Step Inside the Jaw-Dropping 'Bachelor Mansion Takeover' Renovation

Once upon a time (in 2007), location scouts for The Bachelor had a meet-cute … and a 10,000-square-foot Mediterranean-revival mansion in Agoura Hills, California, had its Cinderella moment. Bedrooms became confessionals and control rooms, the Rose Room and outdoor spaces became pop-culture icons and, decades later, television audiences are still very much in love with the Bachelor Mansion. Its former inhabitants, on the other hand, had some changes in mind — and HGTV invited 12 alums with design and building experience back to make that makeover happen: Dean Bell, Jill Chin, Noah Erb, Allyshia Gupta, Tammy Ly, Sandra Mason, Sam McKinney, Brendan Morais, Courtney Robertson Preciado, Jeremy Simon, Christopher Stallworth and Joan Vassos.

Host Jesse Palmer serves as master of ceremonies, and former contestants Tayshia Adams and Tyler Cameron welcome one guest to join them in judging each episode’s transformation. With immunity opportunities, ever-shifting alliances and a purse of $100,000 on the line for the overall winner, this 20-day transformation has the makings of serious melodrama. Here’s the story of every power tool, power play and jaw-dropping reveal from HGTV's Bachelor Mansion Takeover.

After an immunity challenge and a first night in the mansion, the players awakened to a battle of the sexes: The six women would be revamping their single, larger bunk room, and the six men would be changing things up in their two smaller bunk rooms. “Great,” said Jill (an architectural historian), “all of the brainpower is together! We all have a background in design or architecture. It might be a little challenging for the men to compete with the women.” Each team had access to a workshop, carpenters, and furnishings and was given four days to build four custom bunk beds. They also had to solve all of the problems that plagued their spaces in their respective stays there, of course.

The room had plenty of character, thanks to defining features like the ceiling appliqué, vaulted fireplace and weathered window into the bathroom — but that character, honestly, was kind of a villain. Storage and privacy were both serious problems, and future contestants deserved a restful retreat that didn’t feel like a warren of overflowing suitcases.

Warm, creamy paint allows the Mediterranean tiles that still border the molding along the floor to shine. Both recessed lighting and a new pendant replace the lovely-but-cumbersome appliqué (which Jill saved to deploy elsewhere). The white oak fluting on the curtained bunks complements the fireplace, and diligent space planning — which might be the space's star — gave the women room to station tall, shallow desk consoles along both longer walls. Those new zones function as work areas and all-important luggage parking.

“We see a lot of arches and curvature throughout the entire house, so we wanted to mimic a few of them to create balance and continuity in the space,” Allyshia said. The toe-to-toe bunks at this end of the room create a graceful shape while allowing for plenty of natural light. Since the ceiling and walls are now color-drenched, the room is both brighter and more cohesive. Plus, that funky little window that once created a very unwanted connection to the bathroom via the wall at left is long gone.

With panoramic views and the best light for applying makeup, the terrace beyond the bunk room needed substantial, stable surfaces and generous seating. The women created outdoor gathering spaces with both a fire pit and pedestal tables that would supplement the indoor vanities. This getaway spot is now the perfect place to take a deep breath and decompress.

With multiple builders in their ranks, the guys were confident the quality of their craftsmanship would be strong. As for design and creativity, the other two metrics on which they’d be judged … well, those were more mysterious variables. Furthermore, Dean had gained immunity in the previous day’s challenge. Would he suggest bold moves simply because he knew he couldn’t be eliminated?

“First impression walking into the bedroom: The colors on the wall are as depressing as some of the stories of the people who leave this mansion in heartbreak,” Jeremy said. “But the tiles that surround the bottom of the whole mansion are great. There are good wood windows, good wood doors, so a lot of bones are there already.” Taking the home’s Mediterranean style as a starting point, the guys decided to give this not-so-peachy space a Tuscan feel.

This contemporary take on the mansion’s Old World aesthetic builds around a moody olive feature wall and wraparound fluted paneling topped with a chair rail. The new bunks’ rich stain complements both the windows and the French doors to the terrace, and a graceful new chandelier adds grandeur. As in the women’s room, these newly built bunks have privacy drapes: Everyone in Bachelor Nation was ready for a bit more time to themselves.

