Retta Says ‘Ugliest House in America’ Homeowners Are ‘In on the Joke’

Retta is on a mission to track down the “Ugliest House in America” for HGTV. While she humorously comments on some of the less aesthetically pleasing aspects of these homes, thankfully, the homeowners are “in on the joke.”

Retta Explains Why Homeowners Are Happy to Be Part of the ‘Ugliest House’ Competition

They may be looking for the ugliest home in the country, but that doesn’t mean the participants are offended by the competition. According to Retta, they’re “in on the joke.”

In a June 2025 interview with Realtor.com, the HGTV host shed some light on how homeowners on the show react to her pointing out their home’s flaws.

“They did submit their home, and they are aware of the title of the show,” she explained. “So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’m going to be pointing out things that I find particularly ugly or dysfunctional about the space.”

Retta continued, “And now, because we are on Season 6, people watch the show and they enjoy it. So a lot of times, you know, they’re killing themselves to point out something that I’m going to think is crazy — especially something that I’ve noticed before, like carpeting in the bathroom. They’ll be like, ‘We know this is your favorite. How about this carpeting?'”

The HGTV host added, “So I think particularly now … they’re in on it. They’re familiar with, you know, how I feel about some of these things, and they want to make sure that I don’t miss anything.”

Retta Reveals the Kinds of Ugly Homes That Are Worth the Effort

After hosting the show for six seasons, Retta knows what homes can be worth the effort. Anything that doesn’t require a lot of money to renovate and needs some smaller changes is worthy, she told Us Weekly in a June 2025 interview.

“I would buy any of them where it’s really just the decor [to update],” she said. “Because some of them are — these people did their own DIY, so they’ve used concrete or they’ve used cinder blocks and it’s hard to demo that sort of thing. And that’s where your money’s going to go, just trying to tear it down.”

The HGTV star pointed out that taking care of removing “old stuff” or giving “a little paint” or a “little throw rug” are all easy upgrades that can make a difference without breaking the budget.