The Email Mix-Up That Gave HGTV's Brian And Mika Kleinschmidt A Second Chance At Love

Since 2019, Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt have been the stars of HGTV's "100 Day Dream Home" as well as the winners of the network's "Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge." Off-screen, the couple has been married since 2015, and their connection goes back even further. When they were students at Riverview High School, Brian met Mika in chorus, and he fell head over heels for her.  Mika, on the other hand, was focused on her schoolwork, and unaware of Brian's romantic interest. She even rejected Brian's daily invitations to have lunch with him. Mika also declined Brian's request (via a friend) to accompany him to their school's homecoming dance. 

Part of their miscommunication stemmed from Mika's perception of Brian. "He always jokes," Mika explained to The List. "And so I kind of just didn't really take it seriously." Another barrier was that Brian wasn't able to tell Mika how he felt. "I was gaga over her, I could not even talk around her in high school," Brian recalled.

Luckily for the couple, a mistake gave Brian another opportunity. Ten years after they graduated, Mika inadvertently forwarded a chain email to Brian. Without hesitating, he sent Mika an email back and invited her to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers football game. His initiative paid off, and their email exchange marked the beginning of their romance. 

While Brian Kleinschmidt felt certain that their attendance at a Tampa Bay Buccaneers football game was a date, Mika Kleinschmidt didn't realize his intentions at the time. To further complicate matters, Brian's aunt and uncle were sitting right behind him in the stadium of 70,000 people that day, and he was worried their presence might impact of romantic vibe of their outing. Fortunately, Brian and Mika had their previous years of friendship to give their romance a strong start. 

Before they reconnected through email, Brian and Mika had each been in relationships with other people. Brian had been married to Ericka Dunlap, a former Miss Florida and Miss America 2004. In 2009, he and Dunlap competed in "The Amazing Race." Soon after, they decided to divorce.  By 2011, when Brian and Mika's relationship began, Mika's daughter Jade was 18 months old. Mika was impressed by the way Brian treated her young daughter and prioritized her needs, setting the stage for the Kleinschmidts' touching blended family dynamic. In addition, her past romantic experiences gave her insight into what she valued in a relationship. Looking back on those early days, "he just really brought out the best side of me and that is super important," Mika reminisced to Tampa Bay Parenting.

As their romance blossomed, Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt's careers intertwined. At the time, Brian owned fitness clubs, and Mika worked directly with clients there. Since Brian also had construction experience, after Mika pivoted to a career in real estate, the couple combined their skill sets and formed their own company, Dirt 2 Design. 

As avid fans of HGTV, Brian and Mika aspired to create their own program on the network. They pitched the idea of creating and completing new homes within 90 days. They were fortunate to have a personal connection to HGTV, and this individual helped them to get the show greenlighted. During this process, the show's timeframe was lengthened slightly into 100 days. After four successful seasons without missing a deadline, the Kleinschmidts announced in fall 2023 that "100 Day Dream Home" would return for a fifth season in 2024. 

Besides working together, Brian and Mika are also taking time to enjoy family life. For their longer term plans, they're considering relocating to Savannah eventually, where they purchased a townhouse. Wherever they live, Brian and Mika see a strong future for themselves as a couple. "We love adventure. We love to laugh. We don't take life too seriously and I think that's going to be, hopefully, the key to growing very old together," Mika informed Tampa Bay Parenting.