The Biggest Lie From HGTV's House Hunters You Were Led To Believe

Since it debuted in 1999, HGTV's "House Hunters" has taken viewers along on home buying journeys across the globe. The premise is simple but satisfying. Each episode introduces a couple gearing up for a move. More often than not, they disagree about the list of "must-haves" for their new home. After meeting a local realtor, the couple tours three homes before debating, and finally settling on, the right one. HGTV's longest-running show is a fan favorite, and has even spawned multiple drinking games based on some of the hilarious quirks and questions that repeatedly come up while watching the show. Why would the realtor bother showing this one? How can they possibly afford it? Do these people even like each other, or are they paid actors? In just 30 minutes, the couples have always settled their differences, signed on the dotted line, and happily moved into their new place. For some of us, this raises yet another question. Is "House Hunters" real or fake? 

If you've considered applying to be on the show so you can afford a bigger home, you may want to think again. The biggest lie from HGTV's "House Hunters" that many believe is that participants get paid a huge fee for their appearance. After all, it can take months to find a realtor you like and tour homes until you find the perfect one. It makes sense that a major network like HGTV would pay big bucks to anyone willing to put themselves under the microscope during one of life's most stressful experiences. But according to one homebuyer who wrote about her experience for Slate, HGTV pays house hunters a flat rate of just $1,500.

Elizabeth Newcamp, who's been featured on "House Hunters" not once but twice, wrote that she and her husband, Jeff, didn't agree to appear for the money or the fame. Instead, she thinks it's all about the experience. "We loved getting a little peek at the world of entertainment. Plus, we walked away with a video snapshot of this one moment of our lives," she explained in her Slate article. Newcamp is one of the more legendary guests to appear on the show, because producers asked her to play up one of her "must-haves": a bathtub. A rare feature in the Netherlands, where she and her husband were house hunting, Newcamp was filmed trying out several bathtubs, generating strong feelings on Reddit and a new nickname, "Crazy Bathtub Lady", which she still laughs about.

That wasn't even among the most bizarre things to be shown on "House Hunters." The show has featured everything from a half-built castle to an extraordinarily tall man who wanted to live in a tiny house. "HGTV has brought viewers enjoyment with 'House Hunters' for 20 years and we hope they will continue to enjoy the series, not only for the entertainment value, but also for the practical home buying and selling knowledge that they gain from the viewing experience. 'House Hunters' is about the journey to find the perfect home. The people you see in the series are real people who have searched for, negotiated and paid for a home with their own money," an HGTV rep said in a statement to the New York Post.

Just because the ending of every "House Hunters" episode shows a real couple in their actual house doesn't mean you should believe everything you see during their home buying journey. Although it's technically an unscripted show, a significant amount of each episode of "House Hunters" is staged. According to HGTV (via the New York Post), this is because the production company must shorten the lengthy home buying process, which can span months, into a much shorter time frame. In the Newcamp's case, they'd already purchased their home in the Netherlands before filming ever started. Because their new town of Delft had very few homes for sale, producers filmed the couple touring equivalent properties that were actually for rent on Airbnb. 

Newcamp also revealed that shooting didn't take place chronologically when the couple moved to a new home in Florida. After applying, she said producers "told us to let them know when we were under contract on a house." Only once they had closed on their new home did filming begin. The couple and their family were filmed at a hotel, pretending as if they'd lived there throughout the entire home buying journey. (In reality, Jeff Newcamp looked for homes alone while Elizabeth lived with her parents in Atlanta.) 

"House Hunters" isn't the only HGTV program that relies on crafty producers, clever staging, and compelling storylines to draw in viewers. Lies from "Love It or List It" include scripted conflicts between homeowners and hosts, "Fixer Upper" budgets don't always allow for a full home renovation, and the furniture on "Fixer to Fabulous" isn't always as straightforward as it seems.