Here's How Much It Really Costs To Be On HGTV's Help! I Wrecked My House
If you've got a home that needs some serious saving, look no further than the hit HGTV show "Help! I Wrecked My House." The show follows homeowners who are in over their heads after purchasing a home in need of a little TLC. Helmed by the eternally bubbly HGTV mainstay Jasmine Roth, the DIY home improv show has been a runaway hit for the popular network. The premiere for Season 3 of "Help! I Wrecked My House" impressively racked up more than 3 million viewers and ranked as the number one cable premiere at that time.
With a loyal audience and an interesting topic, plenty of people want to sign up to be on the show and upgrade their house. But if you thought it would be a free ride to get your home a brand-new makeover on "Help! I Wrecked My House," we're sorry to be the bearer of bad news — that's simply not the case. Being featured on the star HGTV show will take quite a few dollars, so if you're looking to be the next lucky contestant, make sure you have big (and we mean big) money stowed away.
Being on the show could cost you over $100K
The casting call document for Season 4 of "Help! I Wrecked My House" revealed that becoming a contestant on the show can be very costly. The document begins by asking interested parties if their home is in shambles after a failed bout of DIY interior designing. Then, in bold, the casting call states that participants must have a budget of at least $50K for cosmetic purposes. It also requests that homeowners have $100K set aside for "structural or layout changes" done during the course of the renovation process.
The application also gave potential contestants a heads-up that made our heads swivel. One section noted that homeowners should be prepared to be out of the home for up to ten weeks during renovations. Unfortunately, this will also be at the homeowner's expense, so add hotel costs to the list of expenses you'll need to prepare for when signing up for this HGTV show. That's not pocket change by any means, but there is a positive side. The sign-up sheet also notes that the "Help! I Wrecked My House" team will contribute some money to help participants out so the total bill doesn't fall squarely on their shoulders.
You can't keep the furniture
Say it ain't so! As heartbreaking as it is, those beautifully decorated rooms in "Help! I Wrecked My House," the ones we all love to gush over, aren't set in stone for lucky homeowners who appear on the show. In fact, much of the furniture you see in many HGTV shows is simply prop pieces to make the finished place look nice. While the gorgeous sectional sofas and fancy tables may tie the room together, once production has ended, the new furniture is picked up and carried out of the house, leaving the space empty for the homeowner to decorate on their own. This time, it's likely to be on their dime.
This intriguing bit of information comes straight from the FAQs section of the official HGTV website. Betsy Ayala, the senior vice president of production and development at HGTV, stated that the final layouts of home projects are done for the cameras. "Most, if not all, of our flipping shows are staged," Betsy explained. The executive also noted that contestants are given the option to purchase any decoration and furniture they may have fallen in love with. For the sake of participants' wallets, it might be best to avoid getting too attached to the final look.