BearCat49

This one can almost be explained, lol. That's only almost, however! Again, we don't know whose phraseology it was, i.e. the house hunter or the production team. If it's the production team, however, I can hear them directing the participant to describe it in that way to throw all of us pesky viewers off the trail. They need to tamper their enthusiasm for their new home and some have better acting skills than others. If it has a deal breaker, even just a "potential" one, it might not be the home they already completed/closed escrow on. And, speaking from the participant's point of view, I can almost understand the word "potential". Again, "almost"! Most of the participants are married or in a l/t relationship. If they haven't spoken with their partner in detail about the home, they might guess something could be a problem for their spouse or partner but not know for certain. Thus, the situation/factor has the "potential" to be a deal breaker, if any of that makes sense, lol! Or, they may be leaving the option open as a way to reject the home w/o criticizing it in front of an owner or agent or ... It's always great to reject something that way, right? Blame it on your partner. We've all done that, haven't we? Yep, it doesn't surprise me to hear that's the condo they'd previously purchased. OTOH, if more than X number of words or paragraphs are required to explain only one word, then ... hahahahahaha. Next time, ptb, select another phrase or sentence, please.

You never know, DownTheShore! They must have their reasons, right? Hahahahah ... We never know if these words/phrases were actually expressed by the house hunter or suggested by the production team so I give the house hunters the benefit of the doubt. With my luck, if I made a single error during the entire shoot, that'd be the footage selected by the editors!

I do agree, DownTheShore. I have to give tptb credit for one thing. Have noticed over the past year (according to participant blogs or other objective information, e.g. linked in) or so that fewer participants have already lived in the episode's location for the previous x number of months or even years. It's more common these days that the move date actually corresponds (within a month or two) with the filming date. Gives me the impression that they're receiving more casting applications and have less need to fake that part of the story. WRT short-term rentals while one of the spouses performs a s/t assignment for their employer, that situation is so common for U.S. expats that I'm sure we'll continue seeing them on HHI. And, WRT those who've placed deposits, I'm sure they require that for the same reason HH participants must have previously closed escrow, i.e. tptb don't want to invest $$$ filming in a remote location only to have someone change their mind and decide not to move. I'm sure many and probably most of the participants have done far more homework on the locations than tptb share with us. In their defense, they can't squeeze all their information into 22 minutes of television. It's just easier for them, IMHO, to select a few themes and repeat them during the episode. (Yes, like a soap opera, they do repeat and repeat and ...) And don't ask me why but for some reason, tptb believe that viewers prefer the illusion of nightly clubbing in local bars and restaurant than dealing with roaches and garbage collection, lol. Also, if they simply acknowledge that the homework was completed, they can't film the process. For example, think of the silly scenes aired with some househunter walking into a government agency and immediately, presto, receiving a green card or other papers! Isn't that far more exciting for us stupid viewers than simply explaining that the participant spent x number of months prior to moving securing all the necessary paperwork? Hahahahaha ... I wish they could inject more actual reality into the process, too. Unfortunately, nothing succeeds like success. So, tptb will continue using the same tropes, treating viewers in the same fashion, until ratings suffer. So far, it doesn't sound as if that's happened. And, if/when it does, can they conduct focus groups to determine the actual cause? And, would that cause ratings to suffer? So far, tptb get away with repeating the same plots, ad nauseum. So, we'll see. Hopefully, at least a few viewers will vote with their remotes, soon! All of the above is JMHO.

Tptb have many hours of recorded footage so it's possible their vocabulary skills were on display elsewhere but not for the viewing public, in the final edit.

IIRC, the issues with the schools were discussed upthread, after the episode's initial airing.

If you enjoy the drama, good for you, DownTheShore! Personally, I try to ignore it and don't get overly excited at the idiocy and repetitive plots. I enjoy the scenery, local color and real estate. The missionaries annoy me, too! Wish tptb would relax and get over that one and simply fess up their true reason for relocating. It's fine with me (and I understand) their desire to avoid disclosure of each family's particular religion but they could simply admit they're missionaries.

I probably make a few grammatical mistakes, too, so I hesitate to criticize others. Many people don't spell well and simply need to click the "spellcheck" box. Adjectives are in the eyes of the beholder, IMHO. You may not find a McMansion "cute" but others will. In addition, if it's typically a "young" woman who's using that term, it's possible the editors want to reinforce her image as the feminine side of the house hunting couple. The editors hope to create a character so they probably used the footage where she happened to use that particular adjective. All, JMHO.

