Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson Give Back to Clark Atlanta University With a Special Renovation

The Married to Real Estate hosts had nine weeks to renovate a men’s college basketball lounge before the start of the season. Here’s a play-by-play on how it all went down.

Egypt and Mike shoot around at Clark Atlanta University.

Egypt and Mike shoot around at Clark Atlanta University.

When Coach Alfred Jordan, head of men's basketball at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, reached out to his friend, Married to Real Estate co-host Mike Jackson, for help renovating CAU's players lounge, he was all in. However, when he told his wife and co-host Egypt Sherrod what their next project would involve, she reacted with some hesitation. “We’ve never made over a men’s gym area before!” she said. But Mike’s excitement quickly pulled Egypt on board: It was game on!

Coach Jordan emphasizes the “student” in “student athlete,” and he's always dreamed of having a space for his players to study and relax. When the school received a generous $100,000 donation for creating a lounge area next to the gym, that dream became a reality.

Renovating the Locker Room

Egypt and Mike wanted to create a cozy, inspirational hangout space that feels like a home away from home for the players. The project’s must-haves included a lounge, recreation and study space. Egypt joked she wanted to give the space a feminine touch saying, “If this were a girl’s locker room, we’d have painted or wallpapered the cinder block!” They ultimately went for a warmed-up industrial vibe, which features mood lighting and a brick wall. The new, dedicated study station has lots of outlets for laptop charging, while the lounge area boasts comfy seating and a flat screen. The final touch: a dry bar for storing drinks and snacks.

Egypt found a local muralist to paint the walls with quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr. and Andrew Young.

Egypt found a local muralist to paint the walls with quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr. and Andrew Young.

Plenty of snacks await the players in the new team room.

Plenty of snacks await the players in the new team room.

It’s no secret colleges have to compete to attract top athletes, many offering special amenities such as massage and game rooms to set themselves apart. So in addition to the other spaces, Coach Al suggested something unique: a two-seat barber shop. “This project was a lot of firsts,” says Egypt. “Renovating a men’s gym area and creating a barber shop.”

Egypt and Mike's sleek barber shop design.

Egypt and Mike's sleek barber shop design.

Because CAU is a historically Black college, Egypt wanted to include some inspirational quotes from prominent Black leaders. She engaged a local muralist to paint the walls with quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. and Andrew Young, “People who have meant a lot to the city of Atlanta,” she says.

In the end, the renovation was a slam dunk; it went above and beyond Coach Al's expectations. “I can’t believe this is the same space,” he said during the reveal. “Egypt and Mike have given everything a whole new feel that will take us into the next era. Hopefully we’ll be adding trophies and some celebratory cut down nets to the decor.”

Stream the full episode, Education in Design (Season 3, episode 8) on Max. Season 3 of Married to Real Estate airs on Thursday nights at 9|8c on HGTV (and will be available to stream starting the same day and time on Max).

Next Up

Top Nashville-Based Makers

Music City isn’t just full of singers, songwriters and musicians. Creativity reigns supreme in this southern city, and we’ve found some incredible local Nashville creators on Etsy.

Interview: Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent Discuss Living Beautifully

In Down to Design, our editors delve into the creative minds of HGTV designers. Here, Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent of The Nate and Jeremiah Home Project open up about finding inspiration and designing with emotion.

Miami-Based Design Couple Competes For Clients in HGTV's New Show 'Divided by Design'

Fabulous home renovations come to life in Season 1 of Divided by Design, starring dueling designer couple Ray and Eilyn Jimenez. We have all the details.

HGTV Announces Season 2 of 'Build It Forward' — a Home Renovation Series in Collaboration With Lowe's

HGTV is once again teaming up with Lowe's for Season 2 of Build It Forward, a series that celebrates Lowe's generous initiative to give back to deserving organizations and individuals in communities all across the country.

'Flip to a Million' — HGTV's Bold New Real Estate Experiment

HGTV's new series, premiering August 1, 2022, follows two separate couples — all experienced real-estate pros — as they strategize to turn a thousand-dollar start into a million-dollar home sale in just six months.

Good Vibes Are in Abundance on HGTV's 'Good Bones'

A few observations about why viewers are falling head-over-heels for HGTV's new home renovation series Good Bones, now shooting its second season.

Drew And Jonathan Scott Return for Season 7 of 'Property Brothers: Forever Home'

Home renovation stars Drew and Jonathan Scott return for a fresh season of their popular HGTV series, Property Brothers: Forever Home, filmed in their newly adopted hometown of Los Angeles.

HGTV's Sunny New Show 'Renovation Aloha' Features Stunning Hawaiian Home Renovations

Hawaii's most rundown properties get a new life in HGTV's Renovation Aloha. HGTV has all the details.

New Series Featuring 'Australia’s Thunder From Down Under' Stars Comes to HGTV

These steamy construction gurus are ready to 'Flip the Strip.' Here's what you need to know.

Cristy Lee Opens Up About Filming Season 1 of ‘Steal This House’

The auto-guru-turned-HGTV-host gives a behind-the-scenes look at what it was like filming for Steal This House.

On TV

Follow Us Everywhere

Join the party! Don't miss HGTV in your favorite social media feeds.

