From Then to Now: The Evolution of HGTV's 'Crashers'

Long ago, in an HGTV universe far away (the early 2000s, that is), Yard Crashers debuted on DIY Network. That groundbreaking show introduced viewers to the pleasures of guerrilla-style home renovation. And the rest, they say, is history.

Read on for the multi-decade saga of how the Crashers franchise grew from one yard makeover show into a slew of satellite reno shows, each with their own personality and hosts.

Taking the Mayhem Outdoors: Yard Crashers

The phenomenon that started it all, Yard Crashers, as they say, put the "G" in HGTV with its emphasis on dramatic yard and garden overhauls.

The show inaugurated the Crashers ambush style of renovation shows by approaching DIYers at home improvement centers and offering to redo their digs in just two days. For free!

The formula proved to be popular: It lasted for 17 seasons, 173 episodes and spawned a whole series of Crashers shows to come.

One distinctive part of HGTV's Crashers phenomenon is the active role hosts take in the process, jumping in to do their part to pull each project off in record time.

During its successful run, Yard Crashers created backyards featuring hardscaping, outdoor kitchens, grill stations, pizza ovens, fire pits, fireplaces, water walls, pergolas and more. Yard Crashers launched in 2008 starring professional landscaper Ahmed Hassan. Ahmed left the show in 2011 but continues to run a successful landscaping company in Sacramento and travels to work on high-profile projects — like putting in a putting green at Steve Harvey's Dallas ranch.

But Ahmed was just the first in a line of daring diggers. Next up came licensed contractor Matt Blashaw, who favored dramatic hardscapes. Matt was with the show until 2015.

Chris Lambton was third in line and admitted in a Popsugar interview that sometimes the people he approached for a yard makeover wouldn't even give him the time of day. "It's funny how many people when I walk up to them just say 'no' to me or walk away without talking much," Chris told Popsugar. "That was one of the biggest surprises I found from doing Yard Crashers, how many people don't even want to talk to me."

Chris liked to see what he was working with before committing to a yard overhaul, and so he'd often ask homeowners for a photo of their neglected space. If the homeowner didn't have a photo, he'd use Google Earth to see the scope of work required.

As with so many popular HGTV shows, Yard Crashers, which wrapped in 2017, inspired multiple spinoffs including Turf Wars and, of course, the show that took radical renovation indoors: House Crashers.

The OG House Crashers

Licensed contractor Josh Temple was the first host of the ambush-style show House Crashers when it debuted on HGTV in 2009. The concept, which took Yard Crashers indoors, was simple: Josh would scope out a home improvement store, looking for homeowners to let him and his team renovate a room or section of their home. Then, while the family was away, Josh and his crew would work construction magic within a 72-hour time frame. The series was less predictable than other Crashers iterations because you never knew which part of a home Josh would transform — bedrooms, garages, basements and living rooms were all up for grabs.

Unlike the design-pedigreed Alison Victoria — who later starred in Kitchen Crashers, which first aired in 2011 — Josh was a builder by trade with a background doing whole-house gut renovations.

The House Crashers concept was a success, taping in 32 states and running for 13 seasons and 171 episodes. House Crashers projects included a formal living room repurposed into a karaoke bar, a garage transformed into a man cave and a basement revamped into an entertainment paradise with a media wall and a wine room.

The original show wrapped in 2017, but there were still plenty of Crashers spinoffs in the mix.

Stylishly Transforming Unappealing Kitchens

In one of HGTV's most interesting origin stories, designer Alison Victoria responded to a mass email sent to hundreds of Chicago designers asking if anyone would be up for working on a design show.

Initially, the production company wanted Alison to be a ghost designer on House Crashers, but instead she pitched them a kitchen-focused show hosted by none other than … Alison Victoria. A combination of her design talent, charisma and construction-chic wardrobe (think: stylish T-shirts, jeans and ankle boots) made her into the renovation show legend she is today.

From 2011 to 2016, the Chicago-then-Las-Vegas designer and eventual Windy City Rehab and Sin City Rehab host took Crashers into new territory with a series dedicated just to kitchens. She also became the first woman to host a show in the Crashers empire.

Though Kitchen Crashers follows the same overall formula as the rest of the franchise — finding homeowners at big-box home improvement stores — Alison had up to a month to design and source the various materials for each kitchen. Then, she would complete the renovation itself in three to four days.

At the time, Alison often created high-end looks with bold color choices in the form of lime green countertops, eye-catching backsplashes, metallics and the addition of center islands to increase the kitchen work surface (the sign of a true kitchen innovator).

Going Micro With Bathroom Redos

Enter Bath Crashers — yet another spinoff that aired from 2010 to 2016. The series featured licensed contractor Matt Muenster, the previous host of DIY Network's BATHtastic.

Some of the same Crashers formula applied: Matt would ambush homeowners at a home improvement store and create a new bathroom in 72 hours. However, this particular time crunch is a major feat for highly technical and labor-intensive spaces. A traditional bathroom remodel — with all the intricate plumbing, tilework, waterproofing and drainage — typically takes three to six weeks, so Matt had a big task on his hands each episode.

And while Kitchen Crashers relied on the design finesse of Alison, it was Matt's no-nonsense chops as a licensed contractor that gave Bath Crashers its industry heft. By focusing on spaces with a smaller footprint — with the goal of maximizing square footage — Bath Crashers was able to undertake epic overhauls. From heated floors to multiple showerheads, freestanding tubs, fireplaces and, in one fitness-themed bathroom, a wet-and-dry sauna and a juice bar — Matt really did it all.

A New Era (And a New Kid) on the Crashers Block

June 8, 2026, saw the HGTV reboot of its beloved ambush-style franchise with Crashers, starring Farmhouse Fixer host, New Kids on the Block band member and home restoration expert Jonathan Knight.

As usual, Jonathan ambushes people at the coffee shop or the school pickup line and offers them the chance to have a ho-hum space turned into something to get excited about. Again, for free.

There are just three rules new to the franchise that homeowners must abide by: the renovation starts immediately, they have no say in the design and they must vacate their home for the full three-day time span.

"It's an honor I get to do this. I absolutely love working with HGTV. At the same time, we've had legends host this show before me, and to step into their boots — it's quite an honor," Jonathan told HGTV editor Caroline Alkire of his new show.

Jon comes from a long line of fixer-uppers: his grandfather, father and uncle all worked in home renovation, and in 1994 Jon began flipping houses in Boston after the breakup of New Kids on the Block.

A test of any host and renovator's mettle, revamping a home in 72 hours is nothing to sneeze at, said Jonathan. "It's all hands on deck. It's a tough balance to keep it all moving. And you're not just renovating — you're in front of a camera filming."

Unlike the original House Crashers, Jonathan has free rein to tackle any space of his choosing, from kitchens to backyards, in a single show.

The renovator — who lives on a farm in Massachusetts with his partner, Harley Rodriguez — had to get acclimated to working in Colorado and California, where the show is filmed. The West Coast has major construction differences from Jonathan's usual East Coast stomping grounds, like a lack of basements in California homes.

In a nutshell, Crashers is hard work, but fun work, especially for viewers anxious for another taste of this white-knuckle renovation franchise.

"A usual kitchen renovation is going to take two to three months, and we're doing it in 72 hours. That's where the chaos comes in," said Jonathan.