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Still today, fans can’t help but question certain storylines on reality television. Among them includes House Hunters. Fans have debated how real the HGTV series really is. We have information on what goes on behind the scenes, and the impactful stories come from actual buyers that were on the show. As expected, it doesn’t seem like everything is completely organic.
In the following, we’re going to take a closer look at experiences of those that appeared on the reality series. We’ll examine what the pay is like, and how it has changed over the years.
In addition, we’ll reveal why a certain Michigan couple decided to turn down the reality show. It seems like the experience wasn’t as ‘real’ as they expected, causing them to decline the offer. There seems to be legitimacy to what they had said, given that another couple to actually appear on the show had a similar experience.
One Couple Stated That They Were Paid A Flat Rate Of $1,500 For Their Experience On House Hunters
Without a doubt, couples don’t decide to be on House Hunters for the pay. When it comes to the domestic version of the reality show, buyers typically make $500 for the experience. However, a particular couple revealed alongside Slate that their pay was $1,500.
Mitch and Jayne Englander appeared on the first ever episode of House Hunters back in the fall of 1999. The couple had a completely different pay, making absolutely nothing from the experience.
“They pay the buyers $500? No! We didn’t get a dime. We didn’t get a thank you card at the time. We didn’t get anything. We got a VHS tape about six months later. I found out it’s now on iTunes for $1.99, which I’m really excited about,” Mitch tells Vice.
“But you know, we don’t get any royalties off of it. But I’m okay with that. We did it for fun, and it was experiential. We thought we’d have something for the kids that one day they could show maybe their grandkids, like, ‘Here’s a program that never made it.”
Back then, it appears as though the show was a lot less scripted, as the Englanders revealed that there was little guidance given to them behind the scenes. Clearly, that would change in the years that followed given the behind the scenes stories.
A Couple Looking For A Home In Michigan Revealed They Turned Down House Hunters After Realizing What The Process Was Like
Over on Reddit, a Michigan buyer spoke about his brief experience on House Hunters, getting contacted to be on the show.
He said, “When my wife and I were looking to buy a home in Michigan, our agent told us we had the opportunity to be on House Hunters if we wanted to. We talked to some person from the show, and they told us the basic process.”
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However, the process wasn’t as ‘basic’ as expected, and it appeared to be overly scripted.
“We’d buy whatever home we wanted, then they would film us there before we moved in, as though we were just looking at the place as well as looking at two other ‘prospective’ places that they had selected. Then we’d ultimately ‘choose’ the house we’d already bought and live happily ever after.”
The process seemed to be completely backwards, and not in tune to the ‘reality’ portion of the show. After watching an episode of the show, the Michigan buyer deemed he was better off staying away from the reality series.
“We watched a few episodes, and I convinced my wife how stupid they would likely make us look, so we passed.”
It seems like other buyers faced a similar dilemma after they appeared on the show.
Another Couple That Was On House Hunters Revealed They Found The Home Before Getting Cast
Way back in 1999, the process of House Hunters was still similar. Prior to getting cast, the couple had already found their dream home, and would have to redo the entire the process for the cameras. Mitch Englander discussed what the casting process was like behind the scenes.
“We found the final house right before we were cast, but we weren’t certain and it was a little beyond our price range. We had to recreate much of house hunting and look at properties we’d already seen, but it was also very real because we weren’t sure yet if we wanted those properties or not. So, it gave us a second look.”
The couple ended up moving out of the home a few years later in 2005. Oddly enough, cameras were back to film the process, this time for a different reality show.
“The weird thing was when we moved out [in 2005] either 20/20 or 60 Minutes filmed us because the guy who bought the house was James Denton from Desperate Housewives. It was the biggest show on television at the time, so it was a big deal.”
