The Real Reason HGTV's Rock The Block Stars Wear The Same Outfits Every Week
Since 2019, HGTV's "Rock the Block" has featured an all-star cast of hosts, contestants, and judges who are familiar faces on the network. The competition lasts six weeks. Each team has a house and works to make it the most valuable. Participants also endeavor to garner fans for their regular shows. As the homes rapidly transform, one thing stays the same — the participants' attire.
This lack of diverse outfits often causes consternation for "Rock the Block" fans. However, it's a practical consideration for post-production personnel. "If we changed each day, it would have been so hard for them to edit the show and keep track of who was wearing what on which day in which room," Jenny Marrs explained on Facebook in 2022.
"100 Day Dream Home" star Brian Kleinschmidt, who won the second "Rock the Block" with his wife, Mika Kleinschmidt, had an excellent analogy for the outfit situation. "Just think of us as football teams... These are our uniforms," he wrote in the comments to his Instagram post. "Don't worry ... we had several of the exact same outfit so we didn't stink too much." Page Turner, from Seasons 4 and 5 of "Rock the Block," illustrated this fact in an Instagram video. Turner's closet included four identical pairs of black overalls, and green shirts layered with black long-sleeved tops. Participants also had access to laundry facilities whenever they ran out of clean clothes. In addition, key accessories like footwear were sometimes replaced to maintain consistency.
Continuity errors would be distracting for audiences
The contestants on "Rock the Block" work long hours to redesign homes, and because it's an unscripted show, there's a lot of material for the production team to sift through. Since the contestants' wardrobes are constant, editors have the freedom to choose the best shots to tell the story without continuity errors that would detract from the excitement of the contest.
However, as Page Turner pointed out, not all HGTV shows have this requirement. In contrast to her four identical outfits on the show, Turner noted that she wore 56 different ensembles when she hosted season 1 of "Fix My Flip." The amount of "Fix My Flip" outfits is even more astonishing since there are only six episodes in the season, so she wears an average of nine outfits per episode. "I'm grateful for this. It's a lot easier," she commented about "Rock the Block" on Instagram.
Even so, not all the contestants welcomed the fact that they had to pick an outfit and stick to it. In season 2, Jeremiah Brent wore an all-denim ensemble that included dark-wash jeans and a lighter-wash button-down shirt. The designer jokingly revealed he had experienced second thoughts about his outfit choice. In April 2021, Brent posted a pic of his kids in plaid and a denim jumpsuit alongside the caption: "The outfits I wish I chose to wear for 6 weeks straight of filming.... Alas, we have another night of high waisted denim ahead."
Fans are obsessed with the outfit repeats
Throughout its five seasons, the mystery of the "Rock the Block" participants wearing the same outfit remains at the top of fans' minds. One devoted viewer posted on social media that they had been laser-focused on this question for 42 days in a row. In March 2023, Page Turner reposted her Instagram videos from the previous October to re-address this wardrobe query. "This is the one question that I see more than about design, our feelings, the wins & losses... the people want to know why we were the same thing every single day," she said.
The show's production process is a logistical marvel, between the fast pace of work being completed, vehicles making deliveries, video production equipment, and as many as 100 individuals working on the set at a time. With this high-pressure design environment, not having to decide what to wear can be a convenience. However, sometimes laundry is low on the priority list, and it's rumored that contestants have had to resort to re-wearing unwashed clothes.
In contrast, life on set can be a lot more chill for other HGTV programs. Mitch Glew, Page Turner's contractor on "Fix My Flip", has also teamed up with her on "Rock the Block." Compared to the hordes of cameras and post-production trailers needed for "Rock the Block," "Fix My Flip" is a one or two camera production. Speaking to HGTV, Glew compared the pace of both shows to "getting out of a Ferrari and getting in a Honda."