Dean Bell on HGTV, Winning the Golden Hammer & Life After Reality TV

After Reality with Courtney Robertson

Courtney Robertson

Reality Tv, Interviews, Tv & Film, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Villains

4.5 • 722 Ratings

🗓️ 26 March 2026

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On this episode of After Reality, I’m sitting down with fellow Bachelor alum Dean Bell—and we’re diving into what it’s really like going from receiving roses to swinging hammers.

We get into our experience filming at the Bachelor Mansion for this new HGTV renovation series, and let’s just say… it was no walk in the park. I’m talking long days, real physical labor, and learning how to work (and survive) alongside a house full of big personalities. It’s competitive, chaotic, and honestly, so much fun to relive. We also get into how different it is filming a home renovation show versus a dating show.

Dean also spills on winning the coveted “Golden Hammer” and the strategy behind it—including one very bold (and slightly mischievous) move involving a blue-painted ceiling that definitely got people talking.

Beyond the competition, we shift gears and talk about Dean’s personal life. He opens up about his decision to change his last name to Bell in honor of his late mother, his marriage, and what life looks like for him these days in Colorado. From his background in construction to his unexpected love for his cat Karl, it’s a side of Dean I think people are really going to connect with.

It’s a fun, honest conversation about growth, reinvention, and what life can look like after reality TV—because sometimes going from roses to hammers leads you exactly where you’re meant to be.

@deanie_babies

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, welcome back to After Reality. It's your host, Courtney Robertson here. I hope you're having a great week.
0:06.3	Wowie, it's been a doozy. And I've got a lot to say about this week's episode of Bachelor Mansion Takeover.
0:13.5	Ooh, shout out to Nate Berkus. Let the designer's design. Come on now. I'm going to do a full episode, you guys. You stay tuned. But I did want to say
0:22.2	thank you so much for all the love. I've been a little bit in the weeds on social media,
0:27.2	but I've seen so many positive messages. Love you guys. Mean it. And I've got a fun episode for
0:33.2	you today. It's with one of my favorite contestants from The Takeover. It's Dean Bell. He's here.
0:39.5	You may know him from The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, and Winter Games. Huh? I didn't know
0:45.6	he was on Winter Games. Well, now he's married to Kalin Bell, living his best life, and somehow
0:51.1	we all ended up doing this totally different kind of reality show
0:54.1	bachelor mansion takeover where it's not about dating it's about deadlines and power tools today
1:00.5	we're going to be talking about behind the scenes life updates strategy the santa rini room the golden
1:07.2	hammer and of course a little bit of cat chat. I couldn't resist. Of course,
1:11.6	what other reality TV shows would Dean do? I think he is reality TV gold, maybe traitors,
1:18.0	what would he wear, Survivor. Also, how the show is being received and how it's different
1:23.7	from filming a Bachelor Nation show. When they first announced it, there was a lot of,
1:29.6	I don't know, a little backlash online and this is kind of a different show for HDTV. But
1:34.9	we're going to dive into it all. So I sure hope you enjoy this conversation with Dean Bell.
1:39.7	Dean, thank you for being here today. How are you doing, Goldenhammer?
1:44.3	Thank you so much for having me on. It's such an honor to be here. I wouldn't be here.
1:50.5	It wasn't for this Golden Hammer right here. Wait a second. I want to go back for a second.
1:54.7	You said there's been mixed reviews. What are these mixed reviews?
1:57.7	Saying, who are these people doing this take a?
	...

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