Shraman Mitra
As the title suggests, HGTV’s ‘Love It or List It’ revolves around couples who feel their properties are more of a burden than an asset. However, while one-half of the pair is of the opinion that a proper renovation would put things right, their partner believes that selling and moving into a new house would be the best course of action. This is where hosts Hilary Farr and David Visentin come in as the former suggests renovations that can brighten up the property while David exhibits new houses the couple can move into at a moment’s notice.
Therefore, it is pretty thrilling to find out which way the homeowners might lean toward it after getting the complete picture. Although it is quite challenging to fake a home renovation show completely, some features of ‘Love It or List It’ make people doubt its authenticity. For starters, some viewers have wondered how the homeowners come up with the budget for renovations, while others have raised questions about the overtly dramatic moments on the show. Well, let’s dive and find out if ‘Love It or List It’ is unscripted, shall we?
Is Love It or List It Scripted?
While we can confirm that some parts of HGTV’s ‘Love It or List It’ is indeed authentic, the series does not follow the rules of an unscripted reality show to the tee. Readers should note that for a show to be entirely genuine, it has to do away with pre-written scripts. While actions or scenes cannot be pre-determined, rehearsed, and enacted in front of the camera, the producers aren’t allowed to influence the narrative in any shape or form.
Additionally, the cast members should have complete freedom to be themselves while filming, as the audience expects the cameras to capture the spontaneous and raw reaction. Interestingly, some viewers believe that the network and the hosts pay for the renovations featured on the show, which makes the whole situation appear scripted. However, we can confirm that this belief isn’t true, as all of the homeowners featured on the show have real-life problems with their properties.
In fact, they rarely hide any of their issues, including their personal problems, from the camera and even engage the hosts in a proper conversation to figure out a specific budget as well as the solution. This fact was also authenticated by the show’s former contractor, Eric Eremita, who claimed that the show hired actual contractors and that the homeowners paid for the renovations out of their own pocket.
On the other hand, there have been rumors about the homeowners on the show being asked to follow a specific script. Yet, host Hilary Farr has vehemently denied such accusations in an interview with Canadian Contractor, where she said, “The show is not at all scripted and the reactions of the homeowners to renovation realities and bad news is very real.” However, even after such clarifications from the people running the show, some discrepancies have come to the forefront over the years.
For starters, sources mentioned that instead of renovating the entire house, the team often prepares a room or two for the final reveal. Additionally, viewers have also accused the show of amping up the personal drama between the homeowners in order to attract more people. While the first accusation is yet to be disproven, readers should note that every reality show is created for profit, and the network benefits significantly from an increase in the viewer base.
Consequently, producers do everything in their power to increase the dramatic content as it naturally draws in more viewers. However, this is done through minor edits during post-processing and doesn’t affect the authenticity of the series. Yet, there have been a few instances in which the homeowners spoke up about the way ‘Love It or List It’ is allegedly scripted.
While one couple took the producers to court over the alleged use of low-grade materials in a renovation that cost over $140,000, another homeowner reportedly revealed that the show marked their house as “sold,” even though they continued living in it. Such accusations made viewers believe that the show films two different endings for each episode, although none of these assumptions have been confirmed as of yet. Nevertheless, despite the accusations and lawsuits, ‘Love It or List It’ continues to be a popular series on HGTV, with some valiantly defending its seemingly unscripted nature.
Read More: Where is Love It Or List It Filmed?