Conscious of the need to showcase his carpentry skills and uninterested in the drama that erupted when Jesse announced an unexpected early vote to eliminate one team member, Chris was laser-focused on building this multipurpose vanity desk. “Instead of sitting here looking at each other,” he said, “I’ve got to get some work done!” The strategy worked, and he survived the vote.

Extending their Mediterranean theme, the men chose comfortable, neutral seating to furnish the terrace beyond their two bunk rooms. Reasoning that Mother Nature had done the decorating for them on the picturesque hills surrounding the mansion, they kept their adds to a minimum and let the terrace’s built-in assets take center stage.

The second undistinguished bunk room represented, from Dean’s perspective, a chance to take the Mediterranean theme in a much splashier direction. He convinced his teammates to channel the Greek island of Santorini by painting the walls and bunks a dazzling white and topping them with an eye-popping blue ceiling. “People are going to be sleeping in here staring up at the beautiful blue sky!” he argued.

Reoriented to create a more generous open space at the center of the room, the new bunks also feature translucent privacy curtains meant to evoke island breezes and drawers to offer much-needed storage. The statement ceiling’s supersaturated blue echoes in the bunks’ ladders, but the closets’ and French doors’ original, neutral stains give the eye an (also much-needed) place to rest.

The once-gloomy space now has recessed lighting, a pendant and an island-inspired floor lamp to complement its natural light, and organic adds like a new accent chair and occasional table take cues from the Mediterranean tiles that still anchor the walls. Finally, an intricate new area rug blends the bunk room’s new blues into a creamy base. Would the night-and-day transformation find favor with the judges?

Joined by guest judge Hannah Brown — a Bachelor alum, a former Bachelorette, Tyler’s ex and an interior designer — Tayshia and Tyler surveyed the guys’ work. They appreciated most of the design decisions in the Tuscan-themed bunk room (Tayshia: “This looks really professional! I’m really proud of the guys!”), but Santorini … “You guys, I feel like it looks like Toy Story,” Tayshia said. “It does give me [the feel of] a child’s room,” Hannah agreed. The bunks’ gingham linens were a major thematic misfire, and the bolted-on ladders made the under-bed storage inaccessible.

Both Tayshia and Hannah had spent a lot of quality time in this bunk room, and the practicality of the women’s updates delighted them. “Does this look anything like your old room?” Tyler asked. They shouted back in stereo: “NO!” While the judges would have liked to see artwork and missed the ceiling appliqué, they appreciated the more intuitive floor plan, improved storage and new opportunities for makeup stations. “This feels like it has cohesiveness, a real reason to everything,” Tyler said. “I think the girls did a great job,” Tayshia agreed. The women won this round easily, and the men would send a second member of their team packing.

Chris’ expertise couldn’t carry him through a second vote, and he was eliminated. Nine contestants remained, and three zones of the iconic Rose Room awaited their efforts. Sorted into the same team of three by randomly selected scrolls, Jill and Allyshia immediately clashed over wall-treatment options for the living area. Dean’s tie-breaking vote meant the dark and dramatic mural Jill favored won out over Allyshia’s strongly preferred tiles: “I’ll take the heat if we lose,” Jill assured her teammates.

The Rose Room’s season-to-season color changes are one of its calling cards. “[It’s] so public-facing with so many years of different design aesthetics, it deserves the best facelift it can get,” Allyshia said. “This is a space that is guaranteed to be shown on-camera during rose ceremonies time and time again.” She and her teammates chose a Roman clay treatment to transform the upper portion of the walls; the combination of the two backdrops would, they hoped, look fantastic on screen.

Space planning was central to the zone's design, which now features symmetrical-but-not-identical seating and rich, velvety materials. Room-spanning elements like the traditional area rug, mural and clay treatment serve as a neutral base for the furnishings’ and accessories’ deep, dramatic pops of color. “It’s dark and moody,” Dean observed. “Sexy, as Jill put it.”

The Rose Room challenge featured an additional judging metric: Each team had to incorporate “the essence of a rose” in their design. Allyshia took the lead on reimagining the legendary pedestal used in ceremonies and partnered with Mitch the carpenter to create a romantic, vine-like iron base that culminated in stained wood etched with a rose. “I just don’t know if it will be novel enough to stick out with the judges,” she said.

