Get to Know the Designers Competing in ‘A Very Haunted Renovation’

Think your fixer-upper has problems? Try renovating a mansion from the 19th century that comes with a few ghostly roommates. Bihl Manor, an eerie and abandoned mansion in Fremont, Ohio, is getting a major makeover — if six brave designers can survive the experience. A Very Haunted Renovation — which premieres Tuesday, September 15 at 8|7c on HGTV — follows the designers as they eat, sleep and work inside the spirited home for 31 days while competing to bring the property back from the dead (maybe literally) and win a $50,000 cash prize. Throughout the renovation, the designers will face elimination challenges that will test their creativity, renovation skills and nerves. HGTV design expert Michel Smith Boyd (of Luxe for Less and Rock the Block) will mentor and judge their work, while host Anna Camp keeps things spooky. Ready to meet the brave designers willing to spend a month inside Bihl Manor?

For 31 days, Anna Camp is swapping Hollywood for the haunted halls of Bihl Manor. The actress, known for her work on Broadway and in television and film, is no stranger to the spooky side of entertainment, with roles in projects including Scream 7 and True Blood. As the host, Anna will set the scene for the designers, sharing the property's eerie history and keeping the competition moving. And with guest judges joining throughout the season, she has ample opportunities to make sure the designers never get too comfortable. The cast may already be on edge, and Anna does nothing to comfort them. Her philosophy for a haunted renovation? As she puts it, "You're never alone in a haunted home."

If anyone knows what it takes to win an HGTV design competition, it's Michel Smith Boyd. Michel has appeared on 100 Day Hotel Challenge, Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge and made Rock the Block history as the show's first two-time champion. He’s been in the design business for two decades and has a reputation for mixing sophisticated style with smart, layered design. As the resident mentor and design expert on A Very Haunted Renovation, Michel will help guide the designers through their challenges before evaluating their finished projects. But he’s looking at more than aesthetics. He’ll be watching how the competitors problem-solve, treat others and create spaces that respect Bihl Manor’s history and mysterious past while embracing modernity. The designers will have to do a lot more than show off their reno skills to impress Michel.

Los Angeles-based designer SK Stokes Kennedy brings a confident and classy approach to luxury residential and commercial projects. She curates spaces and experiences to feel intentional, current and high-end. Before building her own design firm, SK got her start in the design world by producing events and celebrations in Los Angeles. She's had a knack for elevating interiors from a young age — a skill she'll be capitalizing on during A Very Haunted Renovation restoration projects. For SK, this competition is about more than winning: She hopes to show her family and sons the importance of going after your dreams. So, she’s bringing her Los Angeles mindset to Fremont, Ohio, to prove great design can transform even the most intimidating space.

For Patrick Peel, "design is my life." The Las Vegas-based design consultant and event planner has a passion for contemporary style, glamour and those showstopping details that make a space memorable. However, “glamorous” does not come to mind for Bihl Manor. Patrick will have to balance his love of glitzy, contemporary design with the mansion’s history — and the fact that actual people will be staying in the renovated spaces. This competition is significant for Patrick because he wants to honor his late sister, who passed away five years ago. His mantra going into the show? “It’s time to live again.”

Based in South Florida, John Ryan specializes in elevated, intentional interiors with a clean, minimalist aesthetic. He also hosts the design podcast Design. Drink. Dish. and runs Interiors by John, a luxury residential design company. While a haunted mansion may be outside John’s wheelhouse, competition clearly isn’t. John has a background in competitive tennis and pickleball and describes himself as a pretty competitive person. He’s ready to put that competitive energy into winning the $50,000 cash prize.

Television personality, entrepreneur and interior designer Bershan Shaw brings more than a decade of experience creating modern and maximalist spaces through her design company, Shaw & Shaw Interior Designs. As a New Yorker, Ohio’s Bihl Manor pushes her outside her comfort zone immediately. After stepping into the horrifying property, Bershan is seriously spooked. “I want to design for people, not ghosts,” she says.

If anyone’s been waiting for a project like Bihl Manor, it’s Diana Vogel. The California designer lives in a 128-year-old Victorian home and is quite comfortable among old houses, ornate details and a little supernatural intrigue. With a background in psychotherapy, teaching and historic preservation, Diana brings unique perspectives to her design work. She considers herself a “ghosty at heart,” and clearly feels Bihl Manor’s haunted history is less a problem and more an opportunity. Her design goal: to make spaces that feel like the “inside of a glamorous coffin.” And when it comes to the competition, Diana isn't hiding her intentions. She's here to win.