What HGTV Stars Have Said About David Bromstad

It is no secret that many HGTV stars are friends off screen, and we are not simply talking about the people who walk onto set as friends (or lovers, siblings, parent and kid, and so forth). No, here we refer to those friendships cultivated amongst HGTV personalities over their years at the network. In a nice change of pace for the entertainment biz, it is far more common to hear about home design and renovation stars supporting one another than feuding, and the ongoing relationships thrill fans to no end. They also help make collaborative competition shows and guest judging stints more fun, since viewers can see the camaraderie that exists between the network's biggest names.

It would be impossible to talk about "biggest names" and not mention David Bromstad, who has been an HGTV staple since winning the inaugural season of "HGTV Design Star" in 2006. In addition to his two long-running programs — his first, "Color Splash," and current, "My Lottery Dream Home" — Bromstad has collaborated with other HGTVers on everything from "Beach Flip" to "Rock the Block" to "Bang for Your Buck." Throw in relationships made through guest appearances on shows like "Brother vs. Brother," where he has been a judge on multiple occasions, and Bromstad just might be one of the most connected celebrities ever to work at HGTV. But how, exactly, do other network stars feel about the larger-than-life designer/host? Here's a look at what other HGTV stars have said about David Bromstad over the years.

David Bromstad has a lot of HGTV friends, but when Out asked him who he would most want to share a hotel room with, he listed only two choices. First was bestie Genevieve Gorder, and second was Josh Temple, who he also called a "best friend." It is not the only time Bromstad has shouted out the latter, who he has given the nickname "Tornado Temple," according to a cute Facebook post where he also referred to Temple as "my great buddy." Temple is best known for his work on "House Crashers," on which he appeared from 2009 to 2016. Other credits include "Disaster House" and "Flipping the Block."

Bromstad and Temple solidified their friendship in 2015, when they both appeared as mentors/judges/hosts on "Beach Flip," alongside Nicole Curtis. While they did a lot of joint press at the time, they mostly focused on the show rather than their bond. And though Temple has been less effusive than his one-time co-star, he gave Bromstad multiple social media shoutouts during their time working together.

In February 2015, for example, Temple posted a video to his grid that praised "effortless" Bromstad's fashion and poked fun at his own. "I have so much to learn," he joked. In another Instagram post later that year, Temple wrote, "working all day w the fabulous Bromie @bromco which means I'll be holding my gut in for hours," alongside four cute photos of the friends. Bromie is, presumably, a portmanteau joining the words Bromstad and homie.

Egypt Sherrod has starred in a bunch of HGTV shows including "Property Virgins," "Flipping Virgins," and "Married to Real Estate." She and her husband, Mike Jackson, also won Season 3 of "Rock the Block," the wildly entertaining show that pits HGTV stars against one another and has each team design an identically laid-out house, room by room. David Bromstad appeared on the series in Season 2, with less success than Sherrod and Jackson. Though the stars never overlapped as competitors, the "Married to Real Estate" couple appeared together on Bromstad's season for a blind judging of contestants' main bedrooms and bathrooms.

Sherrod also appeared alongside Bromstad as a judge on "Brother vs. Brother," one of the zillion shows featuring Jonathan Silver Scott and Drew Scott of "The Property Brothers" fame. A behind-the-scenes Facebook photo showed the team having a bunch of fun — and it is no surprise that Sherrod and Bromstad stood next to each other in the pic. After all, Sherrod has said that she is a big fan of the "My Lottery Dream Home" star. "David Bromstad reminds me of my best friend Andre so much. I enjoy watching him," Sherrod told TV Insider when asked about which HGTV shows were her favorites.

Whereas Season 1 of "Rock the Block" featured HGTV stars competing solo against other HGTVers, Season 2 of the competition series utilizing teams of two. While two of the teams already had established relationships, the powers-that-be threw together some HGTV faves to make up the remaining two teams. David Bromstad and Tiffany Brooks were made partners, which was a natural fit since both won their season of "HGTV Design Star." Brooks' has had a less smooth post-win career than Bromstad — her "Most Embarrassing Rooms in America" lasted only a handful of episodes and "$50k Three Ways" capped out at one season — but her talent and personality have kept her on HGTV's radar (they enlisted Brooks as an "HGTV Barbie Dreamhouse" judge in 2023, for example). 

Bromstad and Brooks had a blast filming together, according to the latter. "I felt I had to be a little bit top-down, and David was a perfect teammate to do that. Because I went into the competition like, 'OK, David, come on, we have to do this, this is what we're going to do, we're going to be tough.' And he said, 'Honey, we've already won. You and I are going to have fun and design our pants off!' It became so less serious. I became less stressed and actually was able to have fun, and get to experiment with color," Brooks told Uptown Magazine in 2021. "And we were able to laugh every day. So we definitely had a good time."