Tammy was ecstatic after drawing her zone of expertise. “The gods have given me what I wanted! I’ve opened up six different restaurants, so I feel like this is really in my wheelhouse,” she said. Joined by fellow Bachelor in Paradise Season 7 castmates Noah and Brendan, she felt that she had skills and shared history on her side. Given just 45 minutes at the start of the challenge to settle on countertops, a backsplash, a wall treatment and a shelving design, she and the guys needed to act fast.

The slab of thick waterfall glass embedded in the bottle area’s face wasn’t doing the space any favors. In fact, the traditional material’s flattening effect made it look like a façade rather than a functional room. And the intricate bar had an ornate base that the lackluster serving area and shelves above it simply didn’t match.

The team agreed that the space needed dramatically lit arches to match the high-stakes relationship decisions that unfold beside it. Brendan lobbied successfully for a Roman clay treatment that would envelop the interior and face of the newly built structure (“[The judges] keep saying ‘bold,’ Jesse keeps saying ‘bold’!”). The team then installed dark, gorgeously veined Silestone to update the countertop. Tammy took the lead on 3D-printing a tone-on-tone, long-stemmed rose to create a focal point on the wall and meet the competition’s latest design challenge.

The once-underwhelming cellar area is now a showstopping focal point, thanks to thoughtful backlighting and black steel wine racks that elevate and abstract the scene. “I think the wine cellar is one of my favorite pieces of the house,” Noah said with satisfaction.

Having spent significant time in the space, Joan had strong opinions about how the Candle Room should develop. She wanted to pivot from the one-on-one interactions the area was notorious for to a more inclusive function: “Making it more multifunctional would be great for us,” she argued, “so it can be the Candle Room, but maybe also a little more intimate gathering place for more than just two people.”

The feature wall that typically frames a large array of votives felt a bit underwhelming beneath the Candle Room’s dramatic, end-to-end barrel vaulting and arched windows. With interior architecture and better zoning, it would feel more integrated — and conducive to both game-changing tête-à-têtes and other encounters.

The team installed a trio of arches that echo the ceiling and French doors, and frame the Candle Room’s central sofa. Courtney spearheaded the creation of a 3D tone-on-tone rose canvas that satisfies the judges’ special directive for the challenge and draws the eye to the new, blush-toned wall of Mediterranean tile. Candles are still part of the decor, but they’re now one of several elements in the narrower arches on either side of the sofa. The exposed beams are now stained a crisp black that emphasizes the space’s length.

A pair of pale contemporary swivel chairs now face the Candle Room’s sofa across a generous coffee table that complements the wall installation’s pale wood and echoes the shape of the archway that leads to the living area. The room’s layered lighting design now features a wrought-iron chandelier, wall-mounted sconces and, of course, the celebrated candles. In love and interior design, one might say, it’s important to have options.

HGTV star and Southern California design aficionado Christina Haack joined Tayshia and Tyler in judging the second round of renovations at the mansion, and what she saw in the cellar area blew her away. “It does feel like a really high-end restaurant, [and] it definitely is super eye-catching. I think they nailed that,” she said. Tayshia, in turn, fell hard for Tammy’s 3D rose feature — but the tone-on-tone Roman clay framing it left Tyler a bit cold. Couldn’t there have been a bit of contrast between the face and interior of that installation?

Both teams' tile choices and color schemes were big hits with the judges, and if this space didn’t have a very specific history, Christina would have been all for it: “It’s a room I would have in my own house. I really like it!” That said, “I don’t think it’s as dramatic as the old candle room,” Tyler said. “It’s a fresh take on it,” Tayshia noted. “I don’t know if it’s going to have the same effect.”

“The first thing I noticed is the mural. Whose decision was that?” Tayshia asked. Everyone gulped. “I love it,” she continued. “I love it! We talked about it in the beginning. We’re supposed to take risks, and add a fun, fresh take on the mansion, and I thought it did just that.”

The pops of color throughout the seating area were equally well-received, and while the judges would have liked the podium to have been a bit more dramatic, Team Living Area took the overall win — and responsibility for nominating two of their competitors for elimination.

As a skills-challenge winner, Brendan was responsible for sending Tammy home. And as the previous round’s “bottom two” contestants, he and Noah became captains of four-person teams that would tackle the mansion’s two-level pool area. Brendan and his new allies were tasked with turning two pergolas and the main patio into a “poolside oasis” — which would be a mind-boggling improvement for future contestants, given that previous would-be sunbathers spread their towels out on the bare hardscape.

