Dream Home viewers call out huge 'mistake' in new renovation series

It’s been well over a week since Channel Seven’s brand new reality renovation series Dream Home premiered and viewers have agreed the show made a major “mistake” when it came to casting. The series follows six pairs of everyday Aussies as they design and rebuild each other’s dilapidated houses and transform them into incredible new dream homes.

In addition to host Dr Chris Brown, who joined Seven after over a decade at Network 10, the show features a trio of “expert judges” - Lana Taylor of Three Birds Renovations, award-winning interior designer Rosie Morley, and top buyer’s agent and Luxe Listings star Simon Cohen.

While all three judges have plenty of media experience, fans have argued they’re not quite the right fit for the show.

“I think having three millennial judges was a mistake,” one person shared on Reddit this week. “The problem is they all have very dull personalities and maybe too similar in taste.”

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The viewer added that a huge reason why The Block is so successful is the inclusion of interior designer Shaynna Blaze, who has appeared on the show since 2012.

“You really need a Shaynna with her OTT outfits and dramatic squeals to keep things interesting,” they continued. “Honestly I can’t remember a single memorable thing the judges said. I actually started dozing off during Sunday’s judging.”

“The judges are bland and don’t have much that is insightful or intelligent to say about the rooms,” someone else agreed, while another fan said, “Yeah I seriously can't stand these judges”.

Meanwhile, others have labelled the trio a “dream team” and said they are the perfect judges with their impressive experience in the property world.

Viewers notice odd detail: 'Seen this before'

Dream Home has received quite a mixed response from fans since it premiered last month, with many people pointing out that it has a very similar concept to a previous renovation series on Seven. Viewers have said the show is “identical” to House Rules, which aired from 2013 to 2020 and also saw state-based teams renovating each other’s homes.

“So this is basically #HouseRules rebranded? That’s what I'm getting from this,” one person wrote, while another added, “I think I’ve seen this show before, didn’t Johanna Griggs host it?”.

“Not sure if House Rules or Dream Home, same same tbh,” a third shared, followed by someone else who said, “When #HouseRules gets cancelled and Channel 7 bring us #DreamHomeAU”.

“So #DreamHomeAU is a reincarnation of House Rules? From the commercials, I was expecting it to be more of a surprise down on their luck couples to make their wish come true type show, not a competition,” a different user commented.

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It appears Channel Seven isn’t completely unaware of the similarities between the shows as it posted a promo for Dream Home on the official Instagram account for House Rules - which has been inactive since 2021.

“Loved House Rules? Dream Home will feature some of the biggest and most life-changing renovations Australia has ever seen, hosted by Dr Chris Brown,” they shared to the page’s 66,000 followers.

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