The Hidden Truth of Home Makeover Shows

Home makeover shows can be an excellent way of renovating a room, or sometimes an entire house, for very little money. unfortunately, the amazing big reveals' are not always what they seem... THE HIDDEN TRUTH OF... HOME MAKEOVER TV SHOWS Do you think you want to be on a home makeover show? You need to make sure that... You like having strangers invade your home and privacy / You enjoy annoying your neighbours / You're really good at acting surprised... and happy You don't own, or mind losing, sentimental belongings / You've got the money to correct mistakes. / ...or pay tax on your extra 'income' (if you're in the US) / Sound like yoU?/ Then you might just be the right candidate to have your home made-over on TV. Just make sure to prepare yourself for the worst... Living Room As part of a show to help homeowners de-clutter, this living room was cleared and cleaned. Unfortunately, the walls were left half unpainted and the carpets soiled... Shows have a limited time to complete the makeover. If they run out of time, and there's work still to do, you might be left to finish it yourself... Bedroom VE Cost presented on TV £2,000 ACTUAL COST: £4,500 The figures we're shown on TV don't necessarily reflect reality: The show might not have factored in design or labour costs, while some materials might have been donated and not included in the total figure presented to viewers. kitchen This kitchen renovation looked perfect at first... Until the homeowners looked closer and found exposed wiring, improperly installed plumbing, and a faulty smoke alarm. That rush to finish means jobs might not be completed to the < standard you expect. Dining Room The producers will ask about your tastes, but be careful what you say... In case they take a passing comment about liking the colour purple to heart. The designers don't necessarily have your best interests at heart - their first priority is usually showing off their most creative' ideas. Garage The team on this show cleaned out and organised this garage. Unfortunately they just moved the junk outside, leaving the homeowners to find somewhere else for it to go. The show's priority is to make things look good for the cameras It's not usually their problem if things look very different out of shot... The above situations have all been inspired by actual experiences of participants on home makeover shows – for legal reasons we have omitted names of shows and the people involved. However here are some real examples of when TV home makeovers go a little bit too far... And it's not just home makeover shows that are guilty of stretching the truth... .here are some of the reality TV's favourite Tricks of the Trade: "Frankenbiting" Using excerpts from different pieces of dialog to create a new sentence. "Editing context" Chopping and changing shots to alter a story. Often used to get the "right' reaction to a certain event. "Pointed questions" ? Questions designed to provoke certain reactions and answers from participants. "prompting" When participants are told what to do or what to say, usually via an earpiece. "Audience manipulation" Music is frequently used to control the audiences' emotions and reactions to an event or participant. "Thought manipulation" Producers will carefully plan what they say to participants in order to plant ideas in their heads. PInternal Doors Open the possibilities Sources: www.moneysense.ca www.telegraph.co.uk | thedomovoi.wordpress| www.organizingla.com www.people.com blogs.gonzaga.edu "Insulation Matters" Photo by Jeff Keyzer from flickr.com "Contemporary Rugs Trissa Purple" by mattwalker69 on flickr.com "Spring Crocus" Photo by Benson Kua from flickr.com "Plumbing fixtures" photo by Nic McPhee on flickr.com "3103 Edgehill - Kitchen" Photo by Jim Larrison from flickr.com "Living Room" Photo by Brent Schmidt from flickr.com "Mazzali: children and teenagers bedrooms" Photo by Mazzali on flickr.com "Film Strip", "Operator with headset", "Musical pentagram lines with music" & "Idea" icons by Freepik on flaticon.com