‘Totally ’90s House’ Winners Reveal Plans for $22K Prize Money
Transforming homes stuck in the 1990s to give them a modern feel without completely losing the charm of the era is no easy task, but the cast of “Totally ‘90s House” proved it absolutely can be done.
The HGTV competition series, which premiered on Aug. 26, tasked two celebrity teams—stacked with former child stars from iconic 1990s titles—with a series of nostalgic challenges.
Hosted by Jaleel White, 49—whom viewers will recognize as Steve Urkel from “Family Matters”—the show gave the stars an opportunity to put their design skills to the test in hopes of walking away with $22,000 for the charity of their choice.
On the Sept. 30 finale episode, a winning team was selected.
“The ‘Totally ‘90s House’ champion is … Team Mauve!” White announced during the episode.
Team Mauve’s members—Jodie Sweetin, 44, from “Full House”; Brian Austin Green, 53, from “Beverly Hills, 90210”; and Beverly Mitchell, 45, from “7th Heaven”—spent the season renovating a dated McMansion in Mullica Hill, NJ.
They chose to make a donation to Habitat for Humanity, the global nonprofit that helps families access affordable homes.
“We have a huge housing crisis right now and an affordability issue,” Sweetin said in an interview with HGTV. “So whatever we can do to help put roofs over people’s heads and to give them homes and space and dignity for a place to grow their family, then, you know, I loved that we were able to do that.”
Green also weighed in on the significance of the nonprofit’s mission.
“I don’t know if there’s anything more important for a family than home,” he said.
The homeowners Team Mauve worked with, Anna and Nico Vianatos, built their home in 1991, and it’s remained largely unchanged ever since—a detail that Mitchell explained influenced many of the team’s decisions throughout the challenges.
“Knowing they haven’t changed the house in over 30 years gave us some good insight that they likely wouldn’t change it again,” the actress said. “So it was important to go classic and timeless and stay away from trends so the design holds up for another 30 years.”
Sweetin agreed, adding, “We wanted to give them as much of a neutral-like [aesthetic] so that over the years they can change the pattern, change the material. … We tried to keep it very classic.”
The result was a Mediterranean-inspired aesthetic, inspired by the homeowners’ Greek heritage.
“Their heritage played a big part,” Green added. “When we first went in, even though the house was dated, there was a lot of heritage in there. We wanted to make sure, as we redid it, [their heritage] was still represented in very subtle, unique ways.”
Sweetin explained that calming blue color palettes and small details—such as “light fixtures with little olive leaves on them”—helped honor the family’s background while maintaining a look that will hold up nicely over time.
The team also learned that Nico had recently experienced some “serious health issues” and was proud to be able to help the family out in light of their trying times.
“Knowing they’d been through a lot, it felt really nice to be able to give them a new home,” Sweetin said. “We couldn’t stop talking about how sweet and genuine they were.”
Although the team had a few disagreements throughout the design process, the members explained that keeping the homeowners in mind really helped the decision-making process.
“It was never personal. It wasn’t like, ‘This is my choice.’ It was more like, ‘What is the best choice for Anna and Nico?’” Sweetin said.
“I think that made a huge difference, because we were not there fighting each other to get our way. We were there as a team to contribute and see what’s the best we could come up with,” she continued. “We wanted to do our best and do what was best for the homeowners.”
Team Mauve established a genuine connection with the Viantos family, even noting that they have been invited to return to the home to celebrate Greek Easter.
“They roast a goat on a spit and have 70 people in their house,” Sweetin shared. “We want to see this kitchen space in action. So there may be a revisit in our future.”
It sounds as if the ‘90s stars will make an effort to return to the Garden State suburb, with Green confirming, “It was a genuine offer to come back, and it was a genuine acceptance.”
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