No person does a jaw-drop response like Bobby Berk. It’s solely shocking whenever you assume he’s most likely seen all of it after eight seasons touring the world as the inside design professional on Netflix’s reboot of “Queer Eye”; writing his 2023 guide, “Proper at Residence: How Good Design is Good for the Thoughts”; making many TV appearances (together with a Taylor Swift video) and promoting just about something to make your house shine on BobbyBerk.com.
However in his new HGTV sequence “Junk or Jackpot?”, premiering Friday at 9:30 p.m. Pacific, real reactions come typically from Burke as he enters the properties of Los Angeles collectors and sees not solely rooms jam-packed with motion figures, pinball machines, puppets, marionettes and extra, but additionally some jackpot objects simply sitting on a bookshelf. In a single episode, for instance, a collector exhibits Berk a buying and selling card he has that’s appraised within the $100,000 vary. “I’m fairly certain I mentioned, ‘What the f—?’ although I assume it was bleeped as a result of it’s HGTV,” says Berk from his Los Angeles dwelling. “I’m used to Netflix, the place I might say no matter I wished. However, yeah, that was simply loopy to me.”
Reactions apart, the actual marvel on “Junk or Jackpot?” is watching an enthusiastic Berk swoop into folks’s properties to assist them learn to come to phrases with a accumulating pastime that has grown into one thing that’s stifling properties and placing a dangerous pressure on relationships. “Clearly, I’m not a therapist. I’m a designer, despite the fact that in our discipline, we frequently make the joke that we’re not simply designers, we’re marriage counselors,” he says.
However Berk, born in Houston and raised in conservative Mount Vernon, Mo., is a self-taught professional at figuring out what isn’t working and doing every part potential to repair it, together with in his personal life. Working example: Berk, not feeling protected popping out in Mount Vernon, left dwelling at 15 and bounced round for a number of years in numerous cities, by no means ending highschool. “From 15 to 22, I moved round and may’t even depend the quantity of locations I needed to transfer round to simply because of funds and conditions occurring in life,” he recollects.
Finally, he landed in New York Metropolis and labored for shops like Restoration {Hardware}, Mattress Tub & Past and Portico earlier than he opened his first on-line retailer in 2006 and first bodily retailer in Soho in 2007. Quickly thereafter, Berk was racking up appearances on networks like HGTV and Bravo earlier than “Queer Eye” got here calling in 2018 and took him to new heights, together with his 2023 Emmy win for structured actuality program. He additionally obtained an honorary diploma from Otis School of Artwork and Design in 2022.
Now, with “Junk or Jackpot?” about to launch, the 44-year-old Berk spoke about how he was handpicked by professional wrestler and film star John Cena for the present, the important thing to serving to collectors let go of issues which might be weighing down their lives, and, after residing many locations and touring the globe, the place he considers dwelling with husband Dewey Do and their mini Labradoodle, Bimini.
“I’m not a therapist. I’m a designer, despite the fact that in our discipline, we frequently make the joke that we’re not simply designers, we’re marriage counselors,” Berk says.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Instances)
What are the origins of “Junk or Jackpot?” and what does John Cena must do with all of it?
I’ve been toying backwards and forwards with HGTV for years, even once I was nonetheless on “Queer Eye,” however with my exclusivity with Netflix, I couldn’t do design exhibits with anyone else. We all the time simply saved that line of communication open, so then when this particular alternative took place, Loren Ruch, the top of HGTV, who’s sadly since handed, reached out. He mentioned, “Hey, John Cena’s created the present for us and also you’re the highest of his checklist of who he desires it to host it.” John was a giant “Queer Eye” fan, so I mentioned sure. It shot right here in L.A., which was actually essential to me. We had been actually missing for leisure jobs right here within the metropolis in order that was a giant plus for me to have the ability to convey jobs right here to L.A. to all of our superb crews.
And it’s not your typical design present. Clearly, there’s nothing improper with a typical design present they usually do assist folks. However coming from “Queer Eye” the place everybody we helped was as a result of it was someone deserving, someone that was going by one thing and wanted that further enhance of their life. That’s what this was with “Junk or Jackpot?”
Each single collector, as we’re calling them, had a narrative occurring. With Patrick and Roger [in the premiere episode], Roger had moved out and their relationship was on the rocks as a result of there was actually no house for Roger. With Carly and Johnny in one other episode, they’d a child that they weren’t anticipating to have of their early 40s, so it was a life-changing second for them. Their precedence wanted to be their son, J.D.
I like the present as a result of it was serving to folks at these moments of their life the place they’re like, “Now we have this factor that we love and has introduced us pleasure, however now this factor is definitely beginning to have destructive issues occurring in our life.” I wished to come back in and actually convey again the joyous a part of their assortment.