Though they were not on the same team during Season 2 of "Rock the Block," it is obvious that David Bromstad and Alison Victoria bonded during filming. Victoria — who also appeared solo on Season 1 of the show — was paired with HGTV legend Mike Holmes, but it is Bromstad who appears in most of her behind-the-scenes photos. In one Instagram shot, she simply referred to her fellow HGTV host as "my [heart emoji]," alongside a photo of the pair in a deep embrace. It's worth noting that this is not a friendship that began recently. There are even photos of the duo rocking out onstage at the CMA Music Festival Nightly Concert in Nashville circa 2015.

Victoria and Bromstad are also frequently seen together because they are two of the biggest faces of the current-day HGTV roster. While Victoria is probably best known for her existing series, "Windy City Rehab," she — much like Bromstad — has appeared on many other HGTV programs. "Kitchen Crashers" was Victoria's first big hit, producing nearly 100 episodes between 2011 and 2016. Her other credits include "Battle on the Beach" and "Ugliest House in America."

Though Victoria and Bromstad most often work solo, it is hard not to hope for a co-hosted show, given their clear love for one another. In a September 2024 interview with Realtor.com, Victoria said that Bromstad was amongst her closest friends. "David Bromstad is like my other brother," she shared. Victoria also discussed her close friendship with Ty Pennington and others in the article.

Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas emerged as HGTV stars at the same time, thanks to their popular series "Bargain Block." The show — wherein the couple purchases run-down Detroit homes and turns them into chic starter houses — only began airing in 2021, but Bynum and Thomas have been able to amass a large following quickly. Though the once-engaged couple no longer has plans to get married, their 10-plus year relationship has made them a wonderful fit for HGTV's roster of couples who work (and film) together. Some of the most fun elements of these co-hosted shows are the interpersonal moments, after all.

Bynum and Thomas have already featured on a number of other shows, including "Rock the Block" and a spin-off of their original program set in New Orleans. And while they certainly have each other to thank for their success, Bynum has also noted how much fellow HGTV star David Bromstad impacted his trajectory. Bynum has a tragic backstory, in that his family disowned him when he came out as gay, and so role models like Bromstad were crucial in his path to find self-love and dream up a future. "I'm from the South, so being gay isn't the easiest thing a lot of times," the Texas-bred Bynum told Bromstad in a 2022 HGTV Pride Month video. "So, seeing that on HGTV...I was like, 'I can get this dream...you know, I can be on HGTV just like David did!' So, thank you for that because it really changed my life."

Though it feels like yesterday, David Bromstad's winning season of "HGTV's Design Star" aired way back in 2006. The show ran for many seasons thereafter, but nothing could compare to the series' maiden voyage. After all, the effervescent designer/host is to "HGTV Design Star" what Kelly Clarkson is to "American Idol" — both were the first to win their programs, and both shine the brightest of any person ever to come from said program. Of the eight "HGTV Design Star" winners (nine including the all-star season), only Bromstad remains a network staple. "I'm the grandaddy of HGTV!" the designer and host once joked to AOL.

Because his magnetism had made him a huge figure for the network, Bromstad was tapped to return to "HGTV Design Star" starting in Season 7 — this time as a host. The job was likely all the more exciting for Bromstad because of his close friendship with fellow HGTV star Genevieve Gorder, one of the series' judges. But Bromstad had friends his first time around as well, including runner-up Alice Fakier. "And the [answer to the question I'm asked] most often, 'Yes, David Bromstad and I are really, truly friends,'" Fakier said in an HGTV "Where Are They Now?" article published a handful of years after filming. While promoting Season 7 of "Design Star," Bromstad admitted to falling out of touch with Fakier, but affirmed the love was mutual. "She is a doll baby, I just heart her so much and miss her terribly," he told Room Fu.

Newer HGTV fans might associate David Bromstad most with "My Lottery Dream Home," which began its 17th season in November 2024, but older fans know that "Dream Home" is just the latest in a long line of successes for the star. Bromstad's first big hit was "Color Splash," the show he originated the year after winning Season 1 of "HGTV Design Star." "Color Splash" aired from 2007 through 2012, and it was the perfect show for Bromstad, who got to use his love of dramatic design and bold colors to transform rooms for 11 seasons.

While Bromstad was the sole host and designer on "Color Splash," Danielle Hirsch appeared as his painter and carpenter prior to the series' move from San Francisco to Miami. She had previously appeared as a painter on "Design Remix" — a role she earned after answering a Craigslist ad — and since that program was ending just as "Color Splash" was set to begin, Hirsch made a logical choice for the new show. She also loved her time there, judging by a comment she left on a blog post from 2011, featuring an interview with Bromstad. Conducted by Layla Palmer from The Lettered Cottage, the interview came after Hirsch had left the show — but there were certainly no hard feelings. "David is awesome! I miss my show hubby I'm sure Layla will confirm that what you see on TV is the real life David," Hirsch wrote.