The Scrapped HGTV Series Drew Scott Nearly Starred In

It seems hard to imagine there was a time when the Property Brothers weren't there to show TV viewers how to transform their humdrum homes into impressive showpieces. But before their fame, Jonathan and Drew Scott tried their (identical) hands at a number of jobs, including modeling, body doubling (Drew was the double for Tom Welling on "Smallville"), and even shopping-center security detail. ("Scott Brothers: Mall Cops" just doesn't have the same ring to it.) But it was the twins' background in real estate and house-flipping that finally paid off. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the Scotts explained how a small Canadian cable station green-lit their idea for a series. "An executive there said, 'Two young, hot guys in tight jeans doing slow-motion renovations? We'll take it!'" Drew quipped.

From there, it was only a matter of time before HGTV came to the same realization. Since then, the Scotts have been a fixture of the home-reno genre for nearly a decade. At the moment, they're busy with three shows: "Property Brothers: Forever Home," "Brother vs. Brother," and "Celebrity IOU," a heartwarmer in which the twins help celebs make over the homes of the important people in their lives. For those of us not lucky enough to get our homes, um, "brothered," we can still get a similar effect courtesy of Wayfair's Scott Living home-goods line.  

One intriguing question comes to mind, however: Would the Scotts be as successful today if Drew had gotten the Ryan Seacrest treatment?

Although HGTV has become synonymous with popular home-renovation and house-hunting series, they don't always hit it out of the park. In a 2014 interview with Parade, Jonathan Scott dished about the show his twin brother almost landed with the network. "Drew was approached about a first show called 'Realty Idol' — basically 'American Idol' for Realtors," he explained. "It was the dumbest idea ever. That show did not go [anywhere], but they liked him and heard he had a twin brother who was a designer and a contractor and the rest is history."

The original concept for "Property Brothers" was called "My Dream Home" (not to be confused with "My Lottery Dream Home," the show featuring suddenly-rich folks shopping for their new digs). The Scotts felt the show should focus more on the process of working with clients to make their visions a reality, and their instincts paid off. The rapport between the brothers and the homeowners they help has endeared the Scotts to viewers, and led to numerous follow-up series such as "Celebrity IOU," "Brother vs. Brother, and "Property Brothers Forever Home." 

Of course, it doesn't hurt that the brothers have a background in performing, which gave them a comfort level with the camera right from the start. In addition to taking small roles in films and TV series, they also studied magic. Jonathan has even won awards for his prestidigitation skills.

Fans of Jonathan and Drew Scott began getting jittery in 2021 when HGTV didn't announce a new season for the original "Property Brothers" series. Indeed, no new episodes were ordered, since the Scotts had since moved on to star in a number of new shows, including "Forever Home." You can still watch reruns of "Property Brothers" on Discovery+, or stream them on iTunes and other platforms. All but one, that is. 

The Scotts had been filming an episode featuring a firefighter who hired them to help remodel his new house. It wasn't long before the brothers discovered a major problem: The property and surrounding homes were on the site of a former landfill, and the ground hadn't been properly stabilized. "[A]ll the houses in the neighborhood were sinking, literally sinking," Drew explained at a press conference (via TV Guide). The house needed major foundation work to make it safe to live in, but the firefighter insisted he just wanted a cheap quick fix. Refusing to cut corners, the Scotts backed out of the project, and the whole episode had to be trashed. (We can only hope there's a blooper reel out there somewhere.)

A mere sinkhole fiasco hasn't slowed down the Scotts; far from it. In 2022, they signed a 3-year deal with HGTV, so we'll be seeing their lookalike faces on the air for some time to come. Maybe they'll even find a way to make "Realty Idol" work.