EXCLUSIVE: HGTV Star Bobby Berk Reveals Brutal Toll of Junk Hoarding—as He Helps Collectors Whose Lives Have Been Ruined by the Obsession

"Queer Eye" star Bobby Berk is best known for transforming the lives of men in desperate need of a lifestyle overhaul—but he is now turning his expert eye to another, much more niche project: tackling the overwhelming world of junk hoarding.

The topic takes center stage in Berk's new HGTV series "Junk or Jackpot?" that premieres Dec. 26—and will see the reality star working with so-called collectors whose obsession with stockpiling different items has spiraled out of control, taking, in some cases, a dire toll on their lives.

For Berk, 44, who splits his time between Palm Desert, CA, and Portugal, the show was a very "emotional" experience, bringing in many of the same difficult personal topics that he regularly approached in "Queer Eye."

In the show, Berk meets with homeowners whose spaces are filled with collections, whether that be superhero figurines, Disney memorabilia, video games, vinyl records, or dolls. Sometimes the collections are valuable and well-organized, sometimes not. But they all have one thing in common: The collection has taken over.

On the surface, the show is about helping homeowners whose collections have reached uncontrollable extremes to offload any items that can be classified as junk or as a valuable asset for sale.

But beneath the glossy exterior, Berk says the show has so many more layers—noting that his transformation of these properties was less about creating a picture-perfect aesthetic and more about "changing people's lives."

"I wanted to make sure it wasn't just about going out and designing a pretty home because you can," Berk tells Realtor.com®. "This show is about changing people's lives and really helping them create healthy boundaries with collecting."

The "emotional component" that sits at the very heart of the homeowners' collections is something that Berk was eager to showcase, noting that many of these hoarding tendencies were born out of a much more personal place than simply wanting to amass things.

"[Collecting] was their passion, but because they went overboard, it actually became a source of stress and anxiety and in some cases, it literally broke marriages," Berk says of his clients on the show.

The designer enlists help from experts who can help sell parts of the collections, freeing up once-crowded spaces in their properties. The newfound square footage is an instant improvement—and the earnings help pay for Berk's elegant home improvements.

The TV star says these transformations are meaningful for his clients on the show, but also for viewers who may be looking around, wondering if their stuff is worth anything. Berk enlists experts who can appraise items and the show then follows homeowners as they take their items to auction or sell online.

This process can serve as inspiration for people who are ready to reduce—but are hoping for a return on their investments.

Plus, Berk's new show includes valuable lessons on decluttering and minimizing, which the designer says many people try and fail at.

"I think one of the reasons why we fail when trying to organize our house is we try to bite off more than we can chew," he says.

"We try to say, OK, I'm going to clean out the garage today. I'm going to organize that. And it's too much. We don't have time for it, or it's overwhelming. And so we give up halfway through."

But he says that if you start out small, cleaning out just one corner of the garage or a junk drawer, "We get those endorphins of accomplishment. And it'll encourage you to get that closet next time. And then work your way up to the big spaces."

He adds that pairing down and organizing shouldn't be done alone. And while Berk can't come into everyone's home, he suggests a valuable stand-in: family members.

"Make it a teachable moment with the kids, with the spouse, with the friend. Have some friends over," he says, suggesting inviting loved ones to have cocktails while you clean out the garage together.

"If your friends really love you, they'll be there for you for that because they know you'll do the same for them," he says.

And at the end of the day, Berk says "Junk or Jackpot?" isn't about throwing everything away. He talks clients through what to sell, what to put in storage, and what to display. He helps collectors create displays and special closets, so they can show off their favorite items to "friends and family who are now willing to come over—because there's space to come over."

"And the great thing about that is, every season or so you can rotate the items out," he says. "And that way when friends come over, there's something new to talk about."

Berk says organizing and pairing down can lead to better relationships and a better home life. Plus, you never know when you're going to open a box and get a surprise.

"In one of our episodes, our collector had a box of things that she had bought at an estate sale for like 500 bucks a decade ago. And we found multiple items worth 10, 20, 30, $40,000 in there," Berk says. "So I think that was a really, really great moment for both her and for the show."