Exclusive: TLC Unlocks the TV Property Space with Four Houses

Nearly 12 years after Trading Spaces first put TLC on the map, the cable network is returning to the home/real estate genre with the new series Four Houses. The competition series, which launches Monday, July 2 at 10/9c, pits four homeowners against each other as they critique and score each other's homes for a chance to win $10,000 and a feature in Better Homes & Gardens magazine.
The homeowners will seek to outdo each other with their own designs and have a chance to sneak inside their rivals' homes to give their own biting opinions. They'll then rank the homes on originality, style and livability. For the homeowner with the highest score, that means the cash prize.
In the first episode, four homes from New Jersey will be featured: A stay-at-home mom's classic Princeton manor; a real estate professional's Cliffside house; an Polish artist's European-themed lodge; and a local artist's quirky mansion built in the woods. ITV Studios America, which produces TLC's Four Weddings, is behind the show.
Property-themed series were once a mainstay of networks like TLC, which was home to series like Property Ladder, My First Home, Moving Up, The Real Estate Pros, Home Made Simple and Unhinged. But as the housing bubble burst and the TV property space got too crowded, TLC moved away from the genre. Now, as the housing market recovers and shows like HGTV's Househunters International gain steam, the time may be right to revisit the space.
Here's a first look at Four Houses.