- ‘Battle on the Beach’ returns to HGTV on June 1.
- The competition series took a hiatus in 2025 amid reports of cancellation.
- For season five, Ty Pennington is joined by mentors Sarah Baeumler and Mika Kleinschmidt.
“You know it’s going to be a good season when the mentors are breaking down,” Ty Pennington teases during a chat with Country Living ahead of Battle on the Beach’s return. The HGTV host is joined by new mentors Sarah Baeumler (from Renovation Island) and Mika Kleinschmidt (100 Day Dream Home) for season five, which may be the emotionally juiciest season yet. Not only did Pennington have to consult his therapist mom Yvonne for advice, but Sarah meanwhile hit rock bottom.
“There's an episode where Sarah has a breakdown because she’s overwhelmed by what's happening in her house,” reveals Pennington. “We had to support her through that.”
Battle on the Beach took a break in 2025, amid claims from Alison Victoria (previously a mentor alongside Ty and Taniya Nayak) that the series had been canceled. However, it’s back in the gorgeous new location of The Grand Strand, South Carolina, and with a cast shake-up that sees Sarah, Mika, and Ty mentor teams of two working to flip beachside properties into lucrative vacation rentals. Each team has seven weeks and $100,000.
Given that Sarah and her husband Bryan previously served as judges, she was nervous about leaving the “easier side” of judging for a mentoring role. “It's easier to critique a team than be there supporting them every day,” she says. “But what you don't see as a judge is the progression. Where [my team] ended, they were like a different team with their confidence, creativity, and ability to take on challenges. When you judge, you miss all that personal growth which is what I fell in love with.”
Mika, too, is more accustomed to working with her husband, Brian. The high school sweethearts have won HGTV shows including Rock the Block and Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge.
“I'm used to competing with my husband, so this was weird,” she admits. “You’re a mentor, but you don't want to take over the design. That was a learning curve because I'm used to being in control.”
Pennington was “excited” to welcome fresh faces to the series, which also sees Renovation Aloha’s Tristyn and Kamohai Kalama join as judges. He was also curious how Sarah and Mika would cope with mentoring.
“You don't understand how important the job is until your team’s making bad decisions and having emotional breakdowns,” says Ty. “A lot of [contestants] want the world to see their talent, and as Eminem says, you only have one shot. This is it, so you want to guide them, but sometimes they don't want your advice. You become a design parent … says the guy who only has two dogs! But you get really invested.”
Which is where the emotional rollercoaster came into play—almost immediately for Pennington’s mother-daughter team of Michelle Mueller and Sydney Lorence from Lincoln, Nebraska.
“Sydney’s mom was raised by a dad who was a professional plumber, so this mom knows how to handle a wrench, make furniture, work a table saw,” explains Pennington. “Because of that, [Sydney’s] living in her shadow. In the first episode, she's like, ‘This is my time.’”
Tensions reach breaking point as the pair tackle the competition’s first task, overhauling the living room. Sydney, a DIY content creator, feels Ty and Michelle are on the same page, while she’s not being seen.
“I actually had to call my own mother, who’s a family therapist, to get an idea of how I should handle someone who’s having a breakdown,” Pennington shares. “But if I had been working with my mother, I would’ve had a mental breakdown too! Family is great, but I'm not sure you should take on the biggest design challenge with them because yes, they can be an asset, but they can also be another word starting with ‘ass.’”
So, what did momma Pennington say?
“My mom's advice was to reinforce my belief in Sydney’s talent—let her know I trusted her vision and I was there to support her, while also allowing her to make her own mistakes,” says Ty. “That’s how we learn, right?”
“I love being a sarcastic comedian, but I had to wear velvet gloves on this, because egos can get damaged. We were like, ‘This is a lot of work, but especially when you're having a mother-daughter therapy session in the middle of a project.’”
Ty wasn’t the only one dishing out therapy. Canadian star Sarah found herself acting as “marriage counselor” to her Waterbury, Connecticut, husband-and-wife team Steven and Angelina Jacobs, who hope to start their own business flipping houses. Sarah pulled from her experience working with Bryan, with whom she also stars in HGTV’s Renovation Island: The Adventure Continues debuting on June 7.
“You're collaborating with your person that you love so dearly, but you also know each other's breaking points, so there are hard moments and there’s no break at the end of the day,” says Sarah. “You don't go home and have separate time—every moment is spent talking about these projects. And these were the largest homes we've ever seen on Battle on the Beach, so to take on all of that with their partner caused tense moments.”
Mika was meanwhile teamed with Baltimore couple Josiah and Anna Julian. Pondering what it is about renovation shows that ignite such emotion, insecurity, and stress, she believes it simply comes down to different personalities.
“Design is an extension of who you are,” says Mika. “Everybody's individual, so your perspective on what looks good is different. That's what makes us unique. Maybe that's why there's a conflict of personalities. And when you have to work as a team with a quick amount of time to make decisions—some people might not have ever experienced that sort of pressure before. That can get you to your breaking point.”
The irony was that the beautiful beach setting that boiled their emotions was meanwhile a stunning sanctuary for holidaymakers.
“It was a spring break, so it was like summer had popped open,” says Ty. “Everybody was out. We're shooting a show and working while watching the world vacation in front of us. But at the same time, you're designing for people who are going to be renting these houses, so you're understanding what these vacationers want.”
While South Carolina may not have been vacation time for the mentors, Mika made up for it afterwards—fresh from a sunny getaway as she chats to Country Living.
“I got back from Aruba yesterday,” she says. “And guess what? I wasn't battling. It was just vacation!”
Leena Tailor is an award-winning Los Angeles-based journalist with more than 20 years experience covering entertainment, lifestyle and travel for outlets around the world. Originally from New Zealand, she was lured to the endless sunshine of California in 2010 and has since interviewed some of the world's biggest celebrities for outlets including Rolling Stone, Hollywood Reporter, InStyle, Billboard and Entertainment Tonight. Leena’s love for beaches, boy bands, concerts and cocktails has taken her from Mexico to Germany, with her travel and lifestyle features appearing in Travel and Leisure, Vinepair and Vogue.