Rerun so it's been awhile since I saw that episode. For some reason I remember it as boring. I do remember them criticizing their choices, somehow. Good question - have wondered about that, myself. From participant accounts, it's sounded as if they wear people down with the long filming days and pressure. These people just want to get it over with so they utter the standard lines to finish up. From what I've heard, the contract's tough so I'm sure they've relinquished all creative control to tptb. I can see the camera crew continuing to try and get the shot. IMHO, the participants would be more likely to try to quit! Anybody have more information about the details of the standard contract? Someone mentioned on one of the threads that their friend passed on participating based on the fact that they needed to bring in their attorney to review it! (Or after their attorney reviewed it!) I suspect they could incur some penalty if/when they walked out during filming.

??? Guess I'm watching different HGTV programs b/c I don't notice or haven't heard many people desiring to immediately demo bookcases. Yes, sometimes they're sacrificed to create the vaunted "open concept" but the space is typically replaced by open shelving and/or storage elsewhere. Same thing with "to gift" used as a verb. I frequently hear designers and hosts mentioning they're going to "give" the participants something or the other and that's a minor pet peeve of mine. The show does the giving, IMHO. Real, unedited participants would be a dream. Can't see them ever doing it, unfortunately. Tptb would consider many or most real people too boring, i.e. unable to deliver 22 minutes of good, dramatic, reality TV. And, as long as they're happy with the ratings ...

Any time, you're welcome, NYGirl. Agree, that one goes beyond the pale WRT the fakery. I'm amazed at the millions who remain sucked in by reality television. It's one thing to play along with the drama for fun but to believe that everything is true "reality", wow! My fave comment was when the HH casting team indicated that potential participants call them and ask to sign up so HH can "help them find them a house"! Say, what? That function is performed by a "casting" agency for a reason. Without reviewing their personal balance sheet, it's tough to say definitively if they invested their "life savings". For many people, however, their equity in a home is their life savings. B&B's are tough, as mentioned upthread and I agree - good luck spending time with that beautiful baby. There's a reason that B&B's are readily available for purchase!

Then you can kindly acknowledge that the situation in this episode is/was different than your friend's but that doesn't make anything contained in my post false. In the meantime, if you have additional backstory about their process to share, then please do.

I could be wrong but didn't get the impression the workmen were making some sort of a judgment call, assuming they'd prefer to (or should) go greener or simply installing the product or material they were used to using. Or, that that's what the h/w believed they were doing - WRT the refrigerator, the wife mentioned that the larger staircase and/or different angle impacted/reduced her bin storage. So the frig wasn't the only problem and it sounded as if the measurements were more than a little off. In both instances, the changes would have increased the contractors' profit margins, IMHO. Naturally, I thought the couple believed they were purposely using inferior materials for that very reason. (I believe the episode made that inference or gave that impression.) Unfortunately, there's a huge incentive to do just that when working with a fixed price contract and the reason that careful management is necessary when using that type of contract, IMHO. Yes, I noticed that Huub sorta' disappeared after that. He didn't say much when confronted by the husband. Had that "busted" look on his face, IMHO. And, the no-show on the reveal speaks volumes, to me. I always wonder about things like the laundry and bikes, too, BTW.

Needless to say, I disagree with the black and white statement, "isn't true", biakbiak. IMHO that's a tad harsh. My post only referred to the initial contracts for the basic deal - not the working relationship between the various parties. IMHO, it's important to remember that both a television program and a renovation are in process. Agreed, after execution of the appropriate contracts and when everyone is on board, the homeowner takes over that relationship. You're speaking of another phase of the project, i.e. not the initial arrangement where HHR sets up the situation, specifying their needs for filming a television episode. The homeowners' priorities and the production company's might not always jive but that's an entirely separate subject. On some episodes, it's obvious or apparent (IMHO) that the homeowners may have contracted separately for additional work, over and above the standard HHR deal. Again, that's a different situation. In this particular episode, it appeared that this couple was unable to afford additional work. That's why they left two floors for an additional phase and apparently even installed a few windows on their own. Almost everything in life, IMHO, has shades of grey. ETA: Incidentally, I was returning to post about the husband's management of the g/c, i.e. a different topic, IMHO.

Late comment (sorry). I didn't notice her but I to ignore the participants as much as possible! I have occasionally noticed the camera lingering too much on certain things or people, hahaha ... WRT the jewelry, tptb probably told her to remove it for filming. It doesn't show up well on camera and can be distracting to the viewer. I do remember thinking on one episode recently that someone didn't look like a RE agent so perhaps it was this one, lol.

What's a "pop'd HH", QuinnM? Did my dvr miss something, lol? BTW, you're correct about the cost of those furnishings.

WRT the cost overruns, if it was the gc's error, then I assume they ate them and we'll never know. They may have accepted that in exchange for the HHI/R promotion. We did learn that they apparently left some windows for the homeowner to install himself b/c windows weren't bid. The fixed cost remodel is the deal arranged on these programs by the HHR ptb. They provide the designer, free of charge, plus a certain fixed $$$ amount for the reno. It might be tough to negotiate one w/o that additional factor, i.e. the promotion. On a normal job, the trades don't hesitate to pull out their change-order form.

