What It's Like To Be Selected For House Hunters International
I never knew it was SO scripted until I was chosen for the show.
As a travel lover, one of my favorite TV shows used to be House Hunters International. It takes viewers on a grand journey in every episode, showcasing fascinating glimpses into how the other half lives.
Some destinations they take us to allow viewers to see how inexpensive living in paradise can be. One old episode in Peniche, Portugal blew my mind. An American family was able to rent a spectacular beachfront home large enough for eight people, for a mere $1300.00.
But ever since going through the casting experience for HHI not once but twice, I’m not nearly as enamoured with the process as I used to be.
Yes, those “move abroad” shows are still dreamy to watch but having inside knowledge of how it works sort of deflates the colorful balloons at the end of the journey.
**Disclaimer: I was cast in 2011 and 2012 so the show may do things differently now**
Both times I was accepted for House Hunters International, I was moving to Jamaica. And both times, I had applied mainly for publicity as a Jamaica destination writer. I figured the notoriety of being on the show could give my writing endeavors an added boost.
When I left Canada in 2011 I already had my own apartment on the island. As a frequent visitor, it made perfect financial sense to keep a home base there.
The rent on my one-bedroom, fully furnished apartment was the equivalent of $350.00 CAD per month. When I wasn’t on the island I rented it out to my blog readers for $350.00 per week.
Applying for HHI was a very simple process. You email them your pitch and if they feel like slotting in that particular destination they’ll get back to you with their requirements.
What viewers may not know is that many house hunters on the show already live in their destinations. It would be impossible to coordinate each episode with live moves in real-time.
The show does a marvellous job of turning average people into scripted actors.
Since I already had my apartment, producers explained how shooting would work. We would enlist a local realtor to find two comparable rentals in the area and then we’d go on three mock viewings with the film crew, one of which would be my own apartment.
After the mock viewings, I would put on the act of weighing out my options and then PRESTO! I would magically choose my own apartment and they would slip me $1500.00 for appearing in the episode.
It seemed a bit silly and fake but realistically, how else could it be done?
My casting in 2011 went all the way to the script-planning stage. They had even gone into detail about how I should remove my contents from my apartment during filming, to make it appear unoccupied.
For $1500.00 and screen time, I could certainly do a fake move-out.
But then suddenly, without much explanation, the show pulled out at the last minute. If I remember correctly the destination had something to do with it and they decided Jamaica wasn’t suitable at the time.
Although disappointing, it was of no consequence to me. I was moving anyway.
The second time HHI selected me, I had been hired to go to Jamaica for a writing contract. This time my employers would be putting me up in a home of their choice. I had nothing to do with choosing my accommodations.
In Jamaica, it’s common for renters to cohabit in shared living spaces. Quite often, people rent a single room in gigantic villa-style homes and share common spaces, as I’ve shown in my cockroach post.
If you’ve ever been on the island and explored anywhere outside a resort you’ve no doubt noticed monstrous homes everywhere. They don’t typically house one big, wealthy family, they often accommodate several average-income people.
Knowing how the show worked, I reached out to HHI again to see if they were ready for Jamaica yet and they responded favorably.
I explained to producers that my employers would provide my accommodations in one of these large villa-style homes. I would have my own furnished room and ensuite in a house with shared living and kitchen space.
In this particular villa home, no one else lived there at the time. It would just be me and the villa staff.
The show agreed to cast me again and we started the process all over. They began vetting another realtor to round up a couple of mock properties.
All was well until days before my departure when HHI backed out yet again. Another shady deal.
This time their reason was that they didn’t think the particular living style would suit the purpose of their show even though I had explained that this is legitimately how many people live on the island.
In my opinion, if an American TV show truly wants to showcase how other cultures live they should be open to all options, not just options they think will appear typical to viewers.
This is a disservice to viewers who think they might want to embark on their own relocation adventure.
Half the reason people travel is to escape an average, everyday lifestyle and learn to adopt new cultures. If shared accommodations or uncommon living styles happen to be part of that culture, it shouldn’t be excluded.
When I had my Jamaica destination blog two of the top inquiries I’d received from readers were:
A) How to move to Jamaica and,
B) How to find a home there.
Since I had done it more than once I knew exactly how to go about relocating and where to find accommodations.
Most foreigners think that searching for real estate ads online is the only way to acquire a home, when in fact, one of the best ways to find affordable and unique housing options is to go local.
So, while House Hunters International does a fabulous job of introducing us to a world of different lifestyles, it doesn’t open our eyes to all the possibilities. That simply wouldn’t fit into a script.
But in reality, which part of travel abroad does fit into a script?
Are you an avid viewer of any ‘move abroad’ TV shows? Which ones are your favs and what’s the coolest living style you’ve seen in different parts of the world?
3 Unique Ways To Make Money Based On Where You Are In The World
‘Your Other Passport’ (the section where this post resides) is a set of blueprints filled with bright ideas, actionable advice, and bite-sized tidbits that will teach you how to stop spending money on travel, start earning money on the road, and become widely recognized within your destination of choice, even if the destination is where you currently live.
Having worked in TV for a number of years, I take a fairly jaundiced view of much of what that industry does, most especially "reality" shows. Kudos to you for having the initiative to get yourself on the show twice, but that category of producers and their staffs are so practiced in blowing sunshine up people's skirts -- and so many people are so dazzled at the prospect of being on the tube that they're woefully easy to manipulate. Luckily, you don't fall into that group.
I am guessing (which means I have NO idea!) that many of the reality TV shows are scripted more than we realize. I agree that viewers would get more out of the authentic experience you described. However, it turned out it's one more example of the many interesting things you have done in your life Kristi!
PS I know not all shows are scripted as a local recently won the show Alone and he was alone in the wilderness the whole time.