I never realized that House Hunters International is pure fiction

[Doppel]

This is a show that projects itself as reality TV. We all know that reality TV takes an event, edits the hell out of it, maybe tells the "cast" to do something, but HHI takes the fvcking cake. And this pisses me off because I have been watching the show a lot, but now I cannot. Here's why:

Tonight watched one about a couple from Canada who moved to Ecuador and chose from three apartments. I tracked down the blog they mention on the show (gringosabroad.com) and it turns out that they:

1) Moved to Ecuador TWO YEARS before filming, and HHI found their blog and asked them to re-enact the apartment-searching process
2) Don't even live in one of the three apartments they "chose". I knew that with house hunters sometimes a house that somebody had chosen but not yet closed on would be "one of the three", but in this case the purchasing couple were 100% acting, pretending to buy a place they never would end up living in, and weren't even in the price range of where they do live currently.

Nonetheless the "two months later" showed them happily living in one of the apartments (which they don't live in).

This is really worse than Bear Grylls eating lobster bisque that room service brought him at night time. At least on his show they disclaim that it's partial bullsh*t now.

 

[nageov3t]

that's pretty shady.

I've never seen the show, but do they have that black-wall-of-small-print-text after the credits at the end?

 

[CPA]

yeah, my wife told me the same a couple months ago. She knew someone who knew someone else that was on the show. Said it's all a recreation.

 

[shortylickens]

There is no such thing as reality TV.

If you strapped a camera to your head all day would just go home and show things exactly as they happened? Or would you edit out the stuff you dont want the world to know?

 

[ch33zw1z]

There is no such thing as reality TV.

If you strapped a camera to your head all day would just go home and show things exactly as they happened? Or would you edit out the stuff you dont want the world to know?

Definitely not appropriate for the super bowl halftime show, that's for sure!

 

[Rage187]

That sucks.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Wow,that's pretty sad. Not that I watched it a lot, but sometimes I did. I don't see the point of making a reality show if it's actually not reality. The whole point of a reality show like that is to learn from someone else's success/mistakes, or just get ideas or what not. But if they fake it, then what's the point?

I do often wonder about a lot of reality shows, how much of it is acting though. Especially when they are talking about the past. Like when they show a mess that a contractor left behind, or something. It's not like the person automatically figured they'd be on TV and started recording everything.

 

[Gibson486]

I always found it odd that they only showed them three properties adn 1 of three always worked out, but I had a bunch that they probably edited to the best three. There was one episode, though, where this one girl ended up not buying anything....

 

[RaistlinZ]

One of the episodes had a girl I went to junior high with. She was setting up a surfing school for women. Almost flipped out when I saw her, heh. She still looked pretty darn good.

 

[shortylickens]

One of the episodes had a girl I went to junior high with. She was setting up a surfing school for women. Almost flipped out when I saw her, heh. She still looked pretty darn good.

You do a lot of surfing on the Potomac?

 

[disappoint]

lol you didn't know tv was all bs? I watch skyrim now. it's real.

 

[CPA]

Wow,that's pretty sad. Not that I watched it a lot, but sometimes I did. I don't see the point of making a reality show if it's actually not reality. The whole point of a reality show like that is to learn from someone else's success/mistakes, or just get ideas or what not. But if they fake it, then what's the point?

I do often wonder about a lot of reality shows, how much of it is acting though. Especially when they are talking about the past. Like when they show a mess that a contractor left behind, or something. It's not like the person automatically figured they'd be on TV and started recording everything.

The point for the networks is it's much, much cheaper to make a reality show than a normal show.

 

[Tiamat]

I figured it was heavily edited so to establish the best three candidate locations, but I didn't know it was all staged... Sad, but not entirely surprising.

 

[zinfamous]

heh, that is surprisingly shady. I always assumed that for HHI and HH, the couple had already chosen the place and the producers wanted to narrow it down to top 3 choices.

It's heavily scripted, anyway--and essentially some sort of "Home design lobbying propaganda"--"Oh! Granite Counter tops! Hmm, I need stainless steal appliances! "

Every fucking time.

 

[JimmiG]

That sounds a bit weird.
I've never seen the show myself, but I know they did an episode about a couple who moved from Orlando to my city (Uppsala). It was even in the local paper (yeah it's a quiet town as you can tell )

 

[BladeVenom]

There is no such thing as reality TV.

Exactly. It's like movies based on a true story. The concept may have happened but all the details are fiction.

 

[darkxshade]

I feel the same about Fox News.

 

[lxskllr]

You do a lot of surfing on the Potomac?

I used to, but it was in a canoe :^D

 

[IronWing]

Turns out that IHOP is real. There really are IHOPs in foreign lands, like Canada.

 

[TXHokie]

I used to watch that show "Flip This House" until I found out I was all a scam:

"McGee and others say Leccima's episodes of Flip This House, A&E's most popular show, were elaborate hoaxes. His friends and family were presented as potential home buyers and "sold" signs were slapped in front of unsold houses. They say the home repairs — the lynchpin of the show — were actually quick or temporary patch jobs designed to look good on camera."

 

[Dirigible]

It's heavily scripted, anyway--and essentially some sort of "Home design lobbying propaganda"--"Oh! Granite Counter tops! Hmm, I need stainless steal appliances! "

Every fucking time.

It's a good drinking game. Every time they say "granite counter," "stainless steel appliances," or "open floor plan," you drink. Same for when they show the shoppers in their old house "struggling" in the too small bathroom or kitchen, when a couple looks at a new house, sees a big closet and the wife says it's for her but where will the guy put his stuff, etc., etc.

 

[BladeVenom]

In general I don't watch reality shows, but I have watched Sons of Guns because it was kind of about guns. Read this story. http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2011/07/24/playing-with-guns/

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

You mean the feud between Paul Sr and Jr on Orange County Choppers was (gasp) fake?

 

[shortylickens]

I used to watch that show "Flip This House" until I found out I was all a scam:

"McGee and others say Leccima's episodes of Flip This House, A&E's most popular show, were elaborate hoaxes. His friends and family were presented as potential home buyers and "sold" signs were slapped in front of unsold houses. They say the home repairs — the lynchpin of the show — were actually quick or temporary patch jobs designed to look good on camera."

I figured as much. As long as it takes to really do that kind of work, if you wanted weekly episodes you'd have to hold onto all that footage in order to make a show.

For a year I mean. Do one year of fixing and selling houses. Collect all the footage, cut episodes, run them on TV. I wouldnt think most production companies would wanna invest that kind of time with no return.

 

[Vic Vega]

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