Shraman Mitra
For years, people have debated the nature of home renovation shows. While some believe that the entire concept is scripted and the network has the power to take away the renovations whenever they want, others claim that one cannot oversee the actual changes in front of the camera. Moreover, a rumor claimed that most homeowners on renovation shows are real-life actors employed by the network. HGTV’s ‘Windy City Rehab’ is one such reality show that follows Alison Victoria as she renovates vintage properties in some of Chicago’s oldest neighborhoods. However, is ‘Windy City Rehab’ unscripted or fake? Well, let’s dive into the details and find out the truth, shall we?
Is Windy City Rehab Scripted?
Since its premiere, HGVT has claimed that ‘Windy City Rehab’ is an entirely unscripted home renovation series. The network also insisted that while Alison Victoria is pretty famous as an Interior Designer, the show portrays her working on real-life properties and interacting with actual people along the way. Interestingly, a show can only be unscripted if it stops following a pre-written script and employs spontaneity as the only driving force. Besides, as nothing featured on the show can be pre-planned or pre-determined before filming, the production team is expected to stay out of the cast’s way and not influence the natural narrative.
We are happy to report that ‘Windy City Rehab’ makes a compelling case for its authenticity by ticking off most of these boxes. For starters, the houses featured on the show are real-life properties in Chicago’s most historic neighborhood in dire need of an interior overhaul. In addition, we can confirm that none of these properties belong directly to the network, and the production team has strict instructions to document the work instead of involving themselves in it.
On the other hand, even though Alison Victoria rose to popularity as a TV personality, she is an Interior Designer by profession and has worked for several high-tier clients. In fact, apart from showcasing her expertise through her incredible work on the show, she even talked about the authenticity of ‘Windy City Rehab’ in an interview with People. Alison said, “What I love about Windy City Rehab and why I created this show years ago was to show the truth of the business. There are no smoke and mirrors in my show, it’s just very docuseries. So as things unfold and happen, the cameras are there. These aren’t set-up scenes.”
Furthermore, while it is given that the homeowners featured on the show possess the properties in real life and aren’t paid actors, sources also revealed how Alison sits down with them before the renovation process to discuss logistics and budget. Viewers will be glad to know that the property owners pay for the renovations out of their own pockets, as a result of which they get to keep the changes even after filming wraps up. On top of it, the show focuses on the risks one has to take when renovating old properties, and cameras often document errors, which prove to be quite costly.
Nonetheless, readers should note that some homeowners filed a lawsuit against the show for shoddy renovations, which proves that even though the repairs are authentic, there could have been some alleged cover-ups behind the scenes. That said, networks seek profit and benefit immensely from an increased viewer base. Hence, producers have the liberty to make small changes during post-production to make the show more attractive. Yet, this has little to no effect on a show’s unscripted nature, so ‘Windy City Rehab’ is as genuine as a reality show can be.
Read More: Where is Windy City Rehab Filmed?
