoring their brand and wishlist. Designing with restrictions is something I’m not used to other than budgets.
How do you feel about the finished products?
Brian: It is a night and day difference. I think one of my favorite parts of this whole experience was being able to walk into Mika’s hotel after the competition was done and really seeing the reasons I lost some of the spaces I thought I should have won. But our goal was to make sure we left this community better than where we found it. I feel like we did that. Not just with the hotels and overall community and organization we raised money for. We feel like these hotels will double, maybe triple their room rate. More importantly, these guests are going to stay longer. They’ll take pictures, tell their friends. We really revitalized this whole area, which feels good.
What was the hardest space to work on?
Mika: Can I be honest with you? Every freakin’ space. I’m serious. I walked in and thought, “I don’t know how we’re going to make this look beautiful.” If I had to pick one, it would be the outdoor space because it was a wasteland. To try to create amenities that never existed was very challenging. That’s why I mention Lauren and Scott because, without their expertise in that space, I don’t think I could have pulled it off.
Brian: The viewers won’t believe the before and after and transformation. I think my favorite space and probably the most fun one was our lobby. It looked like a closet when you walked in. It was so small> Now it feels like a five-star resort when you’re checking in. I did that space with Michel, and we thought that was the most important space in the entire hotel because you not only make the first impression but the last impression there. Every space was the biggest challenge we’ve ever faced but the lobby was my biggest.
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If there is another season, would you continue with this format or go back to working together like you do?
Mika: We have 100 Day Dream Home together, so we have us together there. I like the aspect of partnering with different talents because it takes us out of our comfort zones. Not only that, we learned so much from each person that we brought back and incorporated into our design. I like how it is because, at the end of the day, the businesses we help are winning.
Brian: I think we’re excited that this is a show that HGTV viewers have never seen anything like this in their lives. Not just the format, but by the way it was shot. We had some of the most creative people in the business working on this show. We show off everyone’s work. Who knows? There may be a rematch in the future.
100 Day Hotel Challenge, series premiere, August 13, 8/7c, HGTV
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