HGTV’s Love It or List It Was Taken to Court
This reality show features the duo, interior designer, Hilary Farr, and real estate agent, David Visentin, as they renovate people’s homes, while also shopping around for a home they could potentially buy. As the title implies at the end of each episode, the duo decides if they “Love it or list it.”
One featured couple, Deena Murphy and Timothy Sullivan weren’t especially happy with their home after it was renovated by Farr and Visentin. The homeowners put down $140,000 for their home remodeling, but claim that the show only put $85,786.50 back into it, while the rest was spent on production costs. If that wasn’t enough, they said that the windows were painted shut, while other parts of their home weren’t painted at all, and some of the flooring even had holes in it! Needless to say, the couple wasn’t happy about all this and filed a lawsuit against the show’s producers.
For Display Purposes Only
On the show, "Fixer Upper", the homes at the end of each show are always equipped with the most stunning furniture and décor. The homeowners are usually speechless when they see their new homes. However, it turns out that the "Fixer Upper" families don’t actually get to enjoy the magnificent interior we see on television.
Talk about a letdown! The viewers that have an eye for details have even noticed that certain pieces were seen multiple times in different houses, and when the network was questioned about it on their website. The Gaines stated that the families have the option to purchase the furnishing but it all "depends on their budget."
Fixer Upper Was a Tough Show to Get on
Of all the shows on HGTV, it's said that "Fixer Upper" is the hardest to get on because it only films in Waco, Texas, so you'd have to be looking to purchase a home in the area. You also had to already have a minimum of $30,000 for renovations, submit pictures of the house you want remodeled plus pictures of everyone living in it, and of course, there's loads of lengthy paperwork that needs to be filled out.
A phenomenon Chip and Joanne aren't too fond of is seeing homes they have renovated advertised on Airbnb. So, they made the show's contracts even stricter. A spokesperson explained on behalf of the show, “We want to honor our national viewing audience. We want to do remodels for clients’ homes. That’s the true intent of our show, and we want to ensure that does not get lost in this new vacation rental trend.”
The Show Is Scripted, Fake, and Full of Flaws
The lawsuit wasn't enough for Deena Murphy and Timothy Sullivan. They made sure to put "Love It or List It" on blast, calling out everyone from the hosts to the production crew, accusing them of shooting a fake show, nothing close to what is shown on television.
The couple states in the lawsuit, "The show is scripted, with roles and reactions assigned to the various performers and participants, including the homeowners. These characters are actors or television personalities playing a role for the camera, and in this case, none of them played more than a casual role in the actual renovation process." They seem to hate this show with a passion.
Rehab Addict’s Biggest Failure
The "Rehab Addict" host Nicole Curtis is famous for renovating old homes in Minnesota and Michigan but there was one house that she actually bought in Minneapolis for just two dollars back in 2012. What a steal! She promised to renovate it; however, years later, it remains as she bought it.
Turns out, Curtis never paid all of the necessary taxes on the house, so, the city of Minneapolis obviously sued. There's also a contractor that claims that she didn’t pay him for the work he did on one of her houses.