What Filming HGTV's Beachfront Bargain Hunt Is Really Like, According To A Former Guest Star

Fans of renovation and real estate series have long wondered what it's like to be on an HGTV show, but viewers of "Beachfront Bargain Hunt" don't have to wonder at all. North Carolina real estate agent Johanna Tucker, who appeared with her husband Andy on the Season 13 episode titled "Taking Flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina," opened up about her filming experience. Admittedly, the Tuckers' episode is a little unique in that Andy and Johanna served as both real estate experts and potential homebuyers for the installment, but their testimony still shared some of the behind-the-scenes secrets of "Beachfront Bargain Hunt."

Specifically, Johanna's blog post revealed some telling details about the show's casting process. "From what I understand, most people are on the show because either they are the buyer, have bought their home already and submit their story and home to be on the show," she wrote. "Or a real estate agent applies on behalf of their buyers that are already under contract or have recently purchased." If you're familiar with the 10 signs that your favorite HGTV show might be fake, then you might know that this set-up appears to be the case for several of the network's real estate programming.

"My buyer had to be under contract or had to have recently purchased their home," she continued. "The property had to be waterfront or have a water view. And the price had to be under $400,000." When the agent had trouble finding such a client within the two-month time frame that HGTV proposed, she suggested that she and her husband, who had recently bought a property in Kitty Hawk, take on a double role in the episode.

Knowing that clients are already homeowners when they sign up for "Beachfront Bargain Hunt," the same real estate secret that's behind "House Hunters," might make you wonder about the extra properties that couples tour. Luckily, Johanna Tucker provides some insight on this detail in her blog post. "[It] was more of an example of what we would have done and not actual homes we considered buying," she said. "Before we bought our home we did look at many homes all over Southern Shores, Duck, and Kitty Hawk before finally buying the home we did. So they just recreated the process and we filmed in homes that might have been options."

This streamlining of the house hunting experience might make for good TV, but potential buyers should know that it's not necessarily true to real life. "Most of these shows do no favors to Realtors because the process of buying a home or fixing one up is much more complicated than they portray it," Missy Cleary, a real estate associate from Sarasota, Florida, told Apartment Therapy when talking about the reality of real estate shows. In terms of "Beachfront Bargain Hunt," specifically, the expert noted that many of the properties aren't always located in areas that are warm year-round, making them less appealing to short-term renters and therefore less of a "bargain" for homeowners.

Weather is something that actually came up in Johanna Tucker's experience filming for "Beachfront Bargain Hunt," as her family's episode was "set" in a summer month despite being filmed in March. "We had strong winds and cold temps during our 4 days of filming, yet we were in bathing suits on the beach and in shorts and sleeveless tops," she wrote in her blog post. "Our teeth were chattering and our bodies were shivering, but somehow we managed to smile through it all and get it done."

Filming, in general, was an adjustment for Johanna and her family. "The production company tried to prep us as much as possible in advance, but it is completely different to actually be there with the crew in person," she explained, adding that they filmed 12-14 hours per day for four days. This shooting timeline might seem like a lot, but it's pretty similar to what guests have reported on other HGTV shows, with real estate agent Leslie Remy telling The Dallas Morning News that she spent "close to eight hours filming one house" when appearing on an episode of "House Hunters."

Johanna provided some insight on these long days. "For each room and house we had to film it at least 2-4 different times so they could get different angles of us and the room," she explained. "And that doesn't count all the times they'd yell 'CUT' because something wasn't right or we said something we weren't supposed to." While filming for "Beachfront Bargain Hunt" was challenging at times, it was still a positive for the North Carolina family, who saw their episode air 10-12 months after filming. "It was exhausting to say the least," Johanna said. "But what an amazing experience."