Why does anyone ever agree to appear on the HGTV series House Hunters?
Or maybe no one else thinks the couples featured always come across appearing as insipid, insufferable, self-centered and selfish manifestations of the kind of Americans hated by many people around the world, including those Islamic terrorists used by presidential candidates to scare everyone else to death.
But I know that’s not true. Plenty of viewers hate House Hunters, given that it has spawned drinking games and it’s easy to find negative news about the show. So it escapes me why anyone wants to appear on House Hunters, which always seems to feature the kind of people who would motivate me to never seriously consider a career as a Realtor.
Every episode goes something like this:
A couple looks at three houses, all of which usually are listed for hundreds of thousands of dollars and are beautiful in every way except:
- Partner No. 1 cannot stand the granite counter tops in the kitchen because “they’re too dark” or have a tiny scratch from having been actually used by the family selling the home.
- Partner No. 2 is worried about “going over our budget” and questions why anyone would “paint their media room that shade of green.”
- Both partners don’t like the house because the walk-in closet in the master bedroom suite isn’t larger than the typical college dorm room.
I’ve stumbled across House Hunters while looking for shows on a housing trend that fascinates me. Both shows are the cable-TV equivalent of driving by a horrific accident — it’s hard to not stop and stare.
But all of this has further convinced me of the need to get rid of our cable-TV subscription — a threat made but not yet implemented. I’ve told myself I am waiting until after the University of Iowa plays Stanford in the Rose Bowl, which will be televised by ESPN on New Year’s Day.
There are probably ways to watch the game that don’t involve having a cable or satellite TV subscription. But I’ll just keep subscribing for a few more days, maybe even harrumph through a few more episodes of House Hunters, watch the Big Game and then deal with cutting the cable.
In the end, I’ll probably miss House Hunters more than it will ever miss me. I always feel better about myself and less petty after watching a few episodes. And the drinking games help, too.
Brome Hill 