“We Always Go Toe‑to‑Toe”: Scott McGillivray on Renovation Resort Season 3
Scott McGillivray knows a thing or two about high‑stakes renovations, and he’s not slowing down anytime soon. Back in the judge’s seat alongside longtime frenemy Bryan Baeumler, he returns for a new season of Renovation Resort. We caught up with Scott to talk new twists, standout moments and what makes this season a must‑watch.
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Related: Watch and Win Big with Renovation Resort (Giveaway)
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What to expect
With yet another new season in the books, there’s always new moments from the highlight reel to tease us with. This season was no different, so we had to ask what those might be. “We’ve got an incredible location, Bryan and I are back again, there’s a couple of twists this year though. Some new prizing, which is a bit of a spoiler alert, new challenges that we’ve never done on the show before. We had such an opportunity to get into different elements on this property.”
Being back with Bryan
As much as the filming of Renovation Resort is for viewers’ enjoyment, Scott and Bryan always seem to have a blast themselves. We wanted to know what fun and trouble, the two got into this time around. “Bryan and I go head-to-head. You’ll see in every episode, Bryan and I have our own side. Whether it’s something we’ve done, traditionally fishing or building something, he and I always go toe-to-toe. I try to remind viewers who the real boss of building is.” Bold words, and all the more reason to tune in and find out if he lives up to his word.
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New tricks
In the renovation game there are always new techniques and tricks. Getting to sit back as a judge and see newcomers taking on a project, we wanted to know if there were any he’d seen this time around. “This industry is always evolving. What’s great is we have competitors coming in with fresh ideas, coming from different locations, who are exposed to different design ideas and construction materials. So, we really worked with a lot of new products this year I would say.”
What we don’t get to see
Taking on massive projects like renovations are lengthy processes. It makes sense that a lot of that wouldn’t make it into an episode. So, we asked if there were any parts of the process that don’t make the show. “Typically, we have a certain amount of time from when we acquire the property to when the competitors arrive. This year, everything happened almost in real time. The property was acquired, then the day after possession we started tearing down cabins. So, there was no behind the scenes preparation.”
Guest judges
One of the many perks of judging, aside from not having to do the hand-on work, is the guest judges. Each week Scott and Bryan get to invite some of their favorite people to help them deliberate. We asked who Scott’s dream guest judges are. “There’s certain people that Bryan and I always bring back, like our wives, because we have to.” Smart man. “We have no choice, they will be the first guest judges every time. Then we call on some of our friends from the home renovation world to bring in different perspectives, whether it’s folks from the states or other friendlies from Home Network. It’s always nice to bring in our peers to make sure that we get a third opinion. Because between Bryan and I, we’re always going to be opposite. So, we need a tiebreaker.”
Related: Catching up with Kortney and Kenny
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New inspirations
With so much time spent renovating other peoples’ spaces, we wanted to know if Scott ever sees a design choice and wants that for his own space. “What’s great is that, because these are vacation properties, there’s an opportunity to go kind of extreme on the theme, right? If these were residential homes, you want to keep things a little more mass appeal. This year, we had a Japanese-inspired vacation property. I’ve never done that before. That was pretty cool.”
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Difficult designs
When designing a space, it’s easy to get ambitious, especially on a reduced timeline. We wanted to know if there were any features Scott loved, but where the juice wasn’t always worth the squeeze. “I don’t think that there’s anything in this competition that’s off-limits. Everything that they put their time and energy into has a payoff. Anything you can do to differentiate your property when it comes to vacation rentals, it’s typically worth it because it’s a marketing angle.”
Dream location
Lastly, since Scott has started to take after Bryan by working in new and beautiful locations, we had to ask if there were any countries he’d like to do some renovations of his own in. “I’ve done renovations in Canada, the United States and in the Caribbean. Costa Rica would be nice.” You heard it here first: Scott Goes Tropical. “Maybe that’s where next season will be.”
Catch Scott every Sunday on Renovation Resort at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Home Network, also streaming on STACKTV. Try it free today!
Watch the season 3 trailer
Read more: Where is Renovation Resort Filmed?
