Drew Lachey and Taniya Nayak Reveal What Surprised Them Most on ‘Rock the Block’

But Drew, 49, wants to not fear. After seven weeks working with Taniya, 53, in Sin City, he has received over the Battle on the Beach star. “My fandom has shifted towards Drew,” Taniya admits. “He’s now my number one. Sorry New Kids!”

The duo are going up towards musician and design agency proprietor Brooke Hogan (paired with Scott McGillivray), Super Bowl champ Vernon Davis (paired with Mina Starsiak Hawk), and former Survivor stars Chelsea Meissner and Kim Wolfe in season seven of the collection. Premiering Monday, April 13, at 8 pm ET/PT, the groups can have $275,000 to rework 4 similar properties into fabulous Las Vegas houses.

Drew and Taniya crammed us in on which of their opponents took them unexpectedly, the parallels between music and development and the recommendation Drew obtained from NKOTB’s Jonathan and Jordan Knight, who previously competed on Rock the Block.

How a lot have been you into arts and crafts as children?

Drew: I wasn’t. But once I was in highschool, I began stepping into set design and constructing issues for performs and musicals. Then as soon as I grew to become a home-owner, I began getting taken benefit of by contractors, or wished to vary issues with out paying for it, so I began figuring it out on my very own.

Taniya: I used to be very artsy—at all times drawing, sketching, doodling, and taking artwork courses or drafting courses. My father’s an architect, so I grew up going to his workplace and watching him draw blueprints. That’s the place my love for design got here from.

Taniya, has your Indian heritage influenced your inventive eye?

Taniya: India’s so wealthy and colourful, so individuals anticipate that will be a part of my aesthetic. But my dad was a really fashionable architectural man, so we grew up with that—clear traces, white partitions. I’m a extremely monochromatic individual.

What designers or manufacturers have influenced your type?

Drew: Bob Vila and This Old House! I’m joking. My design type’s based mostly round following Taniya round. Or I’ve one concept of ​​what appears to be like good, then my spouse [Lea Lachey] You have the proper concept of ​​what appears to be like good and that is what we go together with.

Taniya: That’s not true. He has such an excellent eye! For me, in speaking about my dad, I understand the profound impact he had on my design aesthetics. He was a first-generation Indian coming right here, so that they did not have cash, however he made issues look stunning with out some huge cash. Drew and I applied that into our construct. We did issues that have been reasonably priced, however had a high-end look. I feel that is influenced the whole lot I do, so shout-out to pops!

What have been your first impressions of one another coming into Rock the Block?

Taniya: Even with the entire New Kids fan factor, I used to be very starstruck by Drew. He’s an enormous deal. He’s so gifted; not simply with 98 Degrees, however with Dancing with the Stars and his different DIY reveals. I assumed, ‘I ponder if this man’s going to be a pleasant man given all his fame and success and followers wooing over him.’ He really could not be a nicer human being.

Drew: She’s such a multitude! Taniya has fingerprints over so many reveals, whether or not it is The Great Christmas Light Fight or Battle on the Beach. Being the design present and HGTV junkie that I’m, I felt comfy figuring out she’s my accomplice. And we get alongside effectively, which makes the tense hours and tasks go extra easily.

Which contestant shocked you the most?

Drew: Brooke caught me off guard. I did not know she had her personal inside design firm, so Brooke was an enormous shock to me. And it is onerous to look previous the mountain of Vernon.

Taniya: Vernon was very shocking. You’ve bought this soccer participant who’s a large, however he is this light large. And he is an artist. He paints and he even designed the garments he was carrying.

Drew, what parallels have you ever discovered between the music trade and the design and renovation world?

Drew: That I do not perceive both of them! I deal extra with our reside present, set design, and imagery—constructing out a full imaginative and prescient. And it is the identical with constructing an album. When we have been speaking about the home, I used the analogy of how every problem or room is sort of a track. You do not need a one-hit surprise. You need all the songs to work collectively. So, we targeted on ensuring the rooms all labored collectively and felt cohesive.
Also, music is about layers, harmonies, and items, and Taniya taught me about the layers and textures in design. A whole lot of the identical phrases utilized in design are utilized in music.

Have you spoken to Jon or Jordan about their expertise on the present?

Drew: Yes, I went to the New Kids’ residency once we have been in Vegas.

Taniya: Drew did not need to go together with me!

Drew: Going out with Taniya is an entire completely different degree. I do not know if I’ve the stamina to reside at that degree.

But you additionally went, Taniya?

Taniya: I did go to the show, however not with Drew as a result of Drew thinks he cannot sustain with me. But he simply did not need to see me fangirling over these guys greater than I fangirling over him.

Exactly. He did not need to get jealous! Did you meet them?

Taniya: Yes, I truly know them. Jordan and I are each from Milton, so we see one another at Starbucks!

Did they offer you any recommendation for Rock the Block?

Drew: They mentioned to consider the huge image and keep in mind it is for TV, so just remember to’re nonetheless entertaining and being good TV personalities. They’re superior guys—down-to-earth, cool and chill.

Drew, which of your personal bandmates is most probably to ask you for development or DIY recommendation?
Drew: I’ve helped Justin [Jeffre] with various things, like I redeemed his pool for him. Nick [Lachey] positively asks an excessive amount of. I do not know if Jeff [Timmons] you have got ever picked up a hammer, but when he did, he is bought the muscle groups to swing it. We’re all aggressive although, so no person needs to confess they do not know something!

Do you have got something arising with 98 Degrees?

Drew: We’re taking most of 2026 off. My spouse and I wrote a musical that we’re taking off-Broadway. We have a performing arts nonprofit we have been working for over a decade, so an offshoot of that was creating this musical. It’s referred to as Label•Less and might be at The Duke this summer time. I’m the head carpenter and scenic designer, so I’m taking my renovation and design abilities and placing them on the stage.

Are you starring in it?

Drew: No, I’m placing gifted individuals on this one! I’m author, creator, producer, and the whole lot else. So that was my focus this yr—rocking the block then taking the Big Apple by storm. Then we’ll do some 98 Degrees stuff in direction of the finish of the yr.

Leena Tailor is an award-winning Los Angeles-based journalist with greater than 20 years expertise masking leisure, way of life and journey for shops round the world. Originally from New Zealand, she was lured to the limitless sunshine of California in 2010 and has since interviewed a few of the world’s largest celebrities for shops together with Rolling Stone, Hollywood Reporter, InFashion, Billboard and Entertainment Tonight. Leena’s love for seashores, boy bands, live shows and cocktails has taken her from Mexico to Germany, together with her journey and way of life options showing in Travel and Leisure, Vinepair and Vogue.