HGTV hasn’t given you an enormous finances to revamp the properties and the collectors must work themselves to dump their collectibles to pay for the renovation. How did that angle come about?
It was a little bit of remedy and I wished the collectors to essentially notice that, sure, the gathering that they’ve has worth however this different factor that’s occurring of their life due to this assortment has worth, too. I wished them to both have the ability to show to themselves that what they had been wanting to vary of their life had extra worth than these issues. Like with Patrick, Roger had a worth.
I wished them to undergo the train of “It’s essential to begin parting with issues.” And when you discover, I by no means pushed them to do away with probably the most treasured items of their assortment. I pushed them to do away with the issues that usually they’d duplicates of however weren’t essentially one thing like, “Oh, I bought this as a baby” or “someone bought this for me.” I wished them to emotionally disconnect with these issues so they may prioritize issues higher in life and sooner or later, they’d have lots simpler time letting go even when I wasn’t there to push them.
Swatches and temper boards in Berk’s workplace. The host of “Junk or Jackpot?” says it’s not your typical design present. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Instances)
How do you take into account finances with the collectors? In a single episode, you select to cowl a brick wall as an alternative of tearing it down and constructing a brand new one.
The householders are those footing the invoice for this, as a result of once more, a portion of that is the train of letting go. To your level, if we had simply are available at HGTV and mentioned, “Right here’s all the cash!” They’re like, “All proper, I’ve no motivation to do away with something.” I wished to verify we made budget-conscious selections and I believe that’s additionally a extremely essential factor to share with folks at dwelling that you simply don’t all the time must exit and knock out a fire when you hate the fabric. You are able to do a factor like micro cement and you’ll fully change it for a minimal value.
What would you say you realized from taking pictures the primary season of “Junk or Jackpot?”
I wouldn’t say I realized something essentially new, however it was reaffirmed to me the emotional attachment and psychological well being facet that your house and design can have on you, both in a great way or a nasty means.
Within the dangerous means, your home turns into so cluttered and overwhelmed with one thing that used to spark pleasure for you, however it’s now having an impact on not solely your psychological well being, however your relationships with different folks. Alternatively, the distinction in your psychological well being simply redoing that house, reorganizing that house, reclaiming that house can have in your psychological well being and your relationships not solely with your self, however with your loved ones and your mates.
Vivian, who collects Marvel Lady memorabilia, her pals stopped coming over as a result of there was simply nowhere to sit down. Her greatest girlfriend used to come back in from Vegas on a regular basis, the place she lives, and she or he would spend the night time and now she’s like, “I simply can’t anymore as a result of I’m surrounded actually. It’s an excessive amount of and I simply can’t do it anymore.” You see how simply altering your house actually can change your life.
“I wished to verify we made budget-conscious selections and I believe that’s additionally a extremely essential factor to share with folks at dwelling, that you simply don’t all the time must exit and knock out a fire when you hate the fabric,” Berk says.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Instances)
Season 1 is about in Los Angeles however assuming you get extra seasons, would you wish to do different cities or international locations?
I personally would all the time love simply to maintain doing L.A. I reside there and with “Queer Eye” for eight years, we traveled throughout America. That being mentioned, it is a very area of interest present, so it may be onerous to proceed doing it in the identical metropolis season after season, so we most likely must go to different cities, and I’d be high-quality with that. However I might no less than like one other season or two in L.A. After spending the final eight years filming “Queer Eye,” I like being dwelling.
That mentioned, you have got lived in New York, you’re in L.A. now and also you even have a spot in Portugal. The place do you name dwelling?
L.A. is certainly dwelling for me. Portugal’s nice, however L.A. is certainly dwelling. Though the extra time we spend in Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam, since my husband’s initially from there, that additionally seems like dwelling. I imagine in reincarnation, and I used to be undoubtedly from over there in my final life. Like once I landed in Vietnam, in China, anyplace in Southeast Asia — I simply really feel very at dwelling.
“Queer Eye” was such a curler coaster for all you guys however what are your reflections now that it’s behind you? Had been you capable of take pleasure in it on the time?
Sure and no. It was an incredible curler coaster. I loved most of it, however there have been instances the place we had been simply exhausted. I don’t know if you already know the flight app “Flighty,” however it tracks your flights and tells you what number of hours you’ve been in planes yearly and what number of instances you’ve been on the very same airplane. I used to be trying the opposite day at how a lot I flew in 2019. Bear in mind in 2019, 5 months of the 12 months I used to be filming, so I wasn’t flying anyplace. So this was simply seven months, and I flew 200 flights. I flew over 500,000 miles. I don’t miss that. That was lots. However as a lot as I can bear in mind of it, I look again with fondness.
