Renovation Resort Showdown: What are the locations used in the show? 

HGTV's Renovation Resort Showdown takes place in the scenic town of Campbellford, Ontario, where four ambitious renovation teams competed to transform identical lakeside cabins into luxury vacation destinations. The competition series, hosted by Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler, filmed entirely on location in this picturesque Canadian setting under COVID-19 restrictions, which created a closed-set environment. Each team received seven weeks and a $100,000 budget to renovate their assigned waterfront property into an unforgettable rental experience.

Renovation Resort Showdown's format required teams to work on different rooms each week while competing for the ultimate prize. Campbellford provided the perfect backdrop with its natural beauty and lakefront properties that offered contestants a blank canvas for their creative visions. The identical cabin structures ensured fair competition while the stunning Ontario landscape added visual appeal to the transformations. Production followed strict health protocols, with the hosts living in adjacent trailers during filming.

The location choice proved strategic, offering both the scenic beauty necessary for vacation rental appeal and the logistical infrastructure needed for a major television production. Teams from various locations, including Philadelphia and Charlotte, North Carolina, brought their regional design influences to the Canadian setting.

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Renovation Resort Showdown: Details of production explored

Campbellford, Ontario served as the primary filming location for Renovation Resort Showdown. This small town provided the ideal setting for the lakeside cabin competition that forms the show's core concept.

The production utilized identical newly constructed cabins positioned along the waterfront. These structures gave each team an equal starting point while showcasing the natural beauty of the Ontario landscape.

COVID-19 restrictions meant the entire production operated as a closed set. This limitation enhanced the competitive atmosphere, creating an isolated environment where teams could focus entirely on their projects.

The lakefront setting offered contestants the opportunity to create vacation rentals that would genuinely appeal to future guests seeking waterfront getaways. Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler lived in side-by-side trailers throughout the seven-week production period. This arrangement created an intimate behind-the-scenes dynamic that influenced their on-screen chemistry.

"Waking up with Bryan 5 feet away from my trailer, you learn a lot about each other," McGillivray explained.

He noted that while some discoveries were positive, others were things he would have preferred not to know. The close quarters arrangement reflected the overall intensity of the production environment. The hosts experienced the same time pressure and isolation as the competing teams.

Their trailer setup became part of the show's authentic atmosphere, with both hosts fully immersed in the competitive environment rather than commuting from distant accommodations.

The four competing teams brought diverse geographical perspectives to the Ontario location. Jake and Rasheeda Gray represented Philadelphia, bringing urban East Coast design sensibilities to the lakefront setting. Another American team hailed from Charlotte, North Carolina, adding Southern design influences to the competition. Two Canadian teams completed the roster, ensuring strong local representation.

The geographic diversity created interesting design contrasts as teams applied their regional styles to the identical Canadian lake cabins. Each team's background influenced their approach to creating vacation rental experiences. The Philadelphia team, Gray Space Interiors, specifically aimed to bring "Philly flavor" to their cabin transformation while adapting to the lakefront vacation rental market.

The seven-week timeline created significant pressure for all participants. McGillivray emphasized that this represented an extremely ambitious schedule for the scope of work required.

"The hardest thing was absolutely the time crunch," he noted.

The compressed timeline forced teams to complete months’ worth of typical renovation work in just seven weeks. The Campbellford location provided necessary infrastructure for the complex production while maintaining the scenic appeal essential to the show's vacation rental concept. Renovation Resort Showdown teams worked on specific rooms each week, creating a structured competition format that maximized both drama and practical renovation progress.

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The context of the vacation rental market

The Canadian lakefront setting aligned perfectly with current vacation rental trends. The location offered the natural beauty and recreational opportunities that modern travelers seek. Each transformed cabin became a genuine vacation rental property after filming concluded. The Campbellford location ensured these properties would have actual market viability beyond their television purpose.

The waterfront setting allowed teams to incorporate outdoor living spaces and lake-focused amenities that enhance vacation rental appeal. The location choice demonstrated HGTV's commitment to creating properties with real-world functionality rather than purely television-focused designs.

Campbellford, Ontario proved to be an ideal location for Renovation Resort Showdown, combining natural beauty with production practicality. The lakefront setting provided teams with genuine vacation rental opportunities while creating visually stunning television. The closed-set environment enhanced the competitive atmosphere of Renovation Resort Showdown and allowed for authentic interactions between participants.

The geographic diversity of the teams, combined with the uniform Canadian location, created interesting design dynamics that showcased regional influences within a consistent setting. The success of this location choice demonstrates how thoughtful site selection can enhance both competition fairness and visual appeal in renovation television programming.

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You can watch Renovation Resort Showdown on HGTV and stream it on STACKTV or Discovery+.