The pergola at the patio’s far end topped a few mysterious slabs of plywood that, once removed, revealed a sunken grill area that time had forgotten (and local wildlife had discovered and made their own). Demolishing the existing countertop and making that space luxurious would be the team’s big build, and lavishing the patio with lots of seating and lounging zones would anchor the new pool area.

Now this is what a properly-outfitted outdoor entertaining space looks like! An array of plush loungers for sunbathers gives way to cushioned wicker couches surrounding a new fire pit, and bright umbrellas on both the patio and in the pool itself provide respite from the sun. “I hope we get the points for beautifying the space and implementing some super-functional spaces as well,” Brendan said.

The elevated pergola at the far left side of the pool patio is now a next-level setting for raising a glass at sunset, thanks to a generous new table and billowing curtains that offer shade and privacy without compromising the space’s spectacular views and breezy feel. A state-of-the-art pizza oven now presides over the countertop and serving area, and the ornate applique removed from the ceiling in the women’s bunk room is now a showstopping centerpiece hanging from the pergola ceiling above the wrought-iron rail.

The now-rejuvenated bar and grill area — complete with a brand-new rose grate — is worlds away from this zone’s former incarnation. Jill and the guys removed the false floor, evicted the desert critters that had made themselves at home under the counter and installed a refrigerator that disappears seamlessly behind geometric tile.

Former Bachelor contestant, Bachelorette and accomplished real-estate flipper and designer JoJo Fletcher joined Tyler and Tayshia to survey the space’s transformation. “This used to be a spot where you could hang out and try to get a little makeout session, but now it’s an awesome outdoor grilling area,” Tyler said. “Just imagine, Tayshia’s over here making burgers, I can swim up [and] get a poolside burger, this is grilling and chilling right here!”

“You guys, this looks like a five-star resort and I am more than happy to check in,” Tayshia agreed. “I’m floored at everything.”

JoJo made the raves unanimous. “Listen this was so bare bones when I was here, [and] this feels so functional to me!” Newcomers to the mansion were in for a treat.

Self-styled as “Noah’s Angels” (and dubbed “the unwellness retreat” by Jill), team captain Noah and his collaborators were assigned the lower patio behind and beneath the pool area and pergolas. They all knew how much activity areas would mean in future seasons; as Joan explained, when a one-on-one date is in progress, “everybody else back at the mansion is looking for things to do — so there is some downtime here, and a place to exercise or to hang out is really important.”

The team knew the area beneath the pergola would function as an open-air gym with weights and a few machines, but the build had to be about more than just equipment: “I think just having some yoga mats rolled up in a basket isn’t going to be it,” Joan said. “We really need to make it look very intentional.” They planned to build a yoga platform (that could double as a proposal space in a pinch) and punctuate seating areas with large-scale installations like an outdoor shower and a sauna.

The shaded workout space now flows out into a perfect-for-cooldowns turf-covered area beside the new yoga platform, and stone-topped tables flanked with Parisian-style cafe chairs flank the hot tub. Courtney went rogue in asking Mitch the carpenter to string bistro lights across the space, a move she didn’t mind springing on the teammates who shut her out: “It feels kind of good [and] it’s going to really ruffle some feathers,” she said.

The gym area beneath the pergola, in turn, features a granite-topped juice bar in addition to much-needed equipment. Previous contestants had quite literally chipped in to purchase and have gym machines delivered to the mansion. Those amenities are now available to all and gathered in a dedicated (and decorated) zone.

Framed with Mediterranean-style breeze blocks and striped with a graphic, two-tone punch of tile, the new shower and the six-person sauna beside it might be the biggest value adds to the lower patio. Though elements like the tile design, bistro lights and turf led to agonizing arguments, their combined effect was downright dazzling for the judges.

“There was so much going on but, in the best way,” Tayshia gushed. “I love that you guys had faux grass. We don’t have any grass around the mansion, [so] the grass was a great element to add.”

JoJo rewarded Courtney’s risk: “One thing ... I loved was the string lights,” she said. “I’m a big believer in ambient lighting [for] setting mood.” The so-called “unwellness retreat” turned out to be the overall winner — and Jill, the contestant who gave it that nickname, was sent home.

