3 Things I Learned from Being on an HGTV Show
It’s been nine years since my best friend and I were on HGTV’s show, Beach Flip, and honestly? It feels like it was yesterday.
Being on the show was one of those pivotal moments in my life and career, annnnnd in honor of it being almost an entire DECADE since it happened (🤯), today I want to spill the tea on what it was actually like being cast and produced by the one and only, world-famous HGTV.
Here’s how it went down…
Starting with a little backstory, I met my best friend Daphney in college. After dating friends in college, living in the same city afterward (Birmingham, AL), and having daughters who were born only a month apart, let’s say our friendship roots run really deep.
When the opportunity to be on Beach Flip came up (more on this in a bit ), I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Daphney was the only (and best) choice to do it with me.
Aside from being a true picture of Miriam Webster’s definition of “best friends”, Daphney and I are a dynamic duo with our similarities and differences – especially when it comes to business and design. While I tend to push boundaries, think outside the box with design, and see beauty in unexpected things, Daphney is a Real Estate agent and is incredibly knowledgeable about the market and what needs to be done in order to successfully sell. In a nutshell, I bring the creative aspect (+ social media experience), and she keeps us grounded/focused on the goal at hand!
I vividly remember the day I saw the post for a casting call for HGTV’s Beach Flip posted on Facebook.
With butterflies in my stomach, I immediately called Daphney and we made plans to take the short trip to Atlanta on a Saturday morning. It was a no-brainer for both of us and at minimum, sounded like a fun adventure for two design & real estate-loving Moms.
With big ambitions to have wrinkle-free outfits and freshly made-up faces, we drove to Atlanta super early so we could get dressed/do makeup upon arrival.
We were sitting in the parking lot changing clothes when I realized I’d forgotten ALL of makeup! Thank GOD I found lipstick in the bottom of my purse, and a dried-up tube of mascara in the console 😅. I used the lipstick to add color to my cheeks, eyelids, and lips. I know there are actual “multi-use” makeup products these days, so some might say I started the trend!
After waiting for our turn to meet with a producer (there were about 30 people there), we were asked about 10 minutes of questions like what type of experience we had renovating homes, how long we had been friends, what our current occupations were, and whether or not we could be gone for 6 consecutive weeks. After (15 minutes), she asked if we could return on Sunday for an on-camera interview!
I guess a little lipstick goes a long way! 💋
I’m tempted to say “long story short”...but in reality, it was a pretty straightforward process. After the first interview (described above) which was in August, we had a second interview with the producers of the show in October (in NYC!), and we got “THE CALL” in December saying “Yep, you’re in!”
We were flown to Pensacola and driven to Gulf Shores, AL, and (in case you’re not familiar with the show) would be tasked with flipping (renovating/redesigning) an existing beach property in a speedy 6 weeks time. There would be 3 other teams of contestants, and the winner would win $50,000. Wam bam, thank ya ma’am!
I’ll spare you all the details of what happened from there, but I do want to share the top 3 things I learned from being on an HGTV show…
Everything doesn’t have to be pushed to a new level. Sometimes a classic way is the best way for a reason!
The kitchen and living room of our unit were open-concept. We renovated the kitchen first, followed by the living room the following week. We couldn’t lay the floors in both rooms at once, and by the time we got to the living room, it felt like we needed something new. I decided to lay the floors at a diagonal annnd, the judges didn’t love it.
While we were on the show, I was also in the process of building my family’s new house in Birmingham. The kitchen floors I chose for our house were heart pine from an old general store in Tennessee. The adjacent living room floors were wide plank white oak, so I had just made the decision to lay our kitchen plans diagonally. Let me be clear – I have no regrets and have LOVED our diagonal kitchen floors so much.
For the sake of our Beach Flip design, however, it just wasn’t necessary. My “push” for something different made things more difficult and didn’t pay off in the long run (that’s the lesson here, friends).
I still think about this when I’m considering pushing a boundary in any design project (which happens a lot)! It’s a solid reminder to ask myself if it will really be worth it.
2. Measure twice. Cut once. Double-check over and over!
In our Beach Flip unit, we decided to add trim to the ceiling in the stairwell. I was in charge of measuring, and I made the call to the hardware store to order the trim. I don’t remember the amount now, but when they delivered it, there was SO much trim we thought we received the wrong order! We probably needed 40 feet at most and received close to 400. 🤦🏻♀️
Of course, I can’t recall if we could have returned some of the product or not, but for some reason, we ended up GIVING it to two other contestants who used it to add beauty boxes in their living room. It looked really good and brought them up as a really close contender because of it!
3. Bake cookies for the subcontractors!
Once our kitchen was finished, we started ordering break-and-bake cookies and candy. The ultimate purpose of the cookies was to “style” our house, buuut they really helped keep the contractors in our house longer! 😂
This might seem like a silly tip, but to this day, I still bake cookies or have fun treats for my sub-contractors. It’s a great way to show them your appreciation and build relationships with the people who are literally making your project and vision come together. Without them, there is nothing!
—
In closing, I’ll tell you this – we, as viewers, only see the TINIEST fraction of what’s actually recorded. In other words, they record E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G, and only a smidge that ends up getting produced and airing on the show. I’m not sure why that is – I guess to make sure they have enough to pull together – and to ensure they catch every little “thing” that might happen.
I’ll never forget one day during the show, we didn’t have a lot going on, so Daphne and I were doing some grunt work pulling staples from the stairs. Super entertaining, right? Despite the absolutely boring nature of this moment, the producer and camera guy were there with their feet kicked up on the coffee table laughing at us as we worked – and yes, the camera was rolling.
Daphney and I got to the point where we’d yell out “We’re naked!” if there was a knock at the door (i.e. them wanting to come in and record) and we didn’t want them in there. A little bonus tip for you, in case you ever find yourself in our shoes 😂🙈
–
What began as a fun thing to do with my best friend became an experience that left a lasting impact on me as a designer and as a person overall. Throughout the past 9 years, I have been a part of countless projects (including building my brand new home which we move into in 9 days! See more HERE) – and I regularly reflect on seeds that were planted while being on Beach Flip.
The week after we auditioned, I got a call from an HGTV scout asking if I was interested in making my own show. It’s been nine years since then, but you never know what could be on the horizon…
The Fall Roundtop Shopping Retreat is SOLD OUT! Jump on the waitlist…you might still grab a spot!