The Renovators
Season 1
Not Rated
From the team behind MasterChef, The Renovators arrives as the biggest, most elaborate and richest competition-based television production ever undertaken in Australia.
Where to Watch Season 1
66 Episodes
- The 48 Hour Challenge
E1The 48 Hour Challenge26 Renovators contestants - the Jacks and Jills of all trades - arrived at the warehouse to be greeted by host Brendan Moar and judges Robyn Holt, Peter Ho and Barry Du Bois. Introduced to six houses from hell, the hopefuls learnt that the first selection would be awarded to the best performer of the first Challenge - which then arrived on the back of a truck. - The Hammer Challenge
E2The Hammer ChallengeA new day in the warehouse began with a Basic Skills Challenge - the contestants taking it in turns to hammer in nails. Those bending their nails were eliminated from the first stage of the Challenge, and subsequently whoever missed the nail and hit the wood was also sent to the sidelines. - Car Parts Challenge
E4Car Parts ChallengeWith another house key up for grabs, the action kicked off with a White Room 'Car Wars' Challenge. Teams of three were required to renovate a room based around a car obtained from the wrecker's yard, incorporating as much of the car into their design as possible. - Challenge - Coffee Table
E8Challenge - Coffee TableAt the Warehouse the contestants are introduced to respected Australian Interior Designer, Greg Natale who will be the guest judge for a special coffee table challenge. In their teams the contestants must design a table, using a specific material, to compliment a White Room decorated by Greg. - Stress Test - Property Research Caboolture
E9Stress Test - Property Research CabooltureThe Sixties Suburban Team find themself in a Real Estate Stress Test elimination after losing the Coffee Table Challenge. 'Team Chris and Tina' is up against 'Team Nathan and Joanne' to guess the market value of a house in Caboolture, QLD. - How To - DIY Bathroom
E10How To - DIY BathroomThere are no challenges! The contestants have some time off so they can relax and soak up the expertise of the judges with a How To masterclass. They see a funky modern bath room, designed by Peter, become a reality with the help of Barry; Robyn takes them through a decorating session, working with the theme of romance; and Peter visits an old style Bungalow home with architecturally designed renovations, sympathetically and cleverly mixing old and new styles. - Challenge - Brick Wall
E11Challenge - Brick WallWith Jo eliminated, the remaining members of the Sixties Suburban team competed in a Brick It Wall Challenge to see who would get the keys and take over as head renovator, with an overjoyed Tina taking a surprise win. Contestants then competed in a White Room Challenge, voting on a theme of French chic. - Progress Inspection
E12Progress InspectionJudgement Day began with Ali announcing her decision to exit the competition, leaving her Fibro Cottage team in disarray. The judges asked her to sleep on it, then return the following day with a decision, but overnight Michael was unable to convince her to stay. - Panic Room - 80s Dinner Party
E13Panic Room - 80s Dinner PartyThe Navy Team are up for elimination in a Panic Room Challenge. One member of the team will go home. Michael, Kelly and Jarrad enter three separate rooms left in a mess. It looks like a party gone wild! There is food everywhere, holes in the walls and bright paint colour on the walls. With three hours to clean up and renovate their dining room the boys prove that they have the decorating skills needed. Kelly, described by Brendan as the “wonderful wildcard”, is the unfortunate renovator to go home. - Challenge - Gardenmania
E14Challenge - GardenmaniaAfter saying farewell to Kelly, it was back to business as usual in The Renovators warehouse. Brendan introduced the next challenge - 'Garden Mania' - in which teams would select a garden theme at random and have five hours to transform a 6x6 metre patch of bare earth into a landscaped wonder. - Stress Test - Property Research Collingwood
E15Stress Test - Property Research CollingwoodThe Khaki Team of Tina, Nathan and Chris arrived at the warehouse ready to face the Real Estate Stress Test that would result in one of them being eliminated. The first round involved the contestants having to research and valuate a house in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood, with the closest to the mark going safely through to fight another day. Meanwhile back at The Shop the remaining contestants took part in the working bee won by the Grey Team’s Garden Mania effort. Chris and Tina then contested the final round of the Elimination Challenge, planning renovations of the Collingwood house on scale models. The judges deemed Tina’s the most profitable, sending Chris home. - How To - Timber Table
E16How To - Timber TableThe contestants enjoyed a breather at the end of another hard week with a How To Masterclass. Welcoming expert cabinet maker and furniture designer Laura McCusker to the warehouse, Baz conducted a tutorial in how to make use of some of the materials the contestants had thrown away during their renovations. - Challenge - Hang A Picture
