Dream Home: meet the cast

On Seven’s new Dream Home, teams will design and rebuild each other’s outdated and dilapidated homes.

Following renovations in each state, the top three placing couples will have their backyards completely made over.

All couples will receive the gift of a lifetime with their newly renovated homes. The winning couple will also receive a cash prize of $100,000 to help with their mortgage.

“In real estate terms, my own skills are a renovator’s delight, in need of a serious makeover,” confesses Dr Chris.

“I’ve somehow lived through two renovations and seen both of them blow out on time and budget; mostly because of my questionable decisions.”

“I genuinely feel like I can relate to what our couples are experiencing – possibly more than they’ll ever know.”

L to R: Dr. Chris Brown, Rosie Morley, Simon Cohen, Lana Taylor.

Judges:

Rosie Morley
(Selling in the City)

“Designing a home is a true responsibility to elevate the everyday life of the homeowner. It is about translating the lives of the owners and imbuing this into their environment,” says Rosie.

With more than 20 years of experience in Australia and the UK, Rosie is a passionate interior designer and design communicator who has worked on major national and international projects in the hospitality, commercial and residential sectors. A Principal at design studio Hassell, Rosie is active in the design community and a regular speaker, panellist, and jury member at industry events and awards. She also mentors and tutors design students at RMIT University in Melbourne.

Simon Cohen
(Luxe Listings Sydney)

“The stakes are high in any competition, but when it comes to your own home, the
sky’s the limit. These renovations will be incredible and absolutely life-changing.”

Simon Cohen is a buyer’s agent and co-founder of Cohen Handler, the largest property buyer’s agency in Australia with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. At the start of 2021, Simon co-founded Costi Cohen, Australia’s first commercial buyers’ agency. As the highest-grossing buyer’s agent in Australia, Simon prides himself on making the process of buying a property one that is simple, fun and rewarding for the buyer.

Lana Taylor

“Knowledge is power, and I think people underestimate just how many decisions they’re going to have to make,” says Lana, whose top tip for conquering any reno is to plan, make a vision board and stick to it.

Lana Taylor is a co-owner and director of Three Birds Renovations, the famous mums-next-door platform empowering women across Australia to create their dream homes through renovating and styling. Since flipping their first home almost a decade ago, Three Birds has made its mark on the industry, generating a cult-like following for its fresh and aspirational home aesthetic.

Brad & Mel
Victoria
Brad and Mel live in Melbourne with their four children: Bennett, 18; Spencer, 16; Maya, 14; and Ginger, 12. Their family is bursting with love, but their home, an untouched “1920s Edwardian old girl”, is bursting at the seams and in desperate need of an upgrade. The family of six takes up every inch of their three-bedroom Northcote home and shares one bathroom. Brad and Mel’s bedroom is the dining room, and no wall separates them from the constant hive of activity. They want their home to be a place of love, harmony and laughter, a place where their children are excited and proud to bring friends. Mel works as a shopping centre delivery manager, while Brad is an accomplished songwriter and musician, gaining fame in the 90s with his band CDB and their many hits, including Let’s Groove.

Taeler & Elle
Victoria
Victorian sisters Taeler and Elle enter the competition with an upper hand. Taeler is a graduate of architecture and a professional house flipper: an advantage they plan to use at every opportunity. HR Advisor Elle and her boyfriend, Brody, purchased purchased the Watsonia North house in 2022, and it remains in its original state. The pair agree Taelar is the visionary and Elle is happy taking the back seat to let her sister’s creative side shine through. Taeler jokes her little sister can struggle to decide, sometimes unable to visualise the elusive final result. For Taeler, it’s where she thrives. The sisters are incredibly close, talking on the phone multiple times a day. They dream of Elle’s new home, which would have a modern 70s aesthetic with rich tones and bold gestures. They want to focus on natural materials, textures and tones; a far cry from the current solid brick, shag carpet, traditional 1960s merchant builder home which currently stands. The duo hopes to see an entertaining space off the kitchen and living area and envision a backyard with a veggie patch, bonfire, and plenty of grass for Elle and Brody’s beloved golden retriever, Bambi.

