I loved the array of houses here. Not many were "ugly," but rather thematic or unique - making for a fun walkthrough of nontraditional houses and aesthetics. The host and the designer are fun and enthusiastic, with Retta's facial expressions being top-notch on numerous occasions. The editing is also enjoyable, offering both facts/tidbits and sass (such as the counters for various features and reactions).
But I think it leans into the "ugly" bashing a bit too hard considering the houses in question. This show's definition of ugly seems to take on the broader meaning of "in need of updating and improving function." I'm not personally a fan of the designer (her style isn't my sort of thing, and I feel like she leans too hard into making everything have one style throughout the finished product), but the end results are typically quite pretty. Although, with that in mind, I can't help but wonder if some of the final choices were made according to who was open to letting the designer run with her preferences. Perhaps we would have seen more houses or more ugly winners (pointed look at season 2 in particular) if each season had a different designer.
But I think it leans into the "ugly" bashing a bit too hard considering the houses in question. This show's definition of ugly seems to take on the broader meaning of "in need of updating and improving function." I'm not personally a fan of the designer (her style isn't my sort of thing, and I feel like she leans too hard into making everything have one style throughout the finished product), but the end results are typically quite pretty. Although, with that in mind, I can't help but wonder if some of the final choices were made according to who was open to letting the designer run with her preferences. Perhaps we would have seen more houses or more ugly winners (pointed look at season 2 in particular) if each season had a different designer.