E17Challenge - Hang A PictureThe contestants began a new day in the warehouse with a Build It challenge, having to hang pictures with absolute precision in order to win an advantage going into the White Room challenge. Tina and Nathan were the first to complete the task to Baz’s satisfaction, giving them first choice of the ‘hero colours’ each team would need to base its White Room on. Selecting yellow, they made their early advantage count with a beautiful end result that wowed the judges, securing them the win over second-placed Weatherboard’s green room. Tina and Nathan’s prize: $10,000 towards their renovation. - How To - Stud Walls
E22How To - Stud WallsBefore the week’s How To began Fiona dropped a bombshell by withdrawing from the competition due to medical reasons, handing the keys to The Shop over to new team leader August. Peter Ho then took the remaining Grey Team members to an offsite house inspection, while in the warehouse Baz and Brendan led a Masterclass on how to build a stud wall. Robyn then welcomed Taubmans paint representative Shaynna, who helped her explain colour theory to the group. - Challenge - Lego Tower
E23Challenge - Lego TowerPeter Ho made a dramatic entrance into the warehouse on a train carrying a cargo of Lego blocks. One member from each team had to compete to see who could build the highest Lego tower in three hours - the winner would get the power to choose which contestant moved across to join Nathan on the Khaki Team - Progress Inspection
E24Progress InspectionJudgement Day arrived with the teams all encountering their own stumbling blocks. Suzanne began work at the Sixties Suburban and found it a struggle integrating herself into the new look Khaki Team. The Inner-City Terrace suffered another permit-related setback, while cracks began to show at The Half-Done House, with Kim taking the blame for the deck needing to be rebuilt. Back at the warehouse the judges revealed The Weatherboard to be the week’s standout renovation, winning them two tradies from the Yellow Pages. The Orange Team were not so fortunate, sent through to face an Elimination Challenge. - Panic Room - Run-down Kitchen
E25Panic Room - Run-down KitchenThe Orange Team faced a Panic Room Challenge more punishing than any before it. Entering their rooms they were presented with kitchens from hell, with dirt and debris everywhere. Each of the contestants selected someone to assist them with the ardous tasks at hand. Peter and Lisa demonstrated impressive skills throughout the challenge, while despite her best efforts Kim struggled constructing flat-pack furniture, meaning she wasn't able to fully complete her kitchen within the four-hour time limit. The judges declared Peter’s black and white kitchen with red features to be the most impressive, with Kim falling just short against Bob and being sent home. - Stress Test - Curtains and Flat Packs
E27Stress Test - Curtains and Flat PacksThe losing members of the Black Team from the Off-Site Challenge arrived for their Stress Test, which began with a curtain hanging round. The contestants had to hem the curtain material, fit the rail and hang them perfectly, with the six best performers being safe from elimination. Lisa, Kathy and Jason J were left at the end and went through to round two: the dreaded Flat-Pack Challenge. All three had to construct and dress a queen-sized bed able to pass Baz’s meticulous inspection. Kathy was first to make the grade, leaving Lisa and Jason to battle it out. Lisa completed her bed first but it was missing some washers, allowing Jason to come from behind and take a narrow win, sending Lisa home. - How To - Fathers Day
E28How To - Fathers DayTorrential rain slowed the progress of all the teams, punishing the freshly laid concrete at The Weatherboard House and stopping pool excavation at The Fibro Cottage. In the warehouse the How To began with Brendan creating ‘Robyn’s Corner’, a beautiful space recalling memories of her childhood. A surprise helper was introduced in the form of Brendan’s dad Jim. Michael and Jarrad were taken to a multi-million dollar renovation for a private inspection with Baz, while Robyn talked the others through filling their design with personality. Peter concluded the How To by building a billycart, which Christie helped take for a test drive. - Challenge - Flat Pack Carport
E29Challenge - Flat Pack CarportThe contestants arrived at the warehouse for their latest challenge: to build a car port over and around a car. Two members from each team competed, with the first three to finish the job to the judges' satisfaction winning the right to compete in the White Room Challenge. - Progress Inspection
E30Progress InspectionJudgement Day began with the Sky Blue Team realising that if the back wall of The Inner City Terrace wasn't properly supported during the demo it risked bringing that and adjoining walls crashing down. Over at The Fibro Cottage better weather finally allowed pool excavation to be completed, allowing the Navy Blue Team to forge ahead with its extension - Challenge - Feature Light
