What HGTV Doesn't Want You To Know About Married To Real Estate

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Behind the polished exteriors and feel-good storylines of HGTV's "Married to Real Estate," DJs-turned-TV hosts Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson are hiding some secrets that might change the way fans view their favorite home renovation show. One major surprise lies in the staging furniture that brings the remodeled homes to life. While you might naturally assume those picture-perfect spaces are move-in ready for the homeowners to enjoy, that's far from the truth. Staging furniture is often rented or sourced by independent home stagers, and unless the homeowners ask to purchase specific pieces, all those beautiful furnishings are whisked away after filming finishes. For families on tight budgets, this means their dream home could look quite different once the cameras are gone.

Beyond this, HGTV doesn't typically cover renovation costs. This leaves the financial burden almost entirely on the featured families, despite the fact that HGTV is there to film the whole thing. While this is standard across the network, "Married to Real Estate" offers a uniquely compassionate twist: Sherrod and Jackson try to incorporate as much of the homeowners' furniture and decor as possible to reduce costs for the homeowners. (Same goes for the bones of the home, which they try not to alter too much either.) It's a breath of fresh air compared to the traditional way of doing things at HGTV.

Another aspect of filming a home renovation show that HGTV isn't exactly candid about? If "Married to Real Estate" is anything like "House Hunters," the actual real estate segments might not be as spontaneous as they seem. In 2012, HGTV admitted to Entertainment Weekly that "House Hunters" was staged and only featured families who had already chosen or secured their homes before filming. "We're making a television show, so we manage certain production and time constraints, while honoring the home buying process," a rep for the show said. "To maximize production time, we seek out families who are pretty far along in the process."

This raises questions about whether "Married to Real Estate" follows a similar formula (not to mention other HGTV shows with scandals, such as "Property Brothers"). "Married to Real Estate" clients may have to purchase the properties before their on-screen house-hunting journey even begins. A common misconception about reality television is that everything shown on screen should be 100% true to life exactly as it happened, otherwise it's "fake." The truth is that staging and recreation is a key component of a successful reality show, and that doesn't automatically make it fake. From rented furniture to pre-selected properties, "Married to Real Estate" portrays real-life challenges with the help of some scripted elements. There's still truth in that, even if it's a polished version of the truth.