Anytime, MsTree, I enjoy learning about the backstory and scoping out the tricks used to produce marketable drama. Agree, appearing on HH definitely wouldn't be worth it to me, giving up that much of my personal time in exchange for a measly stipend and those 15 minutes. I'm sure we all know hams and others who crave the spotlight and may have illusions of grandeur WRT the entertainment business.

IIRC, the homeowner believed everything was clearly specified but they were built larger and with a different turn/jog, interfering with the kitchen design.

Saw a couple of those, IIRC, laredhead, and it came off as much more produced and promotional than HH. Got the sense that they stick to the script. Made me wonder if it's actually controlled by a particular travel/vacation group. Wondered if they'd even been required to purchase the home. What do you think, laredhead? Hard to be faker and phonier than HH/HHI but I thought they pulled it off!

I've been told that the HH original crew was British so I frequently notice their phrases and speech patterns. Some intern probably used the term in their standard script and it hasn't been removed, IMHO. That said, I believe it's become more common in the U.S., so I don't find it particularly odd. Accepted by usage - Where, i.e. on what/which HGTV program(s), do you hear the phrase "to gift" used?

Good points, Apprentice Ilisidi, although I have a few different takes on them, as follows: 1. WRT books, on the reno programs, the built-ins are staged so the designers tend to use decorative items in built-ins. In addition, books can be heavy and unwieldy for staging. BTW, the participants do request and typically receive built-ins. I'm a reader, too, and always assume that the homeowners would replace the on-loan staging items with their own books and bric-a-brac when tptb vacate the premises. Sometimes the designers do stage with them but they use discards purchased for $1 or less and turned backwards for various reasons but usually b/c it's the same discard! When the designers color-code with them, that cracks me up! I don't pay much attention to the HH stuff during the final scene but I'm sure books appear. One thing, however, as a reader I do most of my reading electronically these days and try to reduce clutter in my own home. Books and newspapers can, unfortunately, invite clutter. I don't buy as many, these days, so it doesn't surprise me that not as many appear in the final scenes. 2. WRT entertaining, these programs are dramas and they're creating an illusion. Do a reno or upgrade to a new home, using our advertisers BTW, and you, too, can have 7K people over in your kitchen, having fun! The final scene also allows Aunt Tilly (or whoever) to join in on HH and talk about the good life to her f&f, too! 3. IMHO, whoever purchases products, at the end of the day, decides what's in or out. Yes, advertisers and designers have been trying to push homeowners into new products, for sales reasons, but homeowners still demand granite. The colors and styles of granite have changed and been updated, somewhat, over the last few years. Yes, it's tiresome to constantly hear about granite and s/s on HH but many times those are the participants reciting lines, fed to them by some intern standing to their side, out-of-frame. Quartz is also in, together with other natural products. At the end of the day, if they stand their ground, the sheep will purchase what they prefer - not whatever item the designer's pushing that day in order to win the sales contest and trip to Hawaii, lol! Good post and welcome to the boards. Hope you'll return and share more.

Oh, IMHO it had its fair share of false drama, according to the Louisville article's information. I believe the difference was that it was basically lighthearted and inconsequential for the primary purpose of moving the story along within its allotted 22 minutes of air time. And that's fine - it's necessary within the constraints of a reality television program. If we compared it to the Bali episode, besides possibly demonstrating 2 extremes (!), the Bali episode inserted false drama for both promotional and other unknown purposes, appearing to falsify the story to an extreme level for even more press and pr. (Incidentally, in the islands, locals employed in factories pretty much never live in the types of vacation villas toured during the Bali episode!) WRT the two Louisville/Panama women, however, I can't blame them for calling a little attention to the "murder book", lol.

Overall, it was a good episode but I just didn't buy that part of the story. Sounded like the typical HH drama and they displayed very little, if any, actual evidence of it. JMHO but I believe that was the add'l $6K of their budget, i.e. continuing their existing rental during the renovation period. BTW, I have no idea why tptb apparently believe we, the viewers, require extra, faux drama. In my experience, any construction project, large or small, typically provides more than enough drama without manufacturing any whatsoever.

Thanks for locating this article, sandwoman on the Panama episode. Don't know why but the link doesn't work - it comes up "page not found". Am pretty sure (??) this is the same article: http://insiderlouisville.com/lifestyle_culture/louisville-couple-featured-hgtv-house-hunters-international/

And the husband had to harp on it how many times that made it to air plus many more during the filming process! At least they had $$$ (from somewhere) to cover it. Am very curious if they retained their original home. Anyone around from that area??? Definitely - even for the major motion pics, it always sounds as if the actors must spend at least 50% of their time waiting around.