According to Ty Pennington<\/a>, Season 7 of Rock the Block<\/a> may be the tightest competition in the show\u2019s history.<\/p>\n The series returned<\/a> for its seventh outing last month. The new episodes have followed teams of HGTV<\/a> stars and celebrities with home renovation and design experience as they transform identical homes in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n Heading into the season finale on Monday, May 25, pairs Brooke Hogan<\/a> and Scott McGillivray<\/a>\u00a0and Kim Wolfe<\/a> and Chelsea Meissner<\/a>\u00a0are tied with two design challenge wins<\/a> each, while Taniya Nayak<\/a> and Drew Lachey<\/a>\u00a0and Mina Starsiak Hawk<\/a> and Vernon Davis<\/a>\u00a0have one each. However, the season\u2019s winner is ultimately determined by which house earns the highest appraisal value.<\/p>\n \u201cAs far as this cul-de-sac, each of these houses may have an identical layout, but they\u2019re all so different. But they\u2019re all so good. So, I can honestly say this could be the most difficult season to judge who won,\u201d Pennington told TV Insider while chatting about raising respiratory health awareness<\/a> through Insmed<\/a>\u2018s Suspect BE campaign<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about value. Yes, does that mean bathrooms? Does that mean extra bedrooms? But doesn\u2019t it also mean design and creativity?\u201d<\/p>\n Pennington noted that it\u2019s ultimately up to a team of expert appraisers to determine which team added the most value to their house. \u201cThank god, because I don\u2019t know who I would say. They\u2019re all so good,\u201d he quipped. \u201cEvery competition, it\u2019s kind of hard to say. We\u2019ve all looked at it, and I\u2019ve been like, \u2018I\u2019m not sure if I would have gone with that one, or if I would have gone with this one.\u2019 So, I think it\u2019s going to be a really good finale. That\u2019s all I can say, is it\u2019s gonna be big.\u201d<\/p>\n Chelsea Meissner, Kim Wolfe, Mina Starsiak Hawk, Vernon Davis, Ty Pennington, Taniya Nayak, Drew Lachey, Brooke Hogan and Scott McGillivray, ‘Rock the Block’ Season 7, HGTV, premieres April 13, 2026.<\/p>\n HGTV<\/p>\n He continued, \u201cI think whoever ends up with those houses in that neighborhood has got a solid win. Those are all fantastic houses.\u201d<\/p>\n Season 7 marked the first time in the show\u2019s history that celebrities competed with HGTV pros. As for whether the casting change will stick for future seasons? \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Pennington said. \u201cI do know that having that wildcard element is kind of spicy. It\u2019s kind of awesome because you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re going to get. It\u2019s like a variety pack of cereal. You\u2019re like, \u2018Ooh. What\u2019s in this season?\u2019 So, that\u2019s a really good question. I like the unexpectedness of it. Look, I\u2019m a TV guy, so anytime even I can be surprised, that\u2019s a good thing to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Pennington also didn\u2019t expect this season\u2019s celebrity competitors to be so skilled in home renovation and design. \u201cWho knew that Drew Lachey could work heavy machinery like that? And not to mention, he\u2019s such a great tile guy,\u201d he stated. \u201cWho knew Brooke Hogan was going to be so funny<\/a>, and also, just an emotional roller coaster every day?\u201d<\/p>\n He added, \u201cThe fact that Mina was able to come back and get a win on the block with Vernon \u2014 the guy is a fantastic football player, and also a great artist. And then, you\u2019ve got Kim and Chelsea, who survived on water and rice for 30 days on an island. So, they definitely know how to compete, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Pennington told TV Insider that he loved the \u201cvariety\u201d of this season\u2019s cast and the design choices they made. \u201cI think that\u2019s why the show is so popular, is that I think we can all find a room in each house that would be like, \u2018Yeah, that\u2019s my style,’\u201d he explained. \u201cBut also people\u2019s opinions on who they didn\u2019t like and who they liked is also great. I mean, the comments are always very strong.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n