The warts hiding beneath the well-designed veneer of HGTV’s hit design/reality show Love It Or List It are being exposed thanks to a lawsuit filed by a pair of very unhappy homeowners.
The lawsuit alleges that Love It Or List It is a fantasy, the renovations undertaken shoddy, and its realtor not even licensed to sell a home in the state. On top of all that, North Carolina homeowners Deena Murphy and Timothy Sullivan are wondering what happened to a big chunk of the money they gave to the production company, the News & Observer reported.
For those unfamiliar with the addictive, escapist show, Love It Or List It lures “homeowners whose home, for whatever reason, doesn’t suit their needs anymore.” Viewers then watch as designer Hilary Farr renovates the current home and realtor David Visentin shows the homeowners new ones. At the end comes the “big reveal,” and the couple must choose: “love” their redesigned home or “list” it and move?
The lawsuit cracks this fantasy, however, by alleging that the reality show requires a massive amount of staging and is “scripted, with ‘roles’ and reactions assigned to the various performers and participants, including the homeowners.” The subject of the lawsuit, production company Big Coat, is in the business of TV, not construction.
“The homeowners’ funds essentially pay the cost of creating a stage set for this television series.”
‘Love It or List it’ – or lawsuit? HGTV show sued over ‘shoddy’ home renovation https://t.co/BuKq7TBpES pic.twitter.com/Ywr0pE8Zuq
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) April 19, 2016
The ticked-off homeowners were featured in Season 9 of Love It Or List It and were lured to an advertisement for the show when they wanted to renovate a rental property in Raleigh. Their intention was to move into the home with their teenaged foster kids. They were chosen in April 2015.
By the time the Love It Or List It crew were finished, the lawsuit alleges, the home was “irreparably damaged.” Duct work created holes in the floor “through which vermin could enter the house.” They also allege low-grade industrial carpeting and that some surfaces went unpainted while windows were painted shut.
Even worse, according to Fox News , is this part of the lawsuit : The Sullivans gave Big Coat $140,000 for home repairs, described by the company as a “deposit.” The money was meant to pay for work performed by hired contractor Aaron Fitz.
The problem? When the so-called “big reveal” was filmed, Fitz was paid $85,786.50, leaving Deena and Timothy to wonder where the rest of the money went.
Love It Or List It sued over shoddy renovations, ridiculous falsehoods https://t.co/zrKKJpEH6l pic.twitter.com/uGSMhXADiT
— The A.V. Club (@TheAVClub) April 18, 2016
Further, the couple complained about Fitz, who had very low ratings on Angie’s List, but Big Coat hired him anyway. The man “portrayed” as the general contractor, Eric Eremita (who appeared on Brother vs. Brother with twins Jonathan and Drew Scott), wasn’t licensed to work in North Carolina, either.
The lawsuit also contends that Love It Or List It employed an unlicensed architect to develop renovation plans and that the couple was shown houses that they couldn’t even buy because the realtor was also unlicensed. And the renovation design? Allegedly borrowed from a firm used by the Sullivans before they even contacted the show.
“These characters are actors or television personalities playing a role for the camera, and in this case none of them played more than a casual role in the actual renovation process.”
The Sullivan’s attorney, James White, has advised his clients not to discuss the case outside the courtroom; they signed a confidentiality agreement with Love It Or List It as well.
Naturally, Big Coat CEO and executive producer Maria Armstrong has said that the lawsuit lodges false claims against Love It Or List It .
“We are aware of the lawsuit. Because this matter involves ongoing litigation, our attorneys have advised us and we feel that making a comment would be inappropriate at this time. However, we do intend to vigorously defend what we consider to be false allegations.”
[Image via HGTV ]