E32Challenge - Feature LightFor the week’s Off-Site Challenge each team had six hours to create a feature light to display in the Victoria Room, following the theme of British Raj. Lighting designer Marc Pascal introduced the challenge and served as guest judge. Each team had a specific core material to work with, producing some amazing creations, but it was the Khaki Team’s beaded chandelier that truly blew the judges away, winning them a Working Bee. The judges declared that the core material of glass wasn’t prominent enough in the Green Team’s light, and the Orange Team’s fabric offering didn’t have enough depth, sending both through to face another Stress Test. - Stress Test - Oldest to Newest and a Ceiling Rose
E33Stress Test - Oldest to Newest and a Ceiling RoseThe Orange and Green Teams arrived for their Stress Test, which took place over two rounds. The first round required them to put a selection of chairs from various decades into chronological order. With both teams correctly guessing the first few, it was the Orange Team that ultimately slipped up first, sending Peter and Bob to face-off in a ceiling painting challenge. The rest of the contestants, meanwhile, got stuck into the Working Bee over at The Sixties Suburban. In the second round of the Stress Test Peter was both faster and neater than Bob, winning him safe passage and eliminating his teammate. - How To - A Window for a Door
E34How To - A Window for a DoorPeter Ho took Jason J and Suzanne off-site to marvel at some award-winning light installations, while in the warehouse Baz and Brendan conducted a How To on replacing windows with French doors. Barry called upon Melissa, Sam and Kathy to help prepare the space, before Brendan walked through the fundamentals of hanging the doors, calling upon Peter to assist him. Robyn presented a mix and match masterclass, educating the contestants on the finer points of eclectic styling. - Challenge - Concrete Slab
E35Challenge - Concrete SlabFor their first challenge the teams had to lay the perfect concrete slab, with the top three finishing to Baz's satisfaction going through to the White Room Challenge. Peter took a hard fought win for the Oranges, followed by the Navy and Green teams - Progress Inspection
E36Progress InspectionThe teams raced to complete as much work as they could before Judgement Day began. Excavation hit a snag at The Inner City Terrace, but the issue was thankfully overcome with minimal delay. Timber frames finally arrived and were erected in record time at The Fibro Cottage. Progress was steady at The Shop and The Weatherboard House, while Baz was concerned that after repeat warnings the damp problem still hadn’t been fully rectified at The Half-Done House. At the warehouse the judges revealed that the winning team would receive two tradies over two days, as well as power over the competition. By next Judgement Day all teams had to have one room completed and fully furnished, with the winning team getting to pick which room. The judges gave the nod to the Khaki Team, who selected the bedroom, much to Peter’s dismay. The Sky Blue Team were judged to be lagging behind and would face elimination. - Panic Room - Summer Theme
E37Panic Room - Summer ThemeMembers of the Sky Blue Team entered their Panic Rooms to find them empty, save a hero wall featuring a summer beach scene. They then had 60 minutes to use furniture from the Freedom Summer Range to create a summer themed room that complemented the feature wall. The results truly captured the spirit of summer, with Kathy’s room judged to be the standout. The judges loved Sam’s choice of colour, but with her decking only partially covering the floor felt that the room was confused between an indoor/outdoor space, resulting in her elimination. - Challenge - Bath House
E38Challenge - Bath HouseThe Off-Site Challenge was to create an exotic design for the exclusive Pool Bar at The Ivy. The space was divided into two halves, with the Black Team given a Roman Bathhouse theme and the Golds Japanese Bathhouse. They had six hours to transform their spaces - Stress Test - Lighting Order
E39Stress Test - Lighting OrderThe safe contestants arrived at The Shop for the Working Bee, while the losing members of the Black Team entered the warehouse for the Stress Test. In round one the teams had to position lights in chronological order, with Peter winning the safe spot. The Sky Blue and Khaki Teams faced off in round two, each contestant having to complete a tessellated tile pattern perfectly. Suzanne struggled from the start, having to begin again after misplacing tiles, resulting in her elimination. - Queensland Flood Aid - Goodna
E41Queensland Flood Aid - GoodnaTwenty-two of the The Renovators contestants, past and present, are reunited for a special week of challenges in flood ravaged Queensland. In this episode they fly to the Sunshine state to makeover the house of Greg and Janet, and their two baby girls. - Queensland Flood Aid - Rocklea
E42Queensland Flood Aid - RockleaThe second task for the week in Queensland was at Rocklea State School, with the contestants breaking off into teams and each having to create an outdoor area. The Gold Team got first choice of theme, picking a learning centre to build, while the Black Team had to create a BBQ area. - Queensland Flood Aid - South Bank (Brisbane)
