Mina Starsiak Hawk Voices Criticism Over How ‘Rock the Block’ Judges Pick Winners
What To Know
- Mina Starsiak Hawk responded to fan questions about Rock the Block via her Instagram Story.
- The HGTV star reacted to a fan comment criticizing how the show’s guest judges pick episode winners.
- Starsiak Hawk shared more behind-the-scenes facts about the series, including whether cast members get paid the same amount.
Mina Starsiak Hawk is sharing some Rock the Block hot takes ahead of the Season 7 finale.
This season’s penultimate episode — which aired on Monday, May 18 — saw the teams transform their homes’ backyards into fun outdoor spaces. Former NFL star Danny Amendola, now a home designer and developer, served as the episode’s guest judge. He ultimately selected Kim Wolfe and Chelsea Meissner as the week’s winners.
During an Instagram Story Q&A on Tuesday, May 19, Starsiak Hawk reacted to a fan’s comment about Amendola’s judging decisions. “In my opinion his decision was based on his design preference and not design and value adds,” the user wrote.
Starsiak Hawk responded to the statement by offering her own criticisms about the show’s guest judges. “That’s why I feel the weekly competitions are kind of a crapshoot because it does depend so much on who the judge is, and it’s not objective,” she stated. “So, my MO is like, ‘Okay, let’s not worry about those. Let’s worry about the big objective win at the end.'”
Each week on Rock the Block, the episode’s winning teams can choose to add $3,000 to their design budget or $1,000 to their home’s final appraised value. As Starsiak Hawk noted, the team whose house earns the highest appraisal value at the end of the competition will be crowned the season’s winners.
Ty Pennington and Danny Amendola on ‘Rock the Block’ (HGTV)
So far, Starsiak Hawk and her partner, Vernon Davis, have only one win under their belt, as their office, laundry room, and RV garage renovation impressed guest judge Luann de Lesseps in Episode 5. They chose to add $3,000 to their budget for the following week. Wolfe and Meissner, as well as Brooke Hogan and Scott McGillivray, are in the lead with two episode wins each, while Taniya Nayak and Drew Lachey have only won a single episode.
In another Instagram Story post on Tuesday, Starsiak Hawk responded to a fan who asked, “Do all participants from Rock the Block get paid equally?” She answered, “I have no idea. I don’t think so, but I have no idea what the scale or differences could be or how they figure that out. I will probably never know, which is probably for the best.”
Another fan questioned why many of the Season 7 teams used lots of furniture in their backyard designs during Episode 6. “I can’t speak for other teams, but for us, the yards were just so big, they would look empty unless we put furniture all over the place,” Starsiak Hawk explained. “So, I was just trying to find enough to fill the space and make it not look empty, without it just feeling like there was random seats here and there. So, it was kind of tricky.”
A different user seemingly tried to get Starsiak Hawk to reveal which team won Season 7 by asking, “How hard is it to keep the secret of who won?”
Keeping her lips sealed, Starsiak Hawk stated, “It’s so hard. Like, randomly, people at the airport will be like, ‘Did you win?’ And I’m like, ‘I can’t tell you!’ Yeah, it’s definitely [hard]. I mean, obviously, my closest friends and my husband [Steve Hawk] and my kids and everybody, we all know. But not telling other people is very hard.”
Rock the Block, Season 7 Finale, Monday, May 25, 9/8c, HGTV
Conversation12 Comments
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R
Backyard judging results were a joke. Picked the one with the least added value.
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L
That backyard was my least favorite
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J
This season was extremely disappointing. There is no way the team chosen to win should have. Their design was old and ugly. Shame on the judges for the outcome
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S
I stopped watching after last season. I found the judging was based on favoritism and not actualLy what a buyer would want or need. Also the final estimates were ridiculous because the house aren’t sold at that point. The so called winner’s property can have a very difficult time selling. The show should wait until the properties sell and the highest sale price after a set time wins. Any property that doesn’t sell in a set time should be eliminated.
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L
That is actually an excellent idea
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D
I liked Kim and Chelsea's house the least! That theater room looked like a 2 year old did it. Terrible design!!
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T
I was pretty surprised that Kim and Chelsea won as their house is probably my third favorite. I expected it to be either Drew and Taniya or Scott and Brooke. I do see the logic in going with the appraiser’s choice, but if I was a buyer for any of those houses, I would not have been drawn to the winning house, for sure.
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T
This season was bad. TV focused on a certain team and didn't give enough exposure to the other 3. Judging was shady. Don't understand how the winningteam only won 1 challenge but yet won the whole thing. I understand the final goes by the overall estimated value of the house but the whole concept just doesn't click for week to week challenges with the finale.
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R
Very disappointed that particular house was the ugliest of all. It look like the 80' gone wrong.
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G
This show is so fake, 1 st how many weeks can these people wear the same outfit, week after week & they are supposedly tearing walls down, building or painting but outfits look fresh & clean. 2 nd the judges need to be people likely to buy these homes, not someone judging on their own particular style.
The show “The Block “is out of Australia, this show is real.
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G
I was extremely disappointed in the winnng team’s design. I actually thought most of their design choices were awful. The winners need to be judged on both added value AND design. No one will want that circus tent TV room…horrible.
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J
I didn’t love that Vernon was made to look like a complete idiot with no thoughts of his own or a reason to even be on the show. His partner was going to overshadow him with her thoughts, actions and personality for sure.! He should’ve stood up for himself.
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