For the fourth round of renovations, the remaining contestants were led back to where the Bachelor Mansion’s countless tales begin. The Mixer Room, a massive, multi-use space at the far end of the residence that plays host to cocktail parties, was a complicated undertaking that broke down into six different activity areas or design projects.

Randomly-drawn scrolls sorted contestants into two teams and assigned them areas and projects: At this end of the space, Joan would transform the entertainment center along the left wall, while Noah would decide how to refresh the arched recess and credenza along the right wall. Sam, in turn, got the big-picture task of deciding how to paint and stain the walls, ceiling and beams.

Across the room, Allyshia was assigned responsibility for the bookshelf and pass-through into the breakfast area, while Courtney would redesign the space surrounding the fireplace. Dean decided on the room’s layout, furniture and accessories. And the two teams? As sorted by the scrolls, the men would be competing against the women again.

“It will be really nice to work with the people that I first worked with when I got here,” said Dean, “but we lost that challenge! It went so bad last time, I don’t want another repeat of that!” On the women’s side: “Hopefully we can all work together as a team,” Courtney said. “And if not, I’m going to just stay in my lane, keep my eye on the prize and just hit the frickin’ ground running.”

Joan and Allyshia were not pleased with their teammate’s decision to run a vertical soldier stack of rust-colored tiles all the way up the wall behind the fireplace, but Courtney held firm to her relatively minimalistic, midcentury-inspired vision. Joan took the entertainment center in a more contemporary direction by crafting an abstract canvas that split down the center and rolled aside to reveal a dry bar. Last but not least, Dean both plotted out the room’s furniture scheme and put his DIY skills to work by crafting and weathering a coffee table topped with stone that matched Noah’s selection for the credenza.

Aiming for a wall color that felt neutral and would give his teammates’ pieces a chance to shine, Sam settled on Clary Sage. He then created contrast on the ceiling by darkening the beams with a chestnut stain and deciding to paint the spaces between them a bright white. Finally, he added molding as an accent between the entertainment center and Noah’s credenza. “It’s the only spot in the room where I think I can put my personal touch,” he explained. “I come from a construction family; it’s important to be able to see people in their [area of] expertise.”

Like Courtney, Allyshia seized the Mixer Room as an opportunity to deploy tile she’d been denied the chance to use in a previous challenge. This treatment is what she had had in mind for the wall surrounding the fireplace in the Rose Room, and she took the risky move of closing off the pass-through between this space and the breakfast area (and demolishing the bookcase) in order to install it. Joan approved of her transformation, and it seemed to suit the design choices surrounding it — but would the judges feel the same way?

To the contestants’ surprise and delight, HGTV legend Nate Berkus visited the mansion to weigh in on their work. “Pinch me, I’m dreaming, because this is my interior-design icon!” Allyshia said. “My favorite designer ever. He’s the GOAT,” Joan added.

Nate was a tough customer. He praised Noah’s transformation of the room’s credenza, his countertop's relationship to Dean’s coffee table and the sleek veined stone he installed to ornament the wall, but he saw the space as a missed opportunity for an accessory that would bring the eye up. He enjoyed Sam’s choices for the ceiling, but the molding on the accent wall was a misfire: “It’s a French architectural element, [and] it really has nothing to do with the architecture of the space,” he said. Allyshia’s beloved tile was a miss in his eyes, while Courtney’s was his favorite feature room.

The judges agreed that the men made more cohesive design decisions than the women did, and their ruling sent the entire team home. That said, Nate singled Courtney out for praise and gave her what he called an “honorable mention” — and in the last moments of the episode, she learned that she’d get to return after all. “You have stood your ground and fought for what your vision is, and we’ve noticed that every single step of the way,” Tayshia told her. “Oh my god,” Courtney responded. “Joan and Allyshia are going to be so pissed!”

Courtney wasn’t the only contestant to have her hopes rekindled. Tayshia and Tyler also invited Chris and Tammy back for one more shot at earning a place in the finals — and gave Noah, Dean and Sam, who had expected to be put to work as the final three, a break.

The three “redeemed” contestants were each tasked with designing, building and theming a bar (complete with a signature cocktail) for the terrace beyond the Rose Room. Chris’s creation would be constructed in front of the palm trees, Courtney would make her play beside the fountain, and Tammy would bring her bar to life in front of the olive tree. The winning contestant’s bar would remain on the terrace — and the winning contestant themselves would remain in the competition and join Noah, Dean and Sam in the finals.