E43Queensland Flood Aid - South Bank (Brisbane)The contestants arrived in Brisbane's South Bank for their latest Queensland challenge: to craft street furniture in their teams. The teams had five hours to complete the task, with award-winning designer Alex Lotersztain mentoring them - Queensland Flood Aid - Darra
E44Queensland Flood Aid - DarraFor their final Queensland challenge the contestants faced their biggest task yet: to transform a flood-ravaged community centre in Darra. The renovators were divided into Blacks and Golds, with the former working on the outdoor area and the latter the indoor. - Stress Test - Vertical Garden
E45Stress Test - Vertical GardenWhile the safe contestants tried their best to conduct a Working Bee at The Weatherboard House despite a torrential downpour, the other arrived at the warehouse for their Stress Test. Each had three hours to create a vertical garden, which would be judged on design, style, craftsmanship and plant use. Jarrad, Michael and Luke were solid throughout, Peter overcame early nerves to produce an impressive arrangement, Jason’s wall suffered from overcrowding while Kathy’s wall was far too sparse to create much of an impression. This left the judges with no choice but to send her home. - Four Weeks till Auction Update
E46Four Weeks till Auction UpdateThe contestants arrived back at their houses to see how progress had continued in their absence. Peter welcomed Sam to his team, while the Sky Blues learned to cope after Kathy’s elimination. Peter stopped by to go through their budget, expressing major concern, before taking them to a nearby similar property to get some ideas. Baz checked in on progress at The Weatherboard House, with Robyn making stops at The Shop and The Fibro Cottage. Brendan concluded the visits at The Half-Done House, querying the lack of funds for landscaping and furniture and giving Peter plenty of food for thought. - Challenge - Express Yourself
E47Challenge - Express YourselfThe contestants walked into a White Room Challenge like never before: rather than having a set theme and choosing furniture from the warehouse, the teams were asked to express themselves with an original design, sent out to buy their furniture and fittings and provided with $24,000 per team to spend. - Progress Inspection - Bedroom Reveal
E48Progress Inspection - Bedroom RevealThe teams raced to finish their bedrooms before the judges arrived for inspection. Baz, Robyn and Chris Gray paid each team a visit, expressing amazement at their efforts while offering constructive feedback on how to make the rooms even better - Panic Room - Bathroom Nightmare
E49Panic Room - Bathroom NightmareThe best performers from Judgement Day arrived for their Panic Room Challenge, with an incredible prize on the line: a landscaping package worth $20,000. Entering their Panic Rooms, they discovered it was a bathroom they would need to completely transform. - Challenge - Recycled Site Office
E50Challenge - Recycled Site OfficeSustainability expert Michael Mobbs was welcomed into the warehouse to introduce the next Off-Site Challenge: creating a site office made from recycled materials at Kimbriki tip. Black (Grey, Khaki and Orange Teams) and Gold Teams (Navy Blue, Sky Blue and Green Teams) each had five hours to create their offices, which would be judged on eco friendliness, craftsmanship and beauty - Challenge - Wall Styling
E51Challenge - Wall StylingBrendan dropped the bombshell that a member of the Grey Team team would have to move over to The Sixties Suburban. Representatives from each team would compete in a wall styling challenge, with the winning house getting to choose who would join Nathan. - Challenge - Make an Artistic Statement
E53Challenge - Make an Artistic StatementThe contestants awoke in their new homes, before heading off to face a styling challenge at Freedom Furniture. The teams had an hour to make an artistic statement with a piece of furniture, with the winners getting a 30 minute head-start going into the second challenge back at the warehouse. - Head to Head - The Shop
E55Head to Head - The ShopAugust and Christie left The Shop for their head-to-head, knowing that one of them wouldn't be coming back. At the warehouse Brendan revealed the challenge: creating a piece of furniture that would fit perfectly at their property. Having first choice of materials, August selected to construct his with timber, leaving Christie to use glass. - Challenge - Wedding Reception
E56Challenge - Wedding ReceptionThe contestants were introduced to soon-to-be-wed Jason and Millicent, who set them the next Offsite Challenge: decorate the venue for their wedding reception the following day. The Gold Team was given an ‘indoor forest’ theme, while the Golds had ‘industrial.’ Natalia and Peter project-managed the Gold Team’s effort and Mel the Blacks. Given six hours to complete their spaces, the happy couple would then decide their favourite, with each member of the winning team receiving $2000 to put towards their renovations. Though the Golds looked more assured early on, a late surge from the Blacks saw them complete a stunning space which better fit the couple’s wishes. Mel and her winning troops then got to decide who faced off in the second head-to-head, choosing Peter and Sam. - Head to Head - The Half Done House
