Renovation Resort Showdown Season 3 premieres Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV.
The eight-episode season brings back HGTV stars Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler, four new build-and-design teams from across North America, and the biggest prize structure in the show’s history. Here is everything you need to know before the premiere.
The series has aired in Canada as Renovation Resort on the Home channel and StackTV, and is now reaching its full US audience on HGTV for Season 3. Same hosts, same Kawartha Lakes resort, same $100,000 competition. If you’ve caught clips online and wondered when it was coming stateside, July 1 is your answer.
What Is Renovation Resort Showdown?
Renovation Resort Showdown is an HGTV competition series where four contractor-and-designer duos race to transform a long-neglected lakeside resort into a world-class vacation destination. Each team gets eight weeks and a $150,000 budget. At the end of the season, one team wins $100,000.
What sets it apart from other renovation competition shows is the setting. The cabins being renovated are real vacation rental properties on a working resort in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario, Canada. When filming wraps, the properties become bookable stays for real travelers.
The show drew over 13.3 million viewers across linear and streaming in its last run, making it one of HGTV’s most-watched summer series.
Scott McGillivray Is Back for Season 3
Scott McGillivray returns as co-host and judge for Season 3. McGillivray is one of HGTV’s most recognized faces, known for his work on Rock the Block, Vacation House Rules, and now Renovation Resort Showdown. As a real estate investor with a portfolio of vacation properties across Ontario, McGillivray brings hands-on expertise to every judging decision on the show.
Off-screen, McGillivray is, amongst many other things, a co-founder of Stay, a no-fee vacation rental marketplace built on the belief that travelers should book direct with professional hosts rather than pay the 15% platform fees charged by platforms like Airbnb. The real resort properties from the show are listed on Stay.
Bryan Baeumler Returns as Co-Host
Bryan Baeumler is back alongside McGillivray for Season 3. Baeumler, known for Renovation Island and Island of Bryan, brings a builder’s eye to the competition and has developed a well-documented on-screen rivalry with McGillivray that drives much of the show’s drama.
The two disagree often, judge hard, and push teams to produce work that holds up as actual vacation rental real estate, not just television-ready renovations.
When Does Renovation Resort Showdown Season 3 Premiere?
Season 3 premieres on Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV. Eight episodes air weekly through late summer. Each new episode streams the following day on HBO Max.
This is the first time Renovation Resort Showdown has launched on July 1, putting it squarely in HGTV’s summer premiere lineup alongside new series Worst Yard on the Block and the returning Ugliest House in America.
What’s New in Renovation Resort Showdown Season 3?
Season 3 is the most competitive format the show has run. In addition to the $100,000 grand prize awarded at the end of the season, Scott and Bryan are giving out additional cash and prizes to weekly challenge winners throughout the season, the most money on the line in the show’s history.
In the premiere episode, teams select their cabin’s exterior finishes and are paired together to design the outdoor communal spaces on both the land and the lake. The collaborative pairing in episode one adds a layer of strategy that carries consequences as the individual competition resumes.
Who Are the Season 3 Teams of Renovation Resort Showdown?
Four build-and-design duos representing four cities across North America compete this season:
Chalon and Liz — Friends from Dallas, Texas
Marcy and Melissa — Sisters from Niagara, Ontario
Tatianna and Thomas — Creative collaborators from Vancouver, British Columbia
Taylor and Mehrdad — Entrepreneurs and friends from Vancouver, British Columbia
Renovation Resort Showdown Filming Location
The show is filmed at a lakeside resort in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario, Canada, a stretch of cottage country northeast of Toronto known for its clear lakes, forested shorelines, and classic Ontario resort properties. The Kawartha Lakes location has been the show’s setting since Season 1.
The resort’s four cabins are the competition spaces. Each team is assigned one cabin and renovates it room by room throughout the season. The finished properties are real vacation rentals available to book through Stay.
Where to Watch Renovation Resort Showdown Season 3
On TV: HGTV, Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT starting July 1, 2026
Next-day streaming: HBO Max
Live TV streaming: Philo, DirecTV Stream, YouTube TV, Discovery+
Book a Stay at the Real Renovation Resort Properties
The cabins on Renovation Resort Showdown are not sets. They are professionally managed vacation rentals that travelers can actually book. Scott McGillivray co-founded Stay specifically to give travelers a way to book directly with professional hosts and skip the service fees that platforms like Airbnb charge.
If you want to stay at the Kawartha Lakes resort from the show, Stay is where you book it. No service fees. No 15% added at checkout. Just a direct booking with the host.
Renovation Resort Showdown Season 3 FAQ
When does Renovation Resort Showdown Season 3 start?
Season 3 premieres Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV.
How many episodes are in Renovation Resort Showdown Season 3?
Eight episodes, airing weekly on HGTV through late summer 2026.
Where can I watch Renovation Resort Showdown Season 3?
Live on HGTV at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Wednesdays. New episodes stream on HBO Max the following day. Live TV streaming is available on Philo, DirecTV Stream, YouTube TV, and Discovery+.
Who hosts Renovation Resort Showdown?
Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler co-host and judge all three seasons of the show.
Where is Renovation Resort Showdown filmed?
The Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario, Canada.
Is Renovation Resort Showdown on HGTV or Discovery+?
It airs live on HGTV. It is also available on Discovery+ and streams next-day on HBO Max.
Who are the teams on Renovation Resort Showdown Season 3?
Chalon and Liz (Dallas TX), Marcy and Melissa (Niagara ON), Tatianna and Thomas (Vancouver BC), and Taylor and Mehrdad (Vancouver BC).
Can you book a stay at the Renovation Resort Showdown properties?
Yes. The renovated cabins are real vacation rentals. Visit staywithstay.com to browse and book. You can also book the cabins from the previous season, visit Scott’s host profile on Stay to find all his available properties.
How much is the prize on Renovation Resort Showdown Season 3?
$100,000 grand prize, plus an additional weekly challenge prizes throughout the season.
What channel is Renovation Resort Showdown on?
HGTV. Season 3 airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT starting July 1, 2026.
Is Renovation Resort Showdown a new show or a returning series?
It is a returning series. Season 1 premiered on HGTV in July 2023, Season 2 aired in summer 2025, and Season 3 premieres July 1, 2026. The show has also aired in Canada under the name Renovation Resort since Season 1.
Who won Renovation Resort Showdown?
Season 1 was won by Rotem and Troy, a Toronto-based married couple whose Mediterranean-themed cabin beat out three other teams.
Season 2 was won by Graham and Hollie Laird, a father-daughter duo from Orangeville, Ontario, whose homestead heritage vacation home took home the $100,000 grand prize. Season 3 premieres July 1, 2026 in the US, the winner will be crowned in the season finale.
Is Renovation Resort Showdown scripted?
No. The competition is real. Teams work with genuine $150,000 budgets, face real construction deadlines, and are judged on actual build quality, functionality, and design. Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler make judging decisions based on the finished spaces, not a script.
How can I be on Renovation Resort Showdown?
Casting for future seasons is handled through HGTV. Visit hgtv.com for casting information and open calls.
What happened to Renovation Resort Showdown?
Nothing, it’s back. After Season 2 aired in summer 2025, HGTV renewed the show for Season 3, which premieres July 1, 2026. It is one of HGTV’s most-watched summer competition series and has been renewed each year since its 2023 debut.