Reno vs Relocate

Reno vs Relocate is a new show set to air this fall on Discoery Fit & Health and pits a home designer against a realtor in an effort to convince flustered homeowners to either renovate their existing home to make it more sensible or completely move out and into a new one. The premise is interesting and also a little overwhelming as these are not simple decisions that are to be made lightly.

The premiere episode is titled In-Law in the House and finds a family of four living in a house that becomes too cramped when the mother-in-law moves in with them. Robin Lewis is the designer of the show and it’s his job to convince the family that renovating the kitchen and living room is the best course of action. Meanwhile, realtor Vanessa Roman believes that they should ditch the renovation completely and move into a new and bigger home.

The show feels like a competition between the two hosts more so than finding a sensible solution to a family’s problem. There’s plenty of back and forth between Robin Lewis and Vanessa Roman, and Vanessa seems to dominate every conversation. Her viewpoint of relocating also has the advantage of being able to physically show a different home, whereas Robin is stuck with computer visualizations of what the renovation will look like if they decide to go that route.

Reno vs Relocate is an interesting show that has a few problems, but it’s one that I’m willing to give a chance for at least a few more episodes. You get to see the results of the family’s decision to renovate or relocate and since Vanessa is a relator, she also re-evaluates the home to see if their decision was a good investment or not. I suppose time will tell whether the show will be the same.