‘100 Day Dream Home’: Brian & Mika Kleinschmidt Open Up About Season 6 Challenges

Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt are back on the clock for Season 6 of 100 Day Dream Home. The HGTV power couple work to renovate and build custom, move-in ready properties and design personalized renovations for their Tampa area clients in three months or less. 

Brian serves as construction manager making sure the visions for these projects are realized. His wife Mika stands as the guiding force in the role of real estate agent and designer. She’ll get an idea of what those who entrust them with their residences are looking for through inspiration tours. 

Together they’ve continued to up their game with new episodes challenging them like never before. Under the time crunch, the duo look to make deadlines under certain budget constraints, last minute design changes, delayed deliveries and plumbing issues. Here the couple break down what’s to come ahead of the September 16 premiere. 

How would you say your dynamic has changed over the years from when you first started to now? 

Brian Kleinschmidt: You know what’s crazy? I feel like we haven’t really changed a lot. We’re the same people that we were when we shot our initial audition video in our old backyard, but our projects have definitely gotten bigger and bolder and more extravagant over the years. You’re gonna see that in Season 6. We are attempting some things that we’ve never done before and maybe, maybe, we might never do it again. But yeah, we always want to elevate every single season. I feel like we’ve done it. 

Mika Kleinschmidt: There’s several families this year that are on the water that we’re basically demoing and elevating and building from the ground up. But we’re always trying to think of creative and new things to do, and like, yeah, after 5 seasons, it’s hard to think of new ideas! 

Brian: We’re trying to keep it fresh for not just us, but for people. 

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In the premiere, you’re adding to the house rather than starting from scratch per say. Do you have a preference? Is it almost more challenging in some ways? 

Brian: At the end of the day, an addition is still new construction. It also adds an extra layer of challenge. Because you’re trying to combine the houses seamlessly to make them feel like they were built at the same time. So, you know, your roof lines, your floors, your exterior façade, it all has to feel like one. So that I think is the biggest challenge with doing an addition. 

Mika: I have to say, if I had to choose between renovation and new construction, because now we’ve got a couple renovations under our belt, I’m a new construction girl. I like to have that blank canvas. Renovating, it’s like a different set of skills. You have to problem solve, but you can’t predict everything that’s gonna happen because you really don’t know until  you start doing demo, and you find things in the wall. So, I’m gonna vote for new construction all the way.

The owners in the premiere are pretty particular with certain things. How do you weather through demanding clients where, in the middle of things, they are making last-minute changes? 

Mika: Well, we’re still friends. We got invited to the premiere party at the house, so that’s good.

We keep in touch with all these homeowners. When the cameras and production ends, we still have to make sure they’re happy because this is our community, and, word of mouth is everything. It’s interesting working with these couples because we try not to intervene. There are  awkward moments where it’s like, “okay, y’all got to work this out because I can’t make this decision for you. I can be here to support you.” I think it’s fun because it keeps it challenging if you have different personalities and overcome those hurdles. 

Brian: Mika turns into a counselor, and I think that’s what happened in this premiere episode. Jason was very skeptical of anything outside of his comfort zone, but we pushed him a little bit, 

Mika: His wife did, too. 

Brian: His wife did more than push him, but I think the viewers are going to be able to relate to that, because not everybody is always on the same page, even though they have to live in the same place. But we do love some of the sentimental moments that Jason was able to share with his mom, now that they’re living under the same roof again. So, yeah, it wound up being a happy story in the end, but getting there was a challenge.

Did he repaint the office? I know he wasn’t particularly crazy about the color choice. 

Brian: He better not have. 

Mika: If he did, he is probably in trouble. But anytime you’re working with two clients, it’s all about compromise. So,  there’s a middle ground. Like, you can’t make every decision. I think you have to work together as a team. But we are definitely gonna be scoping that room out first when we go over there. You better believe it.

Your daughter Jade is getting up there in age. Are we gonna just see her as an extension of this show, as, you know, as the next generation, and you have more seasons?

