Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas have returned for a shot at redemption. The stars of Bargain Block are bringing their Detroit-style ingenuity to Season 5 of Rock the Block in Treasure Island, Florida. Keith, a designer and home renovation expert, and Evan, a builder and carpenter, will transform a blank-slate new build into a move-in-ready gem by the sea. In their last Rock the Block appearance — Season 3 in Charleston, South Carolina — the talented duo didn’t clinch a single weekly win. And this time, they're up against three other teams who left the block without a crown: Renovation Island’s Sarah and Bryan Baeumler (Season 4); Fix My Flip's Page Turner and Mitch Glew (Season 4); and Unsellable Houses's Leslie Davis and Lyndsay Lamb (Season 3). “We plan to make sure we impress the judges and win all of it,” Keith said. “Our design ability and aesthetic has evolved a lot since last time we were here.”

This year, teams are imparting their signature style on the show’s first-ever coastal homes: 3,600-square-foot properties that overlook a pool, dock and the beautiful Boca Ciega Bay. In another first for Rock the Block, the $1.7 million homes are attached — so, Keith and Evan must collaborate with next-door neighbors Page Turner and Mitch Glew (Fix My Flip) on the exterior aesthetic. Each week, teams will design and build a different zone in the house and be judged by fellow HGTV stars. Keith and Evan have six weeks and $250,000 to create a waterfront paradise that wows.

During week one, teams tackled the kitchen and dining room and started on their exterior design choices. In yet another twist, the main floor had no internal walls, which meant Keith and Evan had total control of the positioning of the kitchen and dining room. “It’s going to be tricky to figure out where to put everything, because there is literally no starting point,” Keith said. “This will actually showcase who is the best planner when it comes to spaces.”

The duo decided to create intimacy in the sprawling space with smaller, defined rooms. They added architecturally interesting doorway arches and a ceiling treatment. “We’ll turn a cavernous space into a cozy space,” Evan said. As for their palette, “I think our biggest failure in the kitchen last time was that our color choices were a bit too specific,” Keith said. In this “organic modern” kitchen, the duo leaned into a neutral colorway for universal appeal and added intrigue with eye-catching quartz countertops, a sleek stucco hood and a graphite-hued range. Brass hardware adds drama, as do floating shelves that front the expansive backsplash slab.