Christina Haack lent her renovation expertise to the cast of HGTV’s Bachelor Mansion Takeover — without being too harsh in her critiques.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Haack, 42, exclusively told Us Weekly at HGTV’s Bachelor Mansion Makeover event on Thursday, March 12, reflecting on her time as a guest judge on the show. “Pulling up, I noticed the house needed a little bit of TLC on the outside, and then going to the inside, I found I was getting to do the Rose Room, which is definitely the most iconic room, so I was super excited.”
On Bachelor Mansion Takeover, a group of Bachelor Nation alums with renovation and design experience fix up the iconic franchise house room by room while attempting to stay safe from elimination. Haack joined co-judges Tayshia Adams and Tyler Cameron during the Monday, March 9, episode to share her thoughts on the competition.
“The contestants had very limited time, limited budget, so I definitely feel for them, having been on the other side,” Haack said on Thursday. “It’s a lot of pressure, but I think overall, they all did a great job.”
The HGTV mainstay continued, “I think I [tried] to be a very fair judge, having been on the other side and having an understanding of, like, what they’re working with and how low the budgets are, I was trying not to be too critical.”
Haack, Adams, 35, and Cameron, 32, ultimately picked Dean Unglert, Jill Chin and Allyshia Gupta’s new version of the main living area as the episode’s winners. Haack, however, found another design that stood out even more.
“I think, overall, I really like what they did in the candle room,” Haack told Us of Joan Vassos, Courtney Robertson and Sam McKinney’s remodel. “I love the tiles they chose [on the accent wall] and the light colors.”
Outside of her Bachelor Mansion Takeover cameo, Haack is gearing up for a second season of The Flip Off with her ex-husband Tarek El Moussa and his wife, Heather Rae El Moussa.
“It’s been so fun,” Haack teased to Us. “Honestly, filming The Flip Off doesn’t feel like a job, like, we’re literally just laughing the entire time. I feel very lucky to get to do what I love. I think this season is going to be even better than the first one.”
According to Haack, her head-to-head renovation against the El Moussas has been “going good” so far.
“I haven’t seen their house yet,” she added. “We haven’t done any reveals, but so far, so good. Just hoping to win it.”
Bachelor Mansion Takeover airs on HGTV Mondays at 8 p.m. ET and is available to stream the next day on HBO Max.
