House Hunting

Evaluating House Hunters International

House Hunters International is a spin-off show of the popular HGTV series House Hunters which regularly draws in up to twenty five million watchers each month (Fitzgerald, Toni). Since it’s launch in 2006 it has remained on the air and still continues to garner viewers. In response to this widespread success, critics have painted the show’s supposed lack of genuine real estate information as tasteless, and in some cases incriminating.

“Watching House Hunters is less about learning useful real estate tips than it is an exercise in passing judgement.” – Zeynep Arsel, and Jonathan Bean

“[House Hunters] is more closely associated than any other with the country‘s housing crisis.” – New York Time’s Brian Stelter

This criticism has not been unique to House Hunters. In the past, HGTV has been criticized for supplanting the minds of many Americans the idea that their own home was inadequate and could be improved with costly renovations as seen on TV. Allison Page, general manager of HGTV programming in the US, admits “it’s escapism.” (Kaysen, Ronda)

Even SNL has poked fun at the success of realty television with skits such as the one below.

These criticisms all consider House Hunters (and the International spin-off) with a critical lens that considers HGTV cheap television. This exhibit seeks to evaluate, and critique House Hunters International differently with focus on the show’s massive influence.

One important aspect of the influence of House Hunters International is its diversity of cast and locations. Each episode, a new couple from around the United States (save one from the UK) searches for a new home internationally. The couples chosen come from far and wide and many walks of life. For example, below there are representations of multiple ethnicities and sexualities.

Diversity is especially relevant when critiquing television shows because television shows shape self-identity. As Ellithorpe and Bleakley write in their Journal of Youth and Adolescent article “Wanting to see people like me?” “strong identity formation” with media is critical in development of oneself because it “is associated with positive outcomes for psychological well-being” and “models of behavior” (Ellithorpe and Bleakley).

Another important aspect to consider is the show’s depiction of different locations. Television is very powerful in shaping opinion so it is imperative that House Hunters International depicts International locations accurately and realistically. This includes housing costs, demographics, music, and significant locations to locals. Secondary sources complimenting details of the episode, or refuting them, were placed on the left side of the page for visitor evaluation when they were found. These details are explained per location by clicking on the markers below.

One thing of note is that many of the House Hunters International episodes chosen occur in Western civilizations such as much as Europe, and Australia.

The season depicted below is season 86 as it was the first season available for analysis. The first five episodes are represented by markers. Both of these pieces were not chosen with any purpose in mind.

Concluding Thoughts

HGTV does not provide wholly uninformed content in each episode, and some details are surprisingly accurate. For example, in Scotland Isi fits a very common job in Edinburgh in health through her profession as a doctor. However, some details such as the size of certain towns or cities and what attractions they encompass, as well as what music is popular are exaggerated for television. As a cultural influence, it can teach valuable details about the real estate market, such as the high prices of earthquake repairs in Christchurch, and about cultures worldwide.

House Hunters International is not cheap television. Instead, it’s a real life look into the dynamics of home-buying. In the creation of this exhibit, it was observed that many different situations were represented: shortening the distance to loved ones, pursuing job opportunities, looking for adventures, etc. Seeing how those couples interact with these foreign locations was also interesting and is open for further investigation.

Works Cited

Arsel, Zeynep, and Jonathan Y. Bean. Taste, Consumption, and Markets: an Interdisciplinary Volume. Routledge, 2018.

This source was used to provide an example of when House Hunters and HGTV shows have been described as tasteless.

Ellithorpe, Morgan E., and Amy Bleakley. “Wanting to See People Like Me? Racial and Gender Diversity in Popular Adolescent Television.” Journal of Youth and Adolescence, vol. 45, no. 7, Dec. 2016, pp. 1426–1437., doi:10.1007/s10964-016-0415-4.

This source was used to note the importance of having diversity in House Hunters.

Fitzgerald, Toni. “7 Reasons Home Buying Shows Like ‘House Hunters’ Remain Popular.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 19 Nov. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/tonifitzgerald/2018/11/19/7-reasons-home-buying-shows-like-house-hunters-remain-popular/#4457fb866ad3.

This source was used to provide information about the show’s success. It was also used to form an opinion of what details were significant to display in the exhibit.

Kaysen, Ronda. “Hate-Watching HGTV, Just Like Me.” New York Times, 8 Apr. 2018, p. 10(L). General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.neu.edu/apps/doc/A533758105/ITOF?u=mlin_b_northest&sid=ITOF&xid=9cf8c9ef. Accessed 4 Dec. 2018.

This source was used for additional quotes about the tastelessness of House Hunters and similar shows