Rock the Block has more in common with Ironman Triathlons than typical makeover shows. In mere weeks, contestants are given supersized budgets and tasked with reimagining entire blank-canvas homes from the ground up. This is renovation as an extreme sport. As season-three champ Egypt Sherrod (Married to Real Estate) advises future competitors, “You're working so hard that you have to stay healthy and hydrated. Also, come in knowing that this will be the hardest you've ever worked in your life.” So, what does it take to secure a Rock the Block win? Have a look at every jaw-dropping before-and-after that’s taken weekly top honors.

Rock the Block’s fifth season was all about redemption, so each pair of contestants had previously competed and lost out on the final victory. The four teams faced off in Treasure Island, Florida — a barrier island on the state’s central Gulf Coast — and renovated three-story duplexes on Boca Ciega Bay.

The season of returning players was also a season of firsts, as in the 48-hour “surprise space” challenge, where Sarah and Bryan Baeumler of Renovation Island earned a weekly win by creating this multipurpose children’s bedroom and craft space plus a full bath in just two days. Thoughtful details like the applied molding and pitch-perfect, lived-in styling wowed the judges, who happened to be their fellow competitors. All four teams scored each other on their designs, and the duo with the highest average score came out on top.

Bryan’s contribution in the other half of the space was equally impressive: He laid kid-friendly penny tile on the bathroom floor and applied three walls’ worth of stone all the way to the shower’s ten-foot ceiling in just two days. Sarah selected crisp, black hardware and an arched mirror during a whirlwind, 15-minute shopping spree to add a bit of contrast to those neutral surfaces.

Sarah and Bryan also took the win when it came time to finish their second-floor balcony, a space they approached as an intuitive extension of their tranquil, contemporary living room. They installed a fireplace that elevated the balcony, as well as adjoined the home’s bay view for homeowners in the living room. They also outfitted the home’s monumental glass doors with automatic screens that welcome Gulf breezes inside, but turn away Florida’s summertime bugs.