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Beautiful homes might make for nice eye candy on TV, but ugly homes can also be riveting—which may explain why the HGTV show “Ugliest House in America” has returned for Season 2.
On the show, actress and comedian Retta tours homes across the country that were nominated by their owners as desperately needing a makeover. In the end, the ugliest of the bunch will receive a $150,000 makeover by designer Alison Victoria.
On the latest episode, “The Not-So-Great Lakes,” Retta visits three homes in the Great Lakes region that are each off-putting in their own unique way. Check out which home is dubbed homeliest of all, and ask yourself honestly: Does your home have any of these eyesores, too?
1. An unlevel living area
Retta examines this strange sunroom.
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The first home Retta visits evokes Hansel and Gretel vibes in Willmar, MN. Homeowner Trevor bought this 1964 monstrosity from people who were obsessed with European cottages—and it shows.
The home is covered with intricate gingerbread trim and stained glass, and inside, it’s filled with antiques and oddities. If that weren’t bad enough, when Retta walks in, she’s shocked to see a sunroom that’s literally on another level.
This sunroom would be usable if it weren’t so high up.
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The small sitting space, which Retta says seems like a tea area, is a large step up from the rest of the living room, making it seem more like a window display than anything else.
“It’s supposed to be sort of a sunroom,” Trevor says. “I mean, it’s a complete addition and now it’s starting to, like, sort of fall away from the rest of the structure.”
He points out the space where the add-on has detached from the ceiling, allowing bats in to roost.
Retta is impressed by the weirdness of this feature. “This space alone is worth the trip,” she says.
While most houses don’t have an oddly raised sitting area like this, sunken living rooms are common in midcentury homes, proving just how awkward multiple levels can be.
2. A hot tub in an odd place
This hot tub is hidden at the end of a long, cavelike hallway.
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Upstairs, Retta finds a strange tunnel. When she ducks in, she finds a long hallway and, at the end, a hot tub below a sharp drop-off. The hot tub is dark and dated, so already it’s an odd feature. But Retta points out that the weirdest thing is the location.
“I’m all for a hot tub,” she says, “but does it have to be in a dungeon space that you have to climb down into?”
3. Too much of one color
The second house was filled with brown.
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The second house Retta sees is in Lake Elmo, MN. This 1958 home is dated, and owners Lee and Pam are so troubled by the style that they haven’t been able to move in—even though they’d bought the place two years ago!
“We have the ugliest house in America,” Pam says. “I’d rather camp out in a tent than live in here.”
One of the biggest problems is the home’s dated interior and the overuse of brown. In fact, the living room is covered with 14 shades of the color.
“It’s hard to make brown exciting,” Retta says. “It’s everywhere.”
4. Damaged floors
The third house is an old church.
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The third house Retta visits in Baraboo, WI, is actually an old church. This 1962 structure had been sitting on the market for three years before Andrew and Amanda bought it thinking it had tons of character. However, it needs a lot of work, too.
This couple have been busy clearing out trash, but they also found unwanted damage on the flooring.
“You see these things on the floor? It’s from the pews,” Amanda says to Retta. “They were heated to the floor, and we had to also remove the carpet.”
Installing new flooring can be difficult and expensive, but in this case, the change would clearly be worth every penny.
Pews were stuck to the floor, leaving marks.
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5. Not enough closet and storage space
This church doesn’t have any closets.
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For the past year, Andrew and Amanda have lived in the bottom floor of this church turned home. This space used to be a daycare, so it has some interesting colors on the walls. However, the biggest problem is definitely the lack of storage space. The couple have their clothes hung up all over the place.
“It’s overwhelming for me, and I don’t live here,” Retta admits.
While this church has an odd style, it’s clear that the worst thing about it is the limited functionality.
Which house is dubbed ugliest of all?
In the end, Retta calls Trevor and tells him his wacky cottage is a finalist for this episode.
“All the scary nooks and crannies with a Victorian edge definitely pushed you into the finals,” Retta says.
Trevor is clearly excited to be one step closer to winning the $150,000 makeover his home desperately needs.
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Watch: The Stars of ‘Unsellable Houses’ on Their Big Fears, Most Important Selling Advice, and Which Sister Is Likely To Go Rogue
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