In Monday’s season opener of Rock the Block, interior designer and TV personality Taniya Nayak shares how much she fangirled when told her partner on the HGTV series was 98 Degrees musician Drew Lachey. However, as the pair sat down for an exclusive chat with Country Living, Taniya couldn’t help spilling that it’s another boy band—Boston’s New Kids on the Block—who have always had her heart!
“Look, the truth is I grew up with New Kids on the Block,” she laughs. “That doesn’t mean I wasn’t a fan of 98 Degrees. I am. But I’m also a Boston girl, so in all fairness, it just is what it is.”
“See what I have to put up with?” retorts Drew.
But Drew, 49, need not worry. After seven weeks working with Taniya, 53, in Sin City, he has won over the Battle on the Beach star. “My fandom has shifted towards Drew,” admits Taniya. “He’s now my number one. Sorry New Kids!”
The duo are going up against musician and design firm owner 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 series. Premiering Monday, April 13, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, the teams will have $275,000 to transform four identical properties into fabulous Las Vegas homes.
Drew and Taniya filled us in on which of their competitors took them by surprise, the parallels between music and construction and the advice Drew received from NKOTB’s Jonathan and Jordan Knight, who previously competed on Rock the Block.
HGTV
How much were you into arts and crafts as kids?
Drew: I wasn’t. But when I was in high school, I started getting into set design and building things for plays and musicals. Then once I became a homeowner, I started getting taken advantage of by contractors, or wanted to change things without paying for it, so I started figuring it out on my own.
Taniya: I was very artsy—always drawing, sketching, doodling, and taking art classes or drafting classes. My father’s an architect, so I grew up going to his office and watching him draw blueprints. That’s where my love for design came from.
Taniya, has your Indian heritage influenced your creative eye?
Taniya: India’s so rich and colorful, so people expect that would be part of my aesthetic. But my dad was a very modern architecture guy, so we grew up with that—clean lines, white walls. I’m a really monochromatic person.
What designers or brands have influenced your style?
Drew: Bob Vila and This Old House! I’m joking. My design style’s based around following Taniya around. Or I have one idea of what looks good, then my wife [Lea Lachey] has the right idea of what looks good and that’s what we go with.
Taniya: That’s not true. He has such a good eye! For me, in talking about my dad, I realize the profound effect he had on my design aesthetics. He was a first-generation Indian coming here, so they didn’t have money, but he made things look beautiful without a lot of money. Drew and I implemented that into our build. We did things that were affordable, but had a high-end look. I think that’s influenced everything I do, so shout-out to pops!
What were your first impressions of each other coming into Rock the Block?
Taniya: Even with the whole New Kids fan thing, I was very starstruck by Drew. He’s a big deal. He’s so talented; not just with 98 Degrees, but with Dancing with the Stars and his other DIY shows. I thought, ‘I wonder if this guy’s going to be a nice guy given all his fame and success and fans wooing over him.’ He truly couldn’t be a nicer human being.
Drew: She’s such a liar! Taniya has fingerprints over so many shows, whether it’s The Great Christmas Light Fight or Battle on the Beach. Being the design show and HGTV junkie that I am, I felt at ease knowing she’s my partner. And we get along well, which makes the stressful hours and projects go more smoothly.
HGTV
Which contestant surprised you the most?
Drew: Brooke caught me off guard. I didn’t know she had her own interior design company, so Brooke was a big shock to me. And it’s hard to look past the mountain of Vernon.
Taniya: Vernon was very surprising. You’ve got this football player who’s a giant, but he’s this gentle giant. And he’s an artist. He paints and he even designed the clothes he was wearing.
Drew, what parallels have you found between the music industry and the design and renovation world?
Drew: That I don’t understand either of them! I deal more with our live show, set design, and imagery—building out a full vision. And it’s the same with building an album. When we were talking about the house, I used the analogy of how each challenge or room is like a song. You don’t want a one-hit wonder. You want all the songs to work together. So, we focused on making sure the rooms all worked together and felt cohesive.
Also, music is about layers, harmonies, and pieces, and Taniya taught me about the layers and textures in design. A lot of the same terms used in design are used in music.
Have you spoken to Jon or Jordan about their experience on the show?
Drew: Yes, I went to the New Kids’ residency when we were in Vegas.
Taniya: Drew did not want to go with me!
Drew: Going out with Taniya is a whole different level. I don’t know if I have the stamina to live at that level.
“We get along well, which makes the stressful hours and projects go more smoothly.”
But you also went, Taniya?
Taniya: I did go to the show, but not with Drew because Drew thinks he can’t keep up with me. But he just didn’t want to see me fangirling over those guys more than I fangirl over him.
Exactly. He didn’t want to get jealous! Did you meet them?
Taniya: Yes, I actually know them. Jordan and I are both from Milton, so we see each other at Starbucks!
Did they give you any advice for Rock the Block?
Drew: They said to think about the big picture and remember it’s for TV, so make sure that you’re still entertaining and being good TV personalities. They’re awesome guys—down-to-earth, cool and chill.
Drew, which of your own bandmates is most likely to ask you for construction or DIY advice?
Drew: I’ve helped Justin [Jeffre] with different things, like I redid his pool for him. Nick [Lachey] definitely asks too. I don’t know if Jeff [Timmons] has ever picked up a hammer, but if he did, he’s got the muscles to swing it. We’re all competitive though, so nobody wants to admit they don’t know anything!
Do you have anything coming up with 98 Degrees?
Drew: We’re taking most of 2026 off. My wife and I wrote a musical that we’re taking off-Broadway. We have a performing arts nonprofit we’ve been running for over a decade, so an offshoot of that was creating this musical. It’s called Label•Less and will be at The Duke this summer. I’m the head carpenter and scenic designer, so I’m taking my renovation and design skills and putting them on the stage.
Are you starring in it?
Drew: No, I’m putting talented people in this one! I’m writer, creator, producer, and everything else. So that was my focus this year—rocking the block then taking the Big Apple by storm. Then we’ll do some 98 Degrees stuff towards the end of the year.
Leena Tailor is an award-winning Los Angeles-based journalist with more than 20 years experience covering entertainment, lifestyle and travel for outlets around the world. Originally from New Zealand, she was lured to the endless sunshine of California in 2010 and has since interviewed some of the world’s biggest celebrities for outlets including Rolling Stone, Hollywood Reporter, InStyle, Billboard and Entertainment Tonight. Leena’s love for beaches, boy bands, concerts and cocktails has taken her from Mexico to Germany, with her travel and lifestyle features appearing in Travel and Leisure, Vinepair and Vogue.