E57Head to Head - The Half Done HousePeter and Sam squared off in the second Head-to-Head, Peter having to complete the living/dining space at The Half-Done House while Sam worked on the backyard. Sam's nerves were stretched thin by teammate Jason taking longer gathering materials at the warehouse than she'd anticipated, and the narrow walkway into the yard made transporting plants and materials difficult - Meet the Renovators Families
E58Meet the Renovators FamiliesNeeding a boost in the aftermath of the Head-to-Head, the contestants were surprised by visits from their loved ones, who joined them for a family member Working Bee. Baz stopped in at The Inner-City Terrace to pitch in with some paving, Brendan gave August some landscaping advice over at The Shop, Robyn discussed colour palettes with the Greens at The Weatherboard House, while Peter Ho leant his considerable expertise over at The Half-Done House. - Challenge - The Final White Room
E59Challenge - The Final White RoomFor their final White Room Challenge of the series the teams had to build a kids' room, given a storeroom of materials to choose from full of colour and fun. The contestants all reverted into childlike states as they got the jobs done, which proved an emotional experience for the parents among them. - Challenge - Streetwise
E60Challenge - StreetwiseFor this week's Judgement Day the teams had to race to enhance the 'Street Appeal' of their respective properties before the judges arrived for inspection. Facing tight deadlines the contestants were in panic mode trying to get all the work completed, with the $10,000 prize for the winners raising the stakes even higher. - Head to Head - Inner City Terrace
E61Head to Head - Inner City TerraceJason and Luke arrived at the warehouse for the third Head-to-Head: a White Room Challenge. They had four hours to transform their spaces into stunning kitchens, with Luke getting first choice of theme and selecting 'city', leaving Jason to go with 'country. - Head to Head - Weatherboard House
E62Head to Head - Weatherboard HouseBrendan arrived at The Weatherboard House to give some words of encouragement to Keenan and Mel ahead of their Head-to-Head. Their challenge was to complete the property's second and third bedrooms, with Keenan choosing the latter, wanting the opportunity to showcase his workmanship by tackling the bigger job. - Final Head to Head
E63Final Head to HeadThe last two teams faced their Head-to-Heads. Over at The Sixties Suburban Nathan opted to take on the living room, aided by Peter, leaving Natalia and Luke to work on the dining room. Back at The Fibro Cottage the Navy Blue lads had to complete the property's living areas, with Michael choosing the front room and Mel to help him, while Jarrad worked on the bigger back room together with August. - The Final Inspection
E65The Final InspectionThe final Judgement Day of the series arrived, with plenty to play for as following their inspections the judges would decide which of the houses they thought was the best heading into auction. The six head renovators raced to put the finishing touches on their houses ahead of the judges’ arrival, hoping that the smallest details could potentially take them over the line. Whoever won Judgement Day would not only receive a confidence boost going into finale, but also a desperately needed Beach holiday in Bali. The judges were amazed by all the transformations, but the level of craftsmanship coupled with a thorough understanding of the property’s demographic shown by Luke won the day and the luxurious prize. - The Finale - Auction Night
E66The Finale - Auction NightAuction day arrived, with the Top 6 holding their collective breath as the auctions got underway. First up was The Weatherboard House, with Mel and the rest of the Green Team watching anxiously. The poor state of the property market was immediately apparent, with bidding getting off to a worryingly slow start. With the price creeping up steadily, however, The Weatherboard managed to reach $575,000, a profit of $1145. Next up was The Shop, with August pained to see his pride and joy fail to make a profit as the hammer fell at $700,000. Peter and Natalia were given equally little to celebrate, with The Half-Done House going for $770,000 and The Sixties Suburban for $730,000, some way short of their respective profit points. Thankfully it was a different story for Luke and The Inner-City Terrace, which enjoyed by far the best action of the night up to then by selling for $925,000 – a tidy $25,732 profit. The stage was set for a battle of David and Goliath, with the only house that could topple the competition’s biggest being its smallest. Incredibly The Fibro Cottage exceeded expectations, reaching $440,000 and a profit of $68,012, winning Michael the crown of Australia’s best renovator and $100,000 in prize money.
