To claim the title “Ugliest House in America,” you only need to meet one requirement to win HGTV’s $150,000 makeover — have a really ugly home.
One Michigan home met the criterion during a qualifying episode of the series.
A Jenison, Michigan, home built in 1920 and covered in carpet, was chosen as the ugliest home in the Great Lakes region — over a UFO-shaped house near Lansing and a boat-shaped house near Au Gres — on a recent episode of the HGTV series, and will compete in the finals against four other homes across the country.
The show, in its sixth season, follows comedian Marietta “Retta” Sirleaf as she travels across the country to find the worst designed homes. After establishing the worst home in the country, designer Alison Victoria, provides the homeowners with a $150,000 renovation.
The “Great Lakes, Great Ugly” episode premiered on Monday, June 9, and featured three Michigan homes seeking a chance for a renovation, according to HGTV’s website.
Here’s what to know about the Michigan homes featured on HGTV’s “Ugliest House in America”:
What is HGTV’s “Ugliest House in America”?
The show, in its sixth season, debuted in 2022 and follows Retta as they examine homes in various regions of the country.
She travels across the country to find the worst designed homes, establishing the worst homes for each episode. The finalists then face off and at the end, a designer gives the overall champion homeowners a renovation.
Who does the renovations?
Designer Alison Victoria does the $150,000 renovation, according to HGTV’s website.
When did the Great Lakes episode premiere?
The “Great Lakes, Great Ugly” episode premiered on June 9, and featured three Michigan homes, according to HGTV’s website:
“Three ugly homes in the Great Lakes vie for the chance at a $150,000 makeover by designer Alison Victoria! It’s between a house that looks like a boat, a home with carpet up the walls and a place that looks like a UFO,” the website says.
The episode will appear again at 9 a.m. June 12, 1 p.m. June 15 and 8:30 p.m. June 19.
Where were the Michigan homes located?
The latest episode featured three Michigan homes located in Au Gres, on the northeast coast of Saginaw Bay, Jenison, a Grand Rapids suburb, and outside of Lansing, in mid-Michigan.
UFO home in Clinton County makes an appearance on the show
A UFO-shaped home near Lansing was featured on the show.
The 3,509-square-foot home in DeWitt Township looks like a flying saucer that landed on a hilltop. The two-story property was for sale in 2023, the Lansing State Journal reported.
In 1994, Robert Clark built the house, with an exterior of concrete bricks, a rubber roof and a glass atrium connecting it with a two-car garage. The three-bedroom, three-bathroom house has a round front door, full kitchen, living area and office space on the lower floor.
Jenison home lined with carpet
Properly named the “Carpet Castle,” the Jenison home was built in 1920 and has 7.4 acres of riverfront access.
The 2,727-square-foot property has three bedrooms, one bathroom, and has carpeted floors, walls and ceilings.
The property moved on to the next round and will compete in the finals against other homes across America for the title of ugliest home.
Ready to ride the waves in Au Gres
The third competitor from Michigan is a home called the SS Huronia on Point Lookout, along the shore of Saginaw Bay, that is built like a boat.
The house, painted white, looks like it could slide down to the beach and sail away.
Realtor.com says the home was built in 1936 and includes five bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a roof deck and is 2,199 square feet. The house was listed for sale in 2021 for $750,000.
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lansing-area ‘UFO’ house competes on ‘Ugliest House in America.’ How it fared
Reporting by Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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