House Hunters Scandal: Show May Be Fake
One of HGTV‘s more popular shows has been facing just the kind of criticism reality shows hope to avoid — charges that the show is scripted. So the question now is this: Is “House Hunters” fake?
Yes, at least one episode was, according to a Huffington Post report. The online news site interviewed Bobi Jensen, who appeared on an episode. Jensen claims that she and her family had already closed on the new house prior to filming, and that the other homes they toured weren’t even for sale, but rather belonged to family friends.
Moreover, Jensen told Entertainment Weekly that the producers of “House Hunters” faked her family’s story. But she added that viewing friends’ homes isn’t the norm, and the couple was unable to find realtors willing to show them homes for the show.
The Huffington Post reached out to HGTV, and the network responded with this lengthy statement:
“We’ve learned that the pursuit of the perfect home involves big decisions that usually take place over a period of time –more time than we can capture in 30 minutes of television. However, with a series like “House Hunters,” HGTV viewers enjoy the vicarious and entertaining experience of choosing a home — from establishing a budget, to touring properties and weighing the pros and cons of each one. We’re making a television show, so we manage certain production and time constraints, while honoring the home buying process. To maximize production time, we seek out families who are pretty far along in the process. Often everything moves much more quickly than we can anticipate, so we go back and revisit some of the homes that the family has already seen and we capture their authentic reactions. Because the stakes in real estate are so high, these homeowners always find themselves RIGHT back in the moment, experiencing the same emotions and reactions to these properties. Showcasing three homes makes it easier for our audience to “play along” and guess which one the family will select. It’s part of the joy of the “House Hunters”‘ viewing experience. Through the lens of television, we can offer a uniquely satisfying and fun viewing experience that fulfills a universal need to occasionally step into someone else’s shoes.”
The non-definitive statement, at least in part, seems to leave open the question of whether or not “House Hunters” is fake.
Tags : fake, House Hunters, House Hunters fake, house hunters international, reality show, scripted reality
Posted: June 13, 2012
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Jun 13, 2012
I knew it was fake because the Realtors like Sandy Riggalotto, and all others are not licensed in EVERY state. You're generally licensed only in the state you live, and work in, and she's on there "showing" homes, and playing the role of Realtor in all different states. Duh! I used to be a Realtor…
Jun 13, 2012
Are there people who actually thought a family only saw 3 houses and made a decision? Does not happen to the average family.
Jun 13, 2012
Every episode is fake. I have friends that were on the show and they had already purchased a house when House Hunters asked them to be on. They show them 2 other houses along with the one they have already bought so there really isn't any choice to be made.
Jun 13, 2012
I thought the show picked 3 homes out of the many they looked at to showcase. I feel so dumb, I thought it was mostly real. Why do I trust this stuff. Learned my lesson I hope and erasing the ones I taped and cancelling the new shows I was going to tape.
Jun 13, 2012
I thought they looked at alot of homes and narrowed down three to show on the program and then probably already had the one they were going to buy picked out..I really liked it….:(
Jun 13, 2012
One of my favorite shows – oh well. -T
Jun 13, 2012
In other words we're fake pretending sometimes to be real.
Jun 13, 2012
Is this the show that has the chick with big titts and films in Canada?
Jun 13, 2012
For 1. her name is Sandra Rinomato, 2. Her show was called Propety Virgins. 3. She is a Real Estate broker ,( Which title gives them more additional responsibilities than a agent, as in most cases a agent works for a brotker) 4. She has multiple licenses in selective states, not all there is no such thing as a national real estate license. Different states have different reciprocity rules; if you're an agent/broker in one state, you may be able to gain the same status in certain other states. If you use to be a Realtor then you should know that!
Jun 13, 2012
No you're talking about Sandra Rinamatto or Rotten tomato, something like that… She is on Property Virgins on the same network. Love her!
Jun 14, 2012
My huisband and I watch this show every nite……love it…try to guess which one the client will choose…of course, some of it is not real….but makes for good t.v…..better than the Kardashians!
Jun 14, 2012
Who cares? There's a lot of things that are much more important than this to worry about. I find the show entertaining and that's enough for me. If you want to worry about something, worry about where the government is going to get money to pay it's debts without printing more of it and ruining the economy.