Ty Pennington Reveals How He Almost Ended Up On The Bachelor - Exclusive
"Trading Spaces" was when many fans first caught sight of carpenter slash designer Ty Pennington. Over the course of eight seasons, the series completely catapulted his career, and everyone began wanting to know what he was up to. "It was crazy," he said during an exclusive interview with The List. "We had huge crowds that were ending up in cul-de-sacs in neighborhoods all across America. And I was just going like, 'Wow! How is this show that's on at 4:00PM in the afternoon on a channel like TLC, The Learning Channel, how is this even this popular?'"
Though the show ended in 2007, many other opportunities immediately came calling for the young carpenter (via IMDb). He landed a job on the incredible series "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," which lasted for 10 years. Yet, before even stepping foot on this life-changing show, Pennington was offered something else pretty surprising — a spot on "The Bachelor."
Ty Pennington is grateful he didn't go on The Bachelor
As his career was just getting started, everybody seemed to be interested in Ty Pennington — and casting directors took notice. After wrapping up season two of "Trading Spaces," he got a call from a producer about a brand new opportunity. When asked what it was that he would be a part of, the premise wasn't something that would involve a toolkit this time. As it was described, he would be living in a mansion with multiple women, going on dates, and deciphering who it was that he would want to marry. Today, we all know this television show as "The Bachelor," and this TV personality was not at all interested in accepting this rose. "I'm like, 'Oh, this is going to go over well with my girlfriend,'" he told us.
While many of his friends encouraged him to pursue it, Pennington ultimately decided that a reality series about dating wasn't in his best interest. "Thank God I said no," he admitted. "What a huge change my career would have taken." Who knows if he would have ever had his successful career on HGTV if he had taken the job!
However, while he could never envision himself as "The Bachelor," he still finds the concept compelling. One could even call him a fan. "I cannot stop watching that show," he confessed to us. "There's something about it."
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is streaming now on discovery+. You can also catch Ty Pennington in the finale of "Home Town Takeover" on Sunday, July 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV and discovery+. His new series, "Battle on the Beach," premieres Sunday, July 11 at 9 p.m ET, 8 p.m. CT on HGTV and discovery+.