Forced Attitudes

It really annoys me how so many of the shows on HGTV seem to force the clients to exhibit a scripted attitude.  It is reality TV, why can't it be realistic?

Property Brothers        On this show they always have to talk the buyers into a fixer upper.  No matter what their budget is $100,000 or $1,000,000, they can never "find all their must haves without doing a renovation."  This does not make sense.  The brothers go out of their way to show a home that fits every one of the buyers' desires and they always act like they absolutely love it.  Then the show them a bunch of potential renos and they always range from being skeptical to adamantly against each one.  The property brothers have been around a long time, people know who they are and what they do--and if they don't already, surely the producers have brought them up to speed before they agreed to be on the show.  If you don't want to do a reno, audition for a different show!

House Hunters      The buyers always seem at odds with their wish list and never outwardly willing to compromise.  They are shown 3 different properties and every time they say "Wow, this is going to be a really hard decision."  Then after they move in they totally love it.  Come on, show some variety, not cookie cutter actors.  This goes for House Hunters International, Island Life, Caribbean Life, and several others.  We can't enjoy the finding-a-house journey without manufacturing animosity or indecision?

Fixer Upper       This is the one exception I have found in the shows I have watched enough to see a pattern.  The clients walk in with eyes wide open knowing they are choosing to do a renovation.  The designers always let them decide what they want to do unpressured, and they never have to beg the clients to trust them.  The clients do the bragging for them.  I've seen clients waver between two or all three, or decide right away that one is right for them. 

Life cannot possibly fit into the exact same scenario every single time.  I still enjoy most of the things about all these shows, but I'd rather see it play out naturally.