With a nod to Jamaica and its classic dark rum, ginger beer and lime cocktail, Chris created a casual, Caribbean-themed bar with a sloped, corrugated-tin roof, swagged nets and textural woven details. “Even though it’s a Caribbean theme, for the mansion the colors are going to complement what’s here,” he reasoned. “I was in the mansion [and] I know how it is: You get some downtime, you sit around, things get in your head … sometimes it’s dark and stormy in the house! And you can come over here and say, ‘You know what? I’m going to feel like I’m in Saint Martin today.”

“I have a really clear vision,” Courtney said. “Kind of what Nate Berkus said: Sometimes simple is better, and I’m carrying that into this challenge.” Her own journey informed her theme: “I had my first Night One meeting with the Bachelor here [on the terrace],” she remembered. “It hits close to home, and I definitely had a little liquid courage on Night One!” She chose a dimensional subway tile in rich green to transform the base of her bar, then created less-is-more open shelving to let the picturesque stone wall and landscaping peek through.

Her minimalistic approach was a risk, but it was true to her vision. “I didn’t really think about enclosing my bar, and both Chris and Tammy did,” she noted. “It looks really nice; it does create more of an outdoor bar space, and I didn’t [incorporate] a chandelier or that kind of stuff. But I’m still going to get my mood lighting right, because I’m all about mood lighting.” As in the wellness space, she chose twinkling lights that would give the space a magical glow after dark.

This challenge was Tammy’s to lose, and she knew it: “I ran a club and bar for eight years in New York, so I know my way around a bar,” she said. Noting that “green’s really having a moment this year,” she chose a subtle, on-trend tone for her wall, framed with yet another arch. “I want my space to feel elegant, like a hotel bar that you’re meeting the love of your life at — or you’re meeting a friend [at] to go talk s--t,” she said.

An abstract tiled pattern complemented the green paint at the front of the bar, and woven white bistro stools contrasted with them. “I’m also going to add this beautiful awning; I want to play on textures and the natural finishes of what the outside brings,” she explained.

Season 17 Bachelor Sean Lowe, now a furniture designer with Catherine (his love match from the mansion and wife of 12 years), joined Tayshia and Tyler to decide which redeemed contestant had earned a spot in the finals.

Chris’s inspiration and drink were auspicious: “I had my first Dark and Stormy on The Bachelorette in Bermuda!” Sean exclaimed. He and the other judges appreciated the bar’s laid-back vibe and its well-considered functionality, but the dissonance between its casual style and the date-night finery they knew visitors would bring to the space was palpable.

Courtney’s decision to forgo a roof did prove to be a vulnerability. Though the judges loved her bar’s palette and finishes, “This will not hold a 12 hour makeup day, let me tell you something!” Tayshia said. “ I would not want to be sweating in my gown, but aesthetics-wise, it’s gorgeous.”

Tammy, in turn, hit the sweet spot. “I feel like this is a great extension right off of the terrace; it has that sage color that we have all throughout the mansion,” Tayshia said.

“I love the name,” Tyler chimed in. “It’s clean, it’s sophisticated, it ties in with her color as well.” “Your bar was so cohesive,” Sean told Tammy. “Everything tied together beautifully.” She would advance — and the guys’ moment of relaxation was officially over.

The competition’s last days began with a shocker: In a fast-paced, “Final Impression” skills challenge that mirrored the first week, Dean (who won immunity in that initial test) came in last and was eliminated. That left Tammy, Sam and Noah to face one more individual project apiece before the finale.

Tammy was assigned the entryway and given 24 hours to take it from woozy, kaleidoscopic color to something calm and collected. “I want to keep the Mediterranean Spanish touches to this space and just brighten up the place a little bit,” she mused.

“I want to add my own personal touch to this space,” she continued. “Honestly, I kind of want a built-in bench. [And] we should add some wood paneling to this wall, because that is the only wall that doesn’t have a really loud wood piece.”

