HGTV “Screen Test”

In case you hadn’t heard, back in February we decided to see if we couldn’t get on one of those HGTV shows that helps you buy your first property. Lucky for us, “Property Virgins” was filming in Boston this summer. I shot them an email to let them know we were interested, and they called us back that night!! After verifying that we were dumb enough about real estate, they said we were indeed candidates and would proceed to the next step. We had 3 days to get pre-approved and submit a 10-page questionnaire about us – what we wanted in a home, why we were buying, why we hadn’t bought yet, what our fears were about taking this step, how we met, what we like about each, what we don’t like, what we might argue about while purchasing our first home, our weight, our vices…pretty much our life stories. Anyway, we submitted it and heard back right away that they loved it and we were still in the running. They informed us the producer would be out in this area interviewing candidates a few months down the road and to just sit tight.
About a month ago, we finally got the call from the casting director asking if we were still interested. When we said we were, she asked that we submit a couple more pages detailing our first date, courtship, wedding, and honeymoon, etc. She needed to finalize her report for submission, though we’ve never seen them talk about that stuff on the show so we don’t know why they needed it, but whatever. A week or so later, the producer called and asked when we would be free to meet with them. She explained that they normally come to our home and talk to us for about an hour about how the show works and what would happen next. They also said there would be a camera there and they would film us answering a lot of the same questions we submitted on the original questionnaire. At this point, we weren’t sure if we had been selected or were still interviewing. We also did not know if this film piece was the interview piece that they normally show at the start of each episode.
With so much uncertainty on our end, it was actually kind of hard to get nervous about it. But we cleaned the house and got dolled up just in case. When they arrived (a couple hours early!), it was two young-ish girls who were quite friendly and easy to talk to. It was surprisingly non-nerve-racking to have them in our home and chat with them. One girl started the process by explaining how the show works, how its filmed, the timetable for one episode, etc. It was slightly surprising how much “smoke-and-mirrors” there is. Obviously, we know that some creativity is needed to fit the whole buying process in a cohesive 30 minute episode, but still! I think the thing that most bummed us out was that we really like the realtor who does each show, but it turns out she’s pretty much a talking head. They actually select a local realtor for us to work with and they pick the areas and the homes and work with the seller. The other "illusions" are actually more convenient for us though, so overall it was mostly good news. After that, the other girl interviewed us while the first girl filmed it. It went fairly well, I think. I really have no idea how they normally go, so I can’t be more specific about that part. J Anyway, we went ahead and asked about our “competition” – turns out they interviewed nine buyers in the Boston area, and only five will be selected for the show. It’s a little better than 50/50, but still. They said they’ll let us know either way in a couple of weeks, so now we just do some more waiting.
Happily, it’s not like this is a life’s dream and we don’t really get anything out of the experience other than being on TV and having a little more advice and input than we would on our own. We’ve made it this far, so we kind of hope we make it; but, with all the smoke-and-mirrors and time commitment and other things, I don’t think we’ll be too disappointed if we’re not chosen. Also, then we would be free to do it on our own schedule when we’re ready and not be so worried about maybe having to break our lease.
At any rate, it was fun to have gotten this far and learn what really happens in those shows. We’ll keep you posted!