Brian: Well, Jade negotiated her Season 6 contract, and she will be back. But no, Jade’s grown up on our show, and she still loves it, and you’re going to see her sprinkled throughout the season, but I think what I’m most excited about is that she created her own wallpaper design that will be for sale. In one of the episodes, she’s helping decorate a teenager’s room. We put her creativity to great use.

Mika: We’re getting up there in age, my friend. I was thinking about it. Jade was in elementary school when we started. Now she’s a junior in high school. 

Brian: No, no, no, no, Jade’s getting older. We’re staying the same age.

You’re staying the same. I love how you shared your audition recently on social media. It  seems like nowadays there’s a lot of change going on with HGTV. Does it make you just really appreciate the fact that you’re continuing on? What do you think it is about your show that resonates? 

Brian: We’re blessed to still do what we love with the one that we love. You know, tomorrow’s never promised, so we live each day to the fullest, and make sure we’re having fun doing what we love. We’re glad that it’s resonating with the viewers. Our fans have been so loyal to us from the beginning. They’re the reason why we have the show and still have the show, and we thank them every chance we get. In fact, we’re going to a home show in Atlanta this weekend, where we’re gonna meet a lot of the fans in person. We do several home shows all throughout the year to make sure we get out there and thank the people who really make this possible. 

Mika: Yeah, and I think one thing that’s never going to change, I don’t care what evolves in our entertainment industry.is the authenticity of the family stories. I do feel like that’s been really important for us to make that kind of first and foremost. Almost, that’s more important to me than a 100-day build time. To me, I want to really get to the why’s and, you know, their journey. It’s relatable, you know, and I think that that’s why people can tune in to HGTV and feel like it’s a safe spot where you can kind of just, like, escape into a fantasy world, but also it’s not really fantasy, because it’s their real lives and their real homes. 

Brian: Escape your own reality through our reality.

I mean I’m surprised the marriage survived the 100 Day Hotel Challenge.

Brian: All I’m gonna say is one of us is still undefeated on HGTV.

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So, are we going to see a rematch? 

Mika: One of us needs that for their ego more than the other. I feel like we won because we had so much freaking fun. Both of the hotels really won because they needed the renovation. It has been cool because we’ve kept in touch with all the people that were on the show. We hope to do something cool like that again. And you know, Brian and I, we love being teammates, but I do think it was kind of interesting taking us out of our comfort zone and not being able to share our ideas with each other. That was kind of interesting. 

Brian: Answer the man’s question. Do you want a rematch?

Mika: A rematch? I mean, I don’t want to hurt your feelings, so I think we’ll keep it good. I think we do work better as a team. 

Brian: Yes, I agree. I better quit while I’m ahead, Scott.

We see you as this fun couple. You obviously have great chemistry on screen, and when you work together, but what do you guys like to do outside of the home renovating space?

Brian: We met in chorus class back in high school, so a lot of people don’t know we both love to sing. We both love being on stage performing, but yeah, we also have our hobbies kind of apart. I love playing basketball. We love working out. She loves to paddle. We love to travel. We’re not traveling as much as we used to, because we’re slammed with the show, but we still do love exploring together. 

Mika: Yeah, and I think there has to be a balance. Like, we definitely have our separate hobbies. And, you know, I just did an audition for a musical theater show. I didn’t get the part, so look, just because I have an HGTV show doesn’t mean I get every show I audition for. But I’m not one that likes to put all my eggs in one basket. I like to dabble into many, many things. So, I think you always have to keep growing.

Brian: I’m a jack of all trades, and she’s a Jill of all trades.

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Lastly, you mentioned doing things that you haven’t done before and elevating your game. What can you tease as far as specifics on things that viewers can look forward to in these upcoming episodes?

Brian: We’ve got a couple shipping container builds, which has definitely been a learning experience and a challenge. We’re doing a project with Habitat for Humanity, which we’ve been trying to highlight for six seasons now, and we’re really excited to highlight that organization. But one of the most interesting builds we’re doing is one that starts getting built in Georgia, but finishes on the beach here in Florida. So that’ll be a tease for your readers to tune in, but yeah, we did a module build and put it all together here.

100 Day Dream Home Season 6 premiere, September 16, 8/7c, HGTV