After performing a makeunder on the multi-story foyer’s chaotic walls, Tammy focused on adding functionality and balance. She anchored the entryway with custom, tone-on-tone artwork, then built out a pair of benches with occasional tables and pillows to make the hallway a place to pause rather than a mere pass-through. Across from this installation, dark wood paneling and a mirror serve as counterpoints to the space’s new, paler tone. The foraged branches arranged in the foreground are a callback to the olive tree that complemented her bar and helped win her a second chance in the competition.

Sam was tasked with revisiting the men’s ill-fated, island-themed bunk room and giving it what Tammy called a “Sam-torini” do-over. “This room was way overcrowded from the start, so my vision with all of this is to tone everything down, get rid of the blue ceiling, get rid of the blue ladders and make this space more functional,” he explained.

Taking a page from the women’s successful design, Sam built a tall console that stored two large suitcases; “that way we don’t have stuff just scattered all over the floor.” He repainted and relocated the bunks’ ladders so that the ground-level drawers were properly functional, then repainted the ceiling and walls in blood-pressure-lowering shades of white and café-au-lait.

Noah’s solo task was a reconsideration of the not-so-integrated mixer room. “To me, [the entertainment center] should be the focal point of the room because of how ornate and beautiful these pillars are, but I do think we get rid of some of this busyness, and it would be really cool to do a lime wash painting,” he said. He replaced the armchairs before it with another long sofa, then pushed all of the furniture back to make the room’s proportions feel generous once more.

“My whole thing was listen to the criticisms but really take the room from an eight as far as energy loudness and ... dial it down closer to a four,” he explained. Song Thrush — a warm, neutral wall color that let the furniture shine — did just that. The judges appreciated how Noah absorbed their feedback, and he and Tammy became the competition’s final contestants.

For an on-theme Bachelor Mansion finale, Noah and Tammy would work together and go head-to-head on renovating the heart of the home: the kitchen. Untouched for 20 years and long overdue for a transformation, the space’s many action areas were divided between the competitors. Tammy would be responsible for the range hood, back-bar pantry wall décor and selecting the faucets and hardware. Noah took on the dining nook, window treatment, paint color selection and styling choices for the shelves.

Working together to make big-ticket decisions on the kitchen’s island and countertops, Noah and Tammy chose opulent Taj Mahal stone slabs and pale wood treatments for the lower cabinets. Tammy extended the look of the stone on the pale-and-plastered hood, then added a gold strap trim on its upper edge: “This is just that little bit of extra touch that I really want to wow the space,” she said. She added a graphic wrap to the inside of the pantry walls, choosing a tone-on-tone pattern that adds drama without contrast. That heavy, intricate woodwork now provides character as a feature wall instead of disappearing in all-around darkness.

Eyeing Tammy’s statement wall, Noah decided to arrange his wall of open shelving — where the Taj Mahal stone rises to a shallow shelf, then transitions to clean-lined, contemporary white oak — to convey a feeling of ease. “It’s not [always] about what you do; sometimes it’s about what you don’t do, you know?” he noted. “Her pantry, the entire wall is full; mine, I tried to keep the simple elegance.” He also demolished the ill-considered wall Allyshia had constructed between the breakfast nook and the Mixer Room. Natural light now pours between the spaces, and merlot-toned drapes both match the window treatments in the room beyond them and add an atmospheric tint to the updated zone.

Tammy and Noah agreed to frame the kitchen window with backsplash-to-ceiling oxblood subway tiles in a midcentury-inspired vertical soldier stack. Noah then added a textural Roman shade that complements the bold color and draws the eye out to the bougainvillea-draped arches at the far end of the pool area.

Bachelorette JoJo Fletcher returned to join Tayshia and Tyler in evaluating the finalists’ work, and Bachelor Nation superfan, actor and podcast host Rachel Bilson rounded out the judging panel. The kitchen met rave reviews all around: “It looks wonderful,” Rachel said. “It’s minimalist but still cozy!”

“It still plays on the colors [in the rest of the mansion], too,” Tayshia added. “Everything is cohesive and plays off each other. Styling-wise, I think they both did an amazing job. [Tammy] used the graphic wrap on that built-in, but Noah’s is really minimalistic and simple and, I think, nods to all the other accents in the room.”

“Tammy ... everything you’ve done has been so elevated and high-end and gave this house the face lift it’s truly needed. I’m excited to see what your future is after this,” Ty said. “And for Noah, you have been the ultimate teammate: You’ve been in tough situations, you’ve been in good situations, but you have made the most of every situation.”