- The latest season of HGTV's "Celebrity IOU" premiered on Monday night.
- Heidi Klum teamed up with the Property Brothers for the season premiere.
HGTV's hit show "Celebrity IOU" returned on Monday with another A-list celebrity: Heidi Klum.
The supermodel and "America's Got Talent" judge teamed up with the Property Brothers to gift her housekeeper Lucia with a surprise home renovation.
As they shared during the show, Lucia has worked for Klum for 17 years, not only cleaning her home but cooking for her family and caring for her children.
"She's become part of our family. She really is someone in my house that I can't live without," Klum said of Lucia, adding that she has always been there for her.
Klum also said on the show that Lucia intended to renovate her home a few years ago, but her mother got COVID and was ill for an extended period of time before dying. Her mother's medical bills cut into the money Lucia and her husband had saved to renovate, which made Klum even more motivated to fix her home with the help of Drew and Jonathan Scott.
"She always has my back, and it feels good that now I can have hers too," Klum said.
Klum and the Property Brothers had just three weeks to pull off the renovation, as they used time Lucia was visiting family to complete the project.
Klum and the Scotts wanted to put family at the center of their design because Lucia doesn't just live with her husband, she also lives with her daughter Lorena as well Lorena's husband and their children.
It was important to the trio that the home feel open and airy after the renovation. Before they changed anything, the house had dark floors, and the kitchen was cut off from the rest of the living space, making it all feel smaller.
The refrigerator also sat a step down from the rest of the kitchen, creating a disjointed space that wasn't convenient for Lucia.
Klum and the Property Brothers turned the space into an open-concept layout, removing the wall that separated the kitchen and adding space so all of the appliances were in one room.
They also swapped the dark floors for a lighter-wood finish, and they picked bright cabinets to make the home feel "happier," as Klum said.
Klum was hands-on in the renovation process, partaking in the demolition process, selecting finishes for the cabinets and counters, helping to install both tile and wood flooring throughout the house, and even climbing onto Lucia's roof to place new shingles.
The roof work, in particular, was out of Klum's comfort zone.
"I have never been on top of a roof. I have never done roof shingling in my life," Klum said. "I don't love heights. But I'm always up for anything."
The experience ended up being gratifying for Klum, as she shared on the show.
"I have to tell you, it feels amazing to put the safe roof over her and her family's head," Klum told the Scotts while still on Lucia's roof.
"She does so much for me and for my family, so to be able to do that for her, with my own hands, it feels great," she added in an interview with "Celebrity IOU" producers.
When it was finally time to reveal the renovation, Lucia was thrilled.
"It's beautiful," she said, adding that she was shocked by how much it had changed. "This is not my house. This is another house."
"Celebrity IOU" airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.