Kriti Mehrotra
As a Netflix original that revolves around couple Shea and Syd McGee as they grant clients the refurbishment of a lifetime, ‘Dream Home Makeover’ lives up to its title in every way imaginable. That’s because it shines a light upon not only their skills as well as thriving businesses — Studio McGee and McGee & Co — but also their familial life to explore how ideals can become a reality. So since it’s evident this web series incorporates a myriad of drastically different elements, if you wish to learn whether it really is all authentic/unscripted, we’ve got the necessary details for you.
Is Dream Home Makeover Real or Fake?
‘Dream Home Makeover’ has been billed as a reality show from the moment it was announced by the streamer back in 2020, meaning no part of it is ever pre-penned or even explicitly controlled. In fact, although we’re often the first to insist every production within this genre should be taken with a grain of salt owing to manipulation, this one genuinely appears to be as natural as it can be. This essentially means producers do not have a direct hand in the way things ultimately play out on our screens despite their independent interviews with the McGee’s and the clients alike.
The truth is Shea and Syd were reluctant to step into the entertainment reality industry because they didn’t want any aspect of their experiences to be portrayed as something it was not. Their initial take-off from social media had actually taught them this much as another studio had already approached them regarding a series (years before Netflix), yet with a wildly distinct idea. “They tried to fit us into a box,” Shea revealed in an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune, “[they] made Syd the contractor and us kind of the quintessential husband-and-wife design construction duo.”
The couple, in the designer/creative lead’s own words, thus “swore off doing television. But we always said, ‘Well, if we ever did agree to try this again, Netflix seems like a better fit for us.'” Therefore, once the opportunity came knocking on their door around 2018, they jumped at it knowing they wanted their kids to feature as well since “our business is very intertwined with our family.” If we have to nitpick, though, the one thing that doesn’t translate into the series is Syd’s work as the CEO of both their companies — his lighthearted nature is quite prominent, yet his actual job isn’t.
We should further mention the McGee’s have actually taken to their Studio firm’s blog to corroborate the fact that ‘Dream Home Makeover’ is real in every way, shape, and form. “Our show [is] completely unscripted,” they penned before elaborating, “We [are] really lucky that our [show] represents what our real process is actually like. What [you] see in this show is true to how we communicate with our clients, work with contractors, and collaborate with our team.” Of course, there is the unavoidable post-production editing to maintain the audience’s interest, but it truly doesn’t seem to affect the core plot of this series.
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