Drew Lachey and Taniya Nayak Talk \u2018Rock the Block\u2019<\/span>HGTV<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n In Monday\u2019s season opener of Rock the Block<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>interior designer and TV personality Taniya Nayak<\/a> shares how much she fangirled when told her partner on the HGTV series was 98 Degrees musician Drew Lachey. However, as the pair sat down for an exclusive chat with Country Living, <\/em>Taniya couldn\u2019t help spilling that it\u2019s another boy band\u2014Boston\u2019s New Kids on the Block\u2014who have always had her heart!<\/p>\n \u201cLook, the truth is I grew up with New Kids on the Block,\u201d she laughs. \u201cThat doesn’t mean I wasn’t a fan of 98 Degrees. I am. But I’m also a Boston girl, so in all fairness, it just is what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSee what I have to put up with?\u201d retorts Drew.<\/p>\n But Drew, 49, need not worry. After seven weeks working with Taniya, 53, in Sin City, he has won over the Battle on the Beach <\/em>star. \u201cMy fandom has shifted towards Drew,\u201d admits Taniya. \u201cHe\u2019s now my number one. Sorry New Kids!\u201d<\/p>\n The duo are going up against musician and design firm owner Brooke Hogan (paired with Scott McGillivray), Super Bowl champ Vernon Davis (paired with Mina Starsiak Hawk), and former Survivor <\/em>stars Chelsea Meissner and Kim Wolfe in season seven of the series. Premiering Monday, April 13, at 8 p.m. ET\/PT, the teams will have $275,000 to transform four identical properties into fabulous Las Vegas homes.<\/p>\n Drew and Taniya filled us in on which of their competitors took them by surprise, the parallels between music and construction and the advice Drew received from NKOTB\u2019s Jonathan and Jordan Knight, who previously competed on Rock the Block<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n HGTV<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n How much were you into arts and crafts as kids?<\/strong><\/p>\n Drew:<\/strong> I wasn’t. But when I was in high school, I started getting into set design and building things for plays and musicals. Then once I became a homeowner, I started getting taken advantage of by contractors, or wanted to change things without paying for it, so I started figuring it out on my own.<\/p>\n Taniya:<\/strong> I was very artsy\u2014always drawing, sketching, doodling, and taking art classes or drafting classes. My father\u2019s an architect, so I grew up going to his office and watching him draw blueprints. That’s where my love for design came from.<\/p>\n Taniya, has your Indian heritage influenced your creative eye?<\/strong><\/p>\n Taniya:<\/strong> India\u2019s so rich and colorful, so people expect that would be part of my aesthetic. But my dad was a very modern architecture guy, so we grew up with that\u2014clean lines, white walls. I’m a really monochromatic person.<\/p>\n What designers or brands have influenced your style?<\/strong><\/p>\n Drew:<\/strong> Bob Vila and This Old House<\/em>! I\u2019m joking. My design style\u2019s based around following Taniya around. Or I have one idea of what looks good, then my wife [Lea Lachey] has the right idea of what looks good and that’s what we go with.<\/p>\n Taniya:<\/strong> That’s not true. He has such a good eye! For me, in talking about my dad, I realize the profound effect he had on my design aesthetics. He was a first-generation Indian coming here, so they didn’t have money, but he made things look beautiful without a lot of money. Drew and I implemented that into our build. We did things that were affordable, but had a high-end look. I think that’s influenced everything I do, so shout-out to pops!<\/p>\n What were your first impressions of each other coming into <\/strong>Rock the Block<\/strong><\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n Taniya:<\/strong> Even with the whole New Kids fan thing, I was very starstruck by Drew. He\u2019s a big deal. He\u2019s so talented; not just with 98 Degrees, but with Dancing with the Stars <\/em>and his other DIY shows. I thought, \u2018I wonder if this guy’s going to be a nice guy given all his fame and success and fans wooing over him.\u2019 He truly couldn’t be a nicer human being.<\/p>\n Drew:<\/strong> She\u2019s such a liar! Taniya has fingerprints over so many shows, whether it\u2019s The Great Christmas Light Fight <\/em>or Battle on the Beach. <\/em>Being the design show and HGTV junkie that I am, I felt at ease knowing she’s my partner. And we get along well, which makes the stressful hours and projects go more smoothly.<\/p>\n HGTV<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Which contestant surprised you the most?<\/strong><\/p>\n Drew: <\/strong>Brooke caught me off guard. I didn’t know she had her own interior design company, so Brooke was a big shock to me. And it’s hard to look past the mountain of Vernon.<\/p>\n Taniya:<\/strong> Vernon was very surprising. You’ve got this football player who’s a giant, but he’s this gentle giant. And he’s an artist. He paints and he even designed the clothes he was wearing.<\/p>\n Drew, what parallels have you found between the music industry and the design and renovation world?<\/strong><\/p>\n Drew: <\/strong>That I don’t understand either of them! I deal more with our live show, set design, and imagery\u2014building out a full vision. And it’s the same with building an album. When we were talking about the house, I used the analogy of how each challenge or room is like a song. You don’t want a one-hit wonder. You want all the songs to work together. So, we focused on making sure the rooms all worked together and felt cohesive. Have you spoken to Jon or Jordan about their experience on the show?<\/strong><\/p>\n Drew: <\/strong>Yes, I went to the New Kids\u2019 residency<\/a> when we were in Vegas.<\/p>\n Taniya:<\/strong> Drew did not want to go with me!<\/p>\n Drew: <\/strong>Going out with Taniya is a whole different level. I don\u2019t know if I have the stamina to live at that level.<\/p>\n<\/div>
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Also, music is about layers, harmonies, and pieces, and Taniya taught me about the layers and textures in design. A lot of the same terms used in design are used in music.<\/p>\n