Hannah & Johnny
Queensland
New parents Hannah & Johnny are putting everything on the line for their dream home, already juggling 10-month-old twins Goldie and Theodore. After falling in love with their Coorparoo home’s inner city urban location, the pair worked hard on DIY projects to upgrade the tired 1950s weatherboard property. But then came the twins, and they’re now in desperate need of more space for their family of four. The home is cramped and rundown, and with the twins about to start walking, the family needs to make changes. Sacrificing precious time with their babies, Hannah, who works in digital marketing and Jonny, a DJ and event emcee, know they are taking a huge leap of faith to give their family the dream home they would never be able to afford themselves. The pair love their home’s character but dream of an open-plan kitchen and dining space downstairs and a parent’s retreat upstairs. They love colour and hope their fun personalities are represented in their home. Their number one goal is to create a home that will grow with their family over the years.

Rhys & Liam
Queensland
Queensland tradie brothers Rhys and Liam land in the competition as a pair to watch. With successful businesses at home as a tiler and carpenter respectively, they are highly competitive and know how to renovate. Describing their style as Scandinavian and Mediterranean coastal, the pair love to instil simple wow factors in a new design and dream of creating a home for entertaining family and friends. For many years Liam has helped his older brother renovate his own home, and both agree it’s now Liam’s turn. Rhys is desperate to see Liam’s dated 1970s Deception Bay home completely transformed. Rhys is leaving everything behind, joining the competition and hitting the road just months after the birth of his second child, a son Bowie, with partner Cassandra. Also leaving behind daughter Isla, three, Rhys is making the ultimate sacrifice to give his brother his dream home. The brothers dream of creating an entertainment paradise for Liam, his partner Shennyn and daughter Remi, one, complete with a pool and a firepit.

Jacinta & Jordan
NSW
Communication is key for Sydney couple Jacinta and Jordan, and they laugh as that means just one thing: the wife talks, and the husband listens. An accountant by day, Jordan is cool, calm and collected and will be keeping a close eye on the budget during the competition. Jacinta says she’s the complete opposite. Loud, bubbly and assertive, she’ll call a spade a spade as she brings her big design ideas to life and won’t take no for an answer. The pair share a wicked sense of humour, aren’t afraid of hard work, and are determined to show the judges they have what it takes to win the competition. Jordan and Jacinta’s suburban Punchbowl home is in dire need of work. Completely rundown, the couple and their young daughters Amelia, five, and Olivia, two, have been forced to live in Jacinta’s grandparents’ single-bedroom granny flat to save money for renovations. Jacinta and Jordan dream of creating a new space with wooden floors, crisp white walls and herringbone bathroom tiles. They want to see their daughters in their own bedrooms, with space to play and entertain their family and friends.

Lara & Peter
NSW
For Sydney couple Lara and Peter, family is everything. Describing themselves as a typical fiery Italian and an Aussie bogan, this loveable pair are putting it all on the line to turn their 1960s red brick home into their dream home. Lara is a wedding florist and Peter is an electrician. Both often work seven days a week to get by. They have sacrificed precious family time with their children Leo, 10, and Mia, seven, in a bid to keep their heads above water. But the dream of renovating feels like it’s slipping away due to rising interest rates and building costs. Both are extremely competitive; Lara jokes that her main form of communication is yelling, but the loved-up pair are best mates and intend to stop at nothing to take out the top prize. Lara and Peter dream of transforming their tired, dull and dated Belrose family home. They love a coastal and Mediterranean vibe, and aspire to a home featuring light timbers, greenery and lots of fresh white walls. They are desperate to create an open-plan space with a large kitchen to entertain family and friends.

Produced by Endemol Shine Australia.

Premieres 7pm Sunday May 26 on Seven.