Dream Home Australia winners Rhys and Liam Almond were all smiles as they spoke to Woman’s Day, despite their throbbing headaches and lack of sleep from celebrating hard the night before.
Rightly so, the Queensland brothers walked away with a brand new house and $100,000 cash prize on Seven’s reality renovation show, so there was a lot to celebrate.
“It feels amazing. It feels like the hard work paid off. And it feels like it’s only the beginning,” gushes Liam, who left his wife and one-year-old daughter house-hopping between their parents’ homes while the renovations were going on.
The doting father hates that he missed his little girl’s first birthday, but says, “It was a short-time sacrifice for a massive gain. What we’ve managed to do is super special.”
Rhys found it tough as well to leave his partner, young daughter and one-week-old son for five months to go on the show. “It was really hard to leave,” he shares.
“I took a month off before he was born, so that I could spend as much time as I could with him before I went on the show.”
Of course, babies don’t always come when you want them to as was the case for this new dad. “He was two weeks late,” Rhys explained. “So, leaving him at only seven-days old was pretty hard.
A LIFE-CHANGING WIN
“But it felt like it was all worth it when Liam had his dream home revealed. It’s life changing for them. And I feel like I’ve done a massive favour there and then to win – it feels like a consolation. It feels great.”
With extreme gratitude to his brother for helping him get his dream home, Liam chose to give Rhys the entire $100,000 winnings. “My partner, daughter and I got the home, so as consolation for all he’s done, Rhys gets the prize money. It’s only fair that he gets it for all of his effort,” Liam says.
And a lot of effort it was! For five months, the brothers battled it out as one of six teams. The competition was positively fierce as well. In fact, Liam and Rhys, while hopeful they’d take home the win, weren’t entirely sure they had it in the bag.
“The stiff competition was definitely Lara and Peter after they showed how well they could score. They seemed like reno rookies, yet every single week, they did really well.
“And, of course, the girls (Taeler and Elle) performed every single week. They just knew what they were doing. Every week they got unreal marks. It was definitely a tough competition,” Liam recalls.
RHYS AND LIAM WERE CONFIDENT IN THEIR BACKYARD
Rhys adds, “The process last night was so nerve wracking. But we were confident in our backyard. We were really stoked for what we created. And we were also wrecked by the end of it!”
Undeniably, the show is fast-paced and hard work. “There was so much work to get done in a short timeframe. It was just a super sped-up renovation. Everyone worked so hard to make it happen,” Liam says.
So how did they keep their energy up to perform week after week? “I guess it was the drive to want to succeed and also … I’ve got ADHD,” Rhys laughs.
Even though the brothers weren’t used to spending so much time together, Dream Home seems to have strengthened their bond. “For a bit, we were pretty much sleeping in the same bed,” Liam laughs. “Two brothers spending that much time together was challenging. But it was rewarding as well. And it was fun.”
Would they do it again? Absolutely. The two made friends with the other contestants and hope to spend time together when they’re all in the same state.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE BROTHERS?
And they say Dr Chris Brown, the show’s host and popular Bondi Vet star, was an amazing bloke.
“He’s awesome,” Liam shares. “He’s just like the guy you see on TV. He seems like such a nice person and then you meet him, and he’s exactly the same – such a friendly guy.
“Basically, Chris is always good for a laugh and has a smile on his face. He’s really positive to be around.”
As for what’s next, well, the brothers say they’re open to doing another show. Maybe Dancing With The Stars? “If there’s another show going, we’ll give it a go,” Liam grins.
For now, though, Rhys and Liam are going to celebrate their wins with their families … and nurse their headaches!
