Three new teams headed to the seashore to show off their design skills in Season 5 of Battle on the Beach.
The HGTV competition series returned with new episodes and new competitors on June 1. This season’s lineup of contestants includes married couple Josiah and Anna Julian and mother-daughter duo Michelle Mueller and Sydney Lorence, who are teamed up with mentors Mika Kleinschmidt and Ty Pennington, respectively. Spouses Angelina and Steven Jacobs from Waterbury, Connecticut, meanwhile, are paired with mentor Sarah Baeumler.
The couple got off to a great start during the Season 5 premiere, not only getting to select which houses they and their competitors got to renovate, but also winning the first design challenge of the season. The duo impressed judges Tristyn and Kamohai Kalama with their living room and entry space makeovers.
Angelina called being on the show a “one in a million” opportunity in a post-win confessional, adding, “We need to keep this winning momentum going.”
Scroll down to get to know Angelina and Steven as the competition in Battle on the Beach Season 5 continues.
How long have Angelina and Steven Jacobs been together?
In an interview with the local Connecticut news outlet The Hour, Angelina shared that she and Steven have been together for 18 years, have been married for 11 years, and have four children together. “We’re very close, me and my husband,” she gushed. “We really do this, you know, as best as we can and with everything that we got.”
How did Angelina and Steven Jacobs get their start in home renovation?
Angelina is the owner of her own home renovation and design company, She Buildz Things. “I’ve been doing construction for about seven years now, and my husband joined with me about two years ago,” Angelina explained in a Season 5 premiere confessional. “Most of the work that I learned was on my own and self-taught. People told me, ‘You’re too pretty to do construction. You’re too beautiful to do construction.’ No. I like construction, and I’m gonna keep doing this until my fingers are all off, and then, I’m gonna glue them back on.”
Angelina showcases the pair’s projects on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
What have Angelina and Steven Jacobs said about their off-screen struggles?
After winning the Season 5 premiere design challenge, Angelina revealed that she and Steven had been experiencing homelessness at the time. “This win is very important because we’ve been going through our own situations, you know, from sleeping on other people’s couches…” she said before getting choked up and turning away from the camera. Comforting her, Steven stated, “It’s OK. I know.” She continued, “This money would literally help us be more comfortable.”
In her interview with The Hour, Angelina noted that she and Steven would crash on a couch at her brother’s house and transport their family’s belongings in a U-Haul truck. “We were driving back and forth to jobs. We didn’t tell nobody,” she shared. “We kept it to ourselves and just kept on going, kept on saving the money.”
According to the interview, Angelina and Steven continued to experience homelessness for one month after Battle on the Beach filming concluded before moving into a new apartment on May 18.
What has Sarah Baeumler said about working with Angelina and Steven Jacobs?
“Our teammates, this is their craft as well. This is their business. They’re emerging talent, and also some that have huge followings already and [are] well respected in the industry,” Baeumler exclusively told TV Insider of working with the Season 5 cast ahead of the premiere. “So, we’re there to support them, but also to allow them to make the decisions that they feel are best.”
Baeumler, who previously served as a judge on Battle on the Beach, continued, “I’m there to support, guide. And, at times, I learned a little more to speak up and say, ‘I don’t agree. This is why I don’t agree. But how can we come to something that feels authentic to what they’re trying to create?’ Right? Because at the end of the day, this is a lot of money on the line, and they are out there to win this for themselves. And I want to make sure we support that, but that it’s guided by their direction and their passion.”
Angelina, for her part, gushed about working with Baeumler in her interview with The Hour. “Sarah taught us a lot of different lingos that we didn’t know before, so that we could be well versed when speaking and not calling everything ‘a thing,’” she stated.
What are Angelina and Steven Jacobs’ next career steps?
In addition to continuing their work through her construction company, Angelina told The Hour that she and Steven are interested in appearing on another home renovation series. “I’ve explained to my producers and all the other producers to give us a call for any type of redemption shows or all-star shows or anything like that,” she stated. “Whatever I’m allowed to do and able to do, I’ll do. I’ll travel. I’ll go to Canada with Sarah. I’ll do it all.”
Battle on the Beach, Mondays, 9/8c, HGTV