Summary

Retta tells Collider that she faced an awkward moment when criticizing home renovations she didn’t realize were done by current owners.

Homeowners compete for the title of Ugliest House in America to win a makeover by designer Victoria Allison.

The show highlights design horrors from the ’60s and ’70s, featuring carpeted ceilings and themed homes.

On Ugliest House in America, comedian Retta is known for roasting questionable décor choices with her signature deadpan flair — avocado-green bathrooms, carpeted kitchens, and doll rooms straight out of a horror movie. But one house tour left her in the kind of silence that was a first for the show. Usually the homeowners laugh along with the Parks and Recreation star during the good-natured home roast, but this time, at least one person wasn’t laughing when her commentary hit a little too close to home — literally. What she thought were leftover eyesores from the previous owner turned out to be the new couple’s own renovations. Now heading into her sixth season hosting the HGTV series, Retta has seen it all — from shag carpet ceilings to toilet thrones. But in a show built on embracing bad design, this rare moment of behind-the-scenes awkwardness proves even Ugliest House in America has its cringeworthy limits. “I want to be genuinely surprised and experience it the same way the audience would experience it,” she explains to Collider exclusively as to why she didn’t realize she was about to comment on the updates the homeowners had made. “I have no idea what to expect, what’s been done before. You know what’s been fixed, what hasn’t.”
Retta Recalls the One Time HGTV’s ‘Ugliest House in America’ Hit a Little Too Close to Home

“But he was like … ‘bitch.'”

Her typical approach is to tour each home while joking about the aspects that make the house hideous. “There was this one house where everything I commented on was what they had done!” she recalls. “And I was like, ‘You guys, you gotta tell me!'” she jokes about rethinking her approach of going in blind. “Because I don’t want to have any kind of preconceived ideas about the space. But everything I mentioned, I was like … ‘Why this light fixture?’ [The owner replied] ‘Well my husband put that in.’ Dear God well, I don’t know what to tell you guys. Granted there was crazier stuff that had issues that they had moved into. But I felt like everything that I brought up was, dear God, please tell me you didn’t do that.” Retta says the wife was a good sport about the comments. “But he was like … ‘bitch,'” she says. “Because he had done most of the stuff I’d commented on.”

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Usually, the homeowners are in on the joke and proudly show off their home’s depths of ugliness or even show her their comedy routine. “Every once in a while, I’ll get that husband who wants to show off his standup routine, and he’s playing for the camera,” she says. “I’m like, ‘Do you boo this is your 15 minutes. Soak it in, enjoy it.'” She adds, “There is a bonus to being named the ugliest, so that may be the draw.” The bonus is serious. Be crowned the Ugliest House in America and win a $150,000 makeover by HGTV designer Victoria Allison. Competition is stiff and homeowners are hoping they have the ugliest house that season.
Why Retta Thinks ’70s Homeowners Were Building Spaceships for the Flintstones

“ I don’t know what it is about the late ’60s, ’70s homes …”

As Ugliest House in America heads into Season 6, the eyesores have evolved beyond bad paint and awkward layouts — with many monstrosities rooted in one unforgettable era: the freewheeling, design-unhinged ’60s and ’70s. We’re talking carpeted ceilings and bookshelves, themed homes and open-concept bathrooms. “ I don’t know what it is about the late ’60s, ’70s homes where people were just like let your freak flag fly, and they’re like, you know what? I’m gonna invest good, hard-earned money into a house that looks like it was built for the Flintstones,” she says. “I’m gonna put my money into a house that looks like it was built to stay on land, but everybody thinks it’s shit.” “I am stunned by the willingness to let all your neighbors know, ‘I don’t wanna be like you,'” she laughs. “I am more than willing to have a home that looks like the spaceship. You know what I’m saying? It’s different from what you do on the inside of the house.” While Retta and the Ugliest House in America crew have seen it all, they continue to be surprised, mostly by the fact that someone chose that wallpaper on purpose. She says to buckle up for Season 6 — because if she was shocked, you know viewers are in for a wild ride. HGTV’s Ugliest House in America Season 6 premieres Monday, June 2 at 9:00 and 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV.