HGTV fans love a good renovation, but if you’re under the assumption that working with network star Jasmine Roth means you’ll get it done for free, you might just have fallen for a lie. Well, a not-so-well-known fact, anyway.
We’ll cut straight to the chase: Participants on “Help! I Wrecked My House” are paying for their own renovations. However, while this particular tidbit of information will probably come as a shock to most, HGTV doesn’t exactly hide it. Au contraire, in a Q&A on HGTV’s website, the channel’s VP of production and development, Betsy Ayala, explained that it is fully disclosed to homeowners on the show that they will have to pay their own way. Plus, casting calls put out on Roth’s website specifically note that hopefuls need at least $100,000 to apply in the first place.
That isn’t all, though. While there’s no question that the highlight of any home improvement show is seeing the homeowners return to their newly renovated space, this requires them to move out temporarily. As for where they go, that’s never really something shown to the viewers. However, it turns out that booking these short-term digs is also on the homeowners’ dime. There’s a potential for this to get very pricey, too. Per the application form, potential “Help! I Wrecked My House” participants should budget for up to 10 weeks in alternative accommodation. Simply put: If you’re hoping to have bad renovations fixed on a budget, Roth’s show might not be the first place to start.
HGTV may throw in a few freebies here and there
Participants on “Help! I Wrecked My House” may have to cover the bulk of their renovations, but that doesn’t mean the producers won’t throw in any extras. In fact, in her Q&A for HGTV, Betsy Ayala shared that from time to time, production would chip in. For the most part, she explained that would be when something had to be done faster for the show’s sake. She also hinted that if something needed to look even more impressive on camera, they’d cover the shortfall, too.
It bears mentioning that this is a policy across the board with HGTV’s productions. Though it’s not an untold truth that “Fixer Upper” required homeowners to pay for work done by Chip and Joanna Gaines, one thing HGTV likely didn’t want people to know is that, on occasion, they’d pop in some freebies as well. Speaking to Waco Tribune-Herald back in 2014, Chip Gaines shared that those extras could come in the form of things like landscaping, which would make everything look better on camera. A nice little add-on, no doubt. However, once again, not guaranteed.
Given that both the channel’s executives and its stars are fairly open about the fact that participants on their shows need to pay their own way (even Erin Napier has clarified the costs involved to dispel any rumors about “Home Town” leading fans to believe their finishing touches were free), we can’t exactly classify this particular revelation as one of HGTV’s biggest scandals. Even so, there’s no question that many viewers may be surprised to hear about it. After all, we aren’t seeing reminders in each episode to clarify that the participants paid for everything. Consider this your warning, then: If you’re hoping for an HGTV makeover, be prepared to pay for it.
