(Photography: Supplied)
Last night, Mitch and Shaz were crowned the winners of the first season of Channel 7’s My Reno Rules. The Queensland parents took home $1 million after jumping from last to first place, earning 99.5 points in the live finale. They were up against Franky and Isaac, who scored 97 points, but they didn’t leave empty-handed, taking home $250,000.
I sat down with winners, Mitch and Shaz, and to say they were overjoyed is an understatement.
“We’re living the dream currently,” Shaz said. “Honestly, it was an out-of-body experience. I still don’t think I’ve processed it properly.”
Mitch and Shaz kicked the competition off with a bang, winning the bonus $10,000 prize and judging on their very first week.
“To start off like that was just incredible. It really set the tone for the rest of the competition,” Shaz said.
But the thing that won Australia’s hearts was their reason for entering: their son, Lenny.
“Lenny was almost lost for words last night until he got on stage, but honestly, watching it all unfold, he was so confident in us and probably believed in us more than we believed in ourselves. He’s absolutely stoked. I think he’s going to have a lot of street cred at school now… he was walking around last night saying, ‘Everyone, I’ll buy you a dirt bike!'”
Taking home such a large sum of prize money has given them a new lease on life. Now classified as millionaires, they admitted they never actually thought it was going to happen for them.
“We haven’t really thought about [how we’re going to spend it] in great detail. We need to come up with a plan. We hadn’t really planned on winning, which sounds crazy, so now we have to think about it.”
But the secret to their success isn’t something you’d expect. While it was talent, hard work, and determination that got them through the competition, it was also looking at their competitors from a different perspective that gave them a leg up, and trusting in one another.
“We saw [Franky and Isaac] as collaborators, not competitors, and that worked in our favour,” they said. “I think the house we were in, the builders we had, and the boys working alongside us all made the experience what it was.”
“We also worked really well as a team. We knew exactly what our roles were. I wasn’t going to jump in and try to design when that’s what Shaz does. Before we even went on the show, it was, “Right, Shaz, you do everything design-related and I’ll stay on the tools and make sure things run smoothly. We stayed in our lane and didn’t try to venture outside of it.
“We stayed positive the whole time and didn’t have any big arguments, which was miraculous, really. Normally, when you’re renovating at home, there’s always something! But it was great.”
Along the wild ride that is Reno Rules, it seems Mitch and Shaz have bloomed under the pressure and come out in awe of each other. In particular, Mitch has a newfound appreciation for the knowledge and eye Shaz has in interior design.
“I learned just how incredible Shaz is at interior design,” Mitch said. “I always knew she had a good eye for it, but until you really see it up close, it’s different. I don’t work with her every day. She brings me in every now and then to move furniture, but seeing how she planned everything and pulled it all together was amazing. I’m so proud of her. I also learned a few skills from the builders and tradies on site, which I’ll definitely take home and add to my toolkit.”
While at times Mitch and Shaz made the competition look easy, there were an array of challenges. Their biggest? The timelines.
“Our tradies were incredible and could do anything we wanted, but executing big ideas within such a short timeframe was difficult. It’s not like you come up with an idea and instantly have every tradie available to work on it. We had to share tradies with the boys, so everyone was juggling their own projects. Coordinating everything, keeping it fair, and making it all work was really challenging,” they said.
“You’d find out what room you were doing, and within 24 hours you’d already be locking in designs and placing orders. You had to be confident in your decisions from day one.”
Despite the hurdles, they had a few rooms they were most proud of. For Shaz, it was their rumpus room, ensuite, and parents’ retreat.
“Those rooms have a feeling when you walk into them. They make you feel good, and I love that.”
Meanwhile, Mitch loved the ensuite and front yard.
“I thought the ensuite was insane. I’d never seen anything like it before, and the colours Shaz chose were incredible, even though I remember asking, ‘Are you sure?’. Then definitely the front yard. As a landscaper, being able to bring our vision to life out there was amazing. Even when the landscaper thought I was crazy, I was saying, ‘I’ve got my million-dollar idea here, we’re doing it!’ Being able to finish the landscaping and get it across the line was incredible.”
Mitch and Shaz had a final message for anyone hoping to follow in their footsteps if Reno Rules gets renewed for a second season.
“Just go for it. Dream big and shoot for the stars. You’ve got one shot, so take it. People will help you out. That was our first thought — what are we going to do with Lenny? What are we going to do with the dog? What are we going to do with everything at home? But your family and friends rally around you. You’ve got a tribe around you, and you’ll make it work. Just bite the bullet and do it. Back yourself. Nobody has to be perfect. Put yourself out there and have a crack.”
During the finale, Adrian posted an Instagram story popping a champagne bottle and cheering, “I own the houses now!” Find out what Adrian Portelli is planning to do with the homes from My Reno Rules.
