Of Course HGTV Is Fake

Does it matter? Do you like it any less?

It has recently come to national attention that Fixer Upper, the best and most insidiously alluring show on HGTV, might be fake. According to David Ridley, the chisel-jawed bachelor contestant from the third season of the show, just about everything you see before he actually chose the house he ended up with was fake.

‘Fixer Upper’ house-hunting scenes are fake, show participant claims

“You have to be under contract to be on the show. They show you other homes but you already have one,” he told Fox. “After they select you, they send your house to Chip and Joanna and their design team.”

When one applies to be on the show, there are questions in the application about how far along you are in the escrow process and what the purchase price of your new home is. Thus, the veil is lifted and we now have a solid answer for a question that most of us have already answered for ourselves, via common sense and an innate understanding of how both reality television and home ownership work.

The process of buying a house isn’t something that can be condensed neatly into a watchable 20 minute segement of a 40 minute show. Any loyal viewer of the show has probably inutited this on their own. For what it’s worth, HGTV isn’t exactly denying this, as you can see from their statement, below:

‘Fixer Upper’ fans enjoy the series because it focuses on the playful banter between Chip and Jo, their home renovation expertise, innovative design tips and families who get the help they need to transform a fixer upper into the home of their dreams.”

The first half of Fixer Upper is likely fake. But the show’s true allure lies in fantasy — not just the home improvement, but the whole package. Chip and Joanna’s relationship (on TV, at least) is marriage as written by a teenaged romantic, complete with dopey but lovable husband, four adorable children and a sprawling farmhouse deep in the heart of Waco. For city-dwellers living in cramped apartments, seeing the property prices and the space you get for your money plant a seed of possibility. The ease with which a house becomes a home in 41 tightly-edited minutes leads you to believe that it’s within your grasp.

HGTV and the Fantasy of Home Improvement

No one’s really checking for how true it is. We just want to see Chip Gaines smash into a wall with a sledgehammer only for Joanna to rebuild it with shiplap. We want to see the reveal at the end — the shiny windows, the fresh paint, the cool expanse of marble on the kitchen island. We to ooh at the transformation. We want the fantasy — no paperwork, headaches or sleepless nights — and nothing more.

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