Do Clients On Jasmine Roth's Help! I Wrecked My House Get To Keep The Furniture?

The magic of television. It makes you believe that couples on "House Hunters" are seeing the homes for the first time or that cameras on your favorite reality TV show happened to be rolling when all that drama went down. If you're the kind of person who likes to peek behind the curtain of HGTV renovation shows such as "Help! I Wrecked My House," questions such as "where is all the client's stuff," "what if this isn't their taste," and "do 'Fixer Upper' homeowners get to keep the furniture" have probably sprung to mind.

According to the HGTV website, most of the homes on these shows are staged. HGTV star Jasmine Roth, the host of "Help! I Wrecked My House," renovates homes, then temporarily fills them with stunning décor to get that magazine-worthy image at the end. It's a treat for viewers and shows homeowners the potential of the new space. But, just like staging a home to sell, the decorative knickknacks, vintage books, artwork, and most of the furniture are removed before homeowners take over. Fortunately, they have the option to purchase anything they love from the reveal, but the price of the furniture and décor is not factored into the initial budget.

Many people assume going on an HGTV show means a free renovation. However, for most of these shows, the client's budget is actually a big plot point. A casting call for "Help! I Wrecked My House" says that applicants must have a minimum budget of $100,000. Depending on the scope of the project, clients may have to move out of their homes for several months, and alternative accommodations are not covered by the network. With homeowners footing the bill, you may be wondering if there are any benefits to going on a home renovation show over hiring local contractors — besides meeting your favorite HGTV personalities and being on TV. 

On "Help! I Wrecked My House," you are paying for the renovations, but you are getting free interior design advice from an HGTV designer. While you may end up using all of your own décor and furniture, you can see how a professional designer would style your home and follow suit. You can also buy any of the items used in the design, which is like having a store created for your specific house, and any furniture made specifically for the home is free to stay. Finally, HGTV usually pays for part of the renovations (around 10% of the overall budget according to one homeowner) to help expedite the process for television.