Get ready for a spooky good time on Scariest House in America, the newest spinoff of HGTV’s hit series Ugliest House in America. Host Retta (Parks and Recreation, Good Girls) kicks off her mission to find the most terrifying property in the country on Friday, Oct. 4, traveling to tour nine eerie and terrifying houses that feature everything from built-in death traps and questionable taxidermy to daunting basements and ghost sightings.
In a PopCulture.com exclusive trailer teasing the frights to come, Retta doesn’t hold back when touring the properties vying for the title of “scariest,” turning to the camera and informing the film crew, “Just so y’all know, I’m not going in that part [of the house]. I don’t care what my contract says. Nope.”
Morbid decor is on full display during Retta’s journey, from creepy dolls and gravestones to a vintage wheelchair the homeowner fears would leave them “cursed” if they were to get rid of it. Then there’s the taxidermied dog wearing a wig and hat. “I’m sorry, is this dog stuffed?” Retta asks the homeowners, who answer plainly, “Yes, he was our Pitweenie [pitbull-dachshund mix].”
Scariest House in America also teases an up-close and personal look at a former jail that’s now a home for bats, an alleged mobster hideout, and a crumbling home that “gives off witchy vibes.” Fans can count on Retta’s hilarious reactions and unfiltered thoughts about each house as she evaluates each location’s scary appearance, bad function and fright factor.
HGTV will then name one house the “scariest” of them all and award the homeowners a $150,000 renovation by popular network designer Alison Victoria.
“I did not see this iteration of this show coming,” Retta said in a statement. “I was cool with the summer road trip and ugly in paradise, but, for a gal that is spooked by every creak, critter and errant hair that brushes my shoulder, this wasn’t it. Glad I got through it, but I won’t lie and say I ‘enjoyed’ it.
Scariest House in America premieres Friday, Oct. 4 at 9 p.m. on HGTV and will be available to stream the same day and time on Max. Ugliest House in America will return to HGTV with new episodes in 2025.