Chicago Rogers Park’s Candyland House Lands on HGTV

One of Rogers Park’s most recognizable homes is heading to national television, and possibly a six-figure renovation.

The Candyland House, the pastel-drenched Victorian at 1525 West Pratt Boulevard in Chicago, is featured this season on HGTV’s “Ugliest House in America,” giving the property a shot at a $150,000 makeover. The home appears in the show’s seventh season, which premiered this week, Block Club Chicago reported.

Owners Joe Bergantino and Ricky Gonzalez said HGTV reached out in late 2024 about a potential appearance, without initially disclosing the show. When they learned the Candyland House was being considered for “Ugliest House in America,” the couple took it in stride. Gonzalez told the outlet that they started laughing.

The show, hosted by comedian Retta, tours some of the country’s most over-the-top fixer-uppers before selecting one for a full renovation led by “Sin City Rehab” designer Alison Victoria. The winning home gets a fast-tracked overhaul that would otherwise take years for most owners to tackle.

In 2022. Bergantino and Gonzalez bought the house built in 1891 and have been slowly restoring it while documenting the process on Instagram. Longtime Rogers Park residents know the home for its candy-colored exterior and wildly imaginative interiors, a legacy of artists Jackie Seiden and the late Don Seiden, who coated nearly every surface in pastel hues, sometimes accented with glitter.

When the Seiden family sold the house in 2021, neighbors worried the next owners might strip away its personality. Bergantino and Gonzalez promised to preserve the home’s eccentric spirit, and say that won’t change even if HGTV selects it for the renovation.

“No chance in hell would the renovation ever be black, white, gray or beige,” Bergantino told the publication.

Filming took place in June, with a 12-hour shoot expected to be edited down to a brief segment. The couple paused their own renovation work once they learned they’d be featured, figuring an untouched interior might improve their odds of winning the makeover.

Without the HGTV boost, they estimate it would take roughly a decade to complete their plans. If selected, the transformation would take about six weeks — a dramatic shift in both timeline and cost.

— Eric Weilbacher