Luxury Home Giveaways

HGTV Smart Home

A sophisticated Southwestern home in Santa Fe, New Mexico

HGTV Dream Home

A modern mountain getaway in Morrison, Colorado

HGTV Urban Oasis

A Southern-inspired escape in Louisville, Kentucky

");else if(O._boomrl=function(){t()},O.addEventListener)O.addEventListener("load",O._boomrl,!1);else if(O.attachEvent)O.attachEvent("onload",O._boomrl);d.close()}function a(e){window.BOOMR_onload=e&&e.timeStamp||(new Date).getTime()}if(!window.BOOMR||!window.BOOMR.version&&!window.BOOMR.snippetExecuted){window.BOOMR=window.BOOMR||{},window.BOOMR.snippetStart=(new Date).getTime(),window.BOOMR.snippetExecuted=!0,window.BOOMR.snippetVersion=12,window.BOOMR.url=n+"8EPG2-ZMPCJ-ZGCJ2-DKX4G-MJFB6";var i=document.currentScript||document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0],o=!1,r=document.createElement("link");if(r.relList&&"function"==typeof r.relList.supports&&r.relList.supports("preload")&&"as"in r)window.BOOMR.snippetMethod="p",r.href=window.BOOMR.url,r.rel="preload",r.as="script",r.addEventListener("load",e),r.addEventListener("error",function(){t(!0)}),setTimeout(function(){if(!o)t(!0)},3e3),BOOMR_lstart=(new Date).getTime(),i.parentNode.appendChild(r);else t(!1);if(window.addEventListener)window.addEventListener("load",a,!1);else if(window.attachEvent)window.attachEvent("onload",a)}}(),"".length>0)if(e&&"performance"in e&&e.performance&&"function"==typeof e.performance.setResourceTimingBufferSize)e.performance.setResourceTimingBufferSize();!function(){if(BOOMR=e.BOOMR||{},BOOMR.plugins=BOOMR.plugins||{},!BOOMR.plugins.AK){var n="true"=="true"?1:0,t="cookiepresent",a="ejqjekdw24ejkzs63vta-f-1d5cf39a9-clientnsv4-s.akamaihd.net",i="false"=="true"?2:1,o={"ak.v":"37","ak.cp":"332782","ak.ai":parseInt("348030",10),"ak.ol":"0","ak.cr":3,"ak.ipv":4,"ak.proto":"http/1.1","ak.rid":"5ebca68","ak.r":33991,"ak.a2":n,"ak.m":"g","ak.n":"essl","ak.bpcip":"34.96.146.0","ak.cport":53634,"ak.gh":"104.115.38.148","ak.quicv":"","ak.tlsv":"tls1.2","ak.0rtt":"","ak.csrc":"-","ak.acc":"reno","ak.t":"1717493094","ak.ak":"hOBiQwZUYzCg5VSAfCLimQ==5AJY3Odjx4DNZ4JCj4mxTqaArVuK4+f+6yKa+nSKWMY7X8+16rw+vTkxFz2voWYzZ6uHQefguZjck8gac77fGh2doIdYwL5f5Bcwj3+XCrSrc5kWW8T7sIqZkW4uNy27FZYEZhekvCZcWQCcUzlFGUfOdGbnNMUGiBAg2vehlEDm6EkhW2ag/dgvsS+FRrgTmVCKngi1dOACTo1OKiNb/Nlmuip3AgzeE++yEJQMi4a7m58fGmRY9YLeJChVgkngnCSlNHNg53iDGFQAgBfdyI0X3uS+akl4eZ/6CYa2m+mL3sv+ASwnVxdD3BvQKeU5k40mBgMG6wtaOiA/ywqVkc+R+ZoCYTaJ6pvW7V3kxPzWMPcVk85dop8WVKTA4zLr/vTN0y8fp6xRjBvRFgeN7j/wL3VgjxFobkCo7od7nX8=","ak.pv":"267","ak.dpoabenc":"","ak.tf":i};if(""!==t)o["ak.ruds"]=t;var r={i:!1,av:function(n){var t="http.initiator";if(n&&(!n[t]||"spa_hard"===n[t]))o["ak.feo"]=void 0!==e.aFeoApplied?1:0,BOOMR.addVar(o)},rv:function(){var e=["ak.bpcip","ak.cport","ak.cr","ak.csrc","ak.gh","ak.ipv","https://www.hgtv.com/shows/married-to-real-estate/articles/ak.m","ak.n","ak.ol","ak.proto","ak.quicv","ak.tlsv","ak.0rtt","ak.r","ak.acc","https://www.hgtv.com/shows/married-to-real-estate/articles/ak.t","ak.tf"];BOOMR.removeVar(e)}};BOOMR.plugins.AK={akVars:o,akDNSPreFetchDomain:a,init:function(){if(!r.i){var e=BOOMR.subscribe;e("before_beacon",r.av,null,null),e("onbeacon",r.rv,null,null),r.i=!0}return this},is_complete:function(){return!0}}}}()}(window);

Operands are not of the same type: comparison is supported for Number types only.

Cannot serve request to /content/hgtv-com/en/shows/on-tv/m/married-to-real-estate/articles/egypt-sherrod-and-mike-jackson-give-back-to-atlanta.html on this server


ApacheSling/2.7 (jetty/9.4.42.v20210604, Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM 1.8.0_351, Linux 5.10.173-154.642.amzn2.x86_64 amd64)