Before interviewing Sam and Sean Kilgore, I had never seen one episode of Battle on the Beach. I knew that I would need to see it before writing this article, but I’m glad that I waited until after our interview.
Because when I finally sat down to binge it, I felt like I was cheering on two friends.
Sam and Sean are easy to love. They are proud new parents to an adorable baby boy, humble about their many talents, and completely in love with one another.
The Richmond couple were recently crowned the winners of HGTV’s Battle on the Beach Season 4. They were also mentored by HGTV star Taniya Nayak from Build it Forward.
The home they designed on the show is a cozy, dreamy beach cottage that incorporates natural elements inspired by its beachfront North Carolina location. For example, the fireplace is composed of seashells that Sean and Sam collected in the evenings after “work.”
The home that they designed looks like it came to life from the pages of Coastal Living magazine, which is pretty remarkable considering that these two have only one home renovation under their belt—their own (a farmhouse in Metro Detroit)!
Even more remarkable was that they had a newborn baby at home while they were competing on the show! I could barely get the dishes done or put a decent meal on the table when our oldest was five months old. These two renovated an entire home and won some money along the way! Now that is some Metro Detroit grit if I’ve ever seen it.
Q&A with Sam and Sean Kilgore
How did you two meet?
Sam: So we met while working together at a roofing company. I was doing graphic design, and Sean worked on project management and sales. Yeah, he still works there; I do not. But yeah, I met him at work, and we secretly dated for a year! And eventually, everybody found out. And we’ve been together… Gosh, ten and a half years now. So, for a hot minute.
Tell me about your family.
Sean: We got Leighton, who is ten months old. He’s a cute little boy. And we got a cat named Atlas… and about 30 chickens.
Describe HGTV’s Battle on the Beach.
Sam: The premise of the show is basically each week you renovate a different room. So the first week is the kitchen, then the second week is the main suite, and you have a week to basically redo it head to toe. There are three teams competing, and then whoever raises the home value the most at the end for their individual house wins $50,000.
How did you end up on the show?
Sam: So we had a mutual connection who said you guys would be great for this…
Sean: And we’ve watched the show in the past, and everybody on it has had about thirty home renovations under their belt or a hundred home renovations… and we have one, so we were pretty surprised when they picked us, to be honest.
What did you learn about yourselves while filming Battle on the Beach?
Sam: I found out that Sean is a lot more patient than he used to be. I don’t know if that comes from having a kid. We never sleep anymore. So we’re just used to running on low fuel all the time, and it seems to work for us. We definitely have different ways of just processing and approaching projects in general. So it’s kind of cool that Sean’s brain works one way and mine works the complete opposite way. It’s a really good balance because we kind of fill in the cracks for each other.
Sean: I mean, I knew my wife didn’t like losing, so it was amazing to see just how much emotion she put into a project when it was go time. We were down there to work, and that was all we did. So it was just kind of cool to see that when she puts her heart and soul into something, there’s nothing that will stop her. And that was something I really enjoyed and learned about her.
What is one thing that a home needs in order to feel like a home?
Samantha: I would say it’s almost like a feeling that you get when you walk in. I don’t think it’s one inanimate object that makes a home — like a beautiful oven or a farmhouse sink- nothing like that. It’s really just that if you can design a home in a way that gives you a feeling that you want to stay. And you want to kick off your shoes and maybe have a glass of wine or two while you’re there. That is kind of what we keep in mind to make a home feel like a home and not just another house. And not just a quick renovation project. We kind of do that with lots of textures, different materials… natural materials, like stone. It’s all of that… just so in the end, it has that kind of cozy, homey vibe to it.
Fast Talk with Sam and Sean Kilgore
Your favorite word:
Sam: Layton, that’s our son. (Top that, Sean.)
Sean: It’s probably babe… because I say babe a lot.
Your favorite place to vacation with the family:
Sam: Warm.
Sean: Up north.
Your favorite tv series:
Sam: Sports.
Sean: Peaky Blinders.
One word you would use to describe your partner:
Sam: Funny.
Sean: Badass.
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