Can HGTV Survive Without Husband and Wife Duo Shows?
When it comes to a recipe, HGTV has the perfect one. Take a beautiful, happy couple in real estate and/or home renovation and/or interior design, capture their lives while they flip or design or renovate a home, give it a snappy title, and you’ve got a successful HGTV show! The concept of an HGTV power couple has been replicated time after time. There’s something about seeing spouses doing their thing that has helped keep the network afloat over the last decade plus.
Back in the day, HGTV was known more for their garden shows and real estate programs. There were occasional design-based programs, but nothing like what it looks like today. There was a show called Room by Room that focused on home renovations and decorating. The classic show ran from 1994 until 2006 and was hosted by Matt Fox and Shari Hiller.
While they weren’t a married couple, they showed how a pair of hosts can be engaging for viewers. Then came Love It or List It, hosted by Hillary Farr and David Visentin, and Jonathan and Drew Scott, hosts of Property Brothers, who continued to shake up the network. It was only a couple of years later that HGTV tried its hand at couple-centric programming that set the course for the future.
The Rise Of Power Couples on HGTV Should Be Studied
Perhaps the show that allowed HGTV to explore the power couple concept was Fixer Upper. Set in Waco, Texas, Fixer Upper followed Chip and Joanna Gaines as they helped revitalize the nooks and crannies of their Texas hamlet. The show proved to be a massive success, helping to revitalize the network. While they were focused on home renovation, HGTV sought to capitalize on another area of the industry: home flipping.
Because of the boom in real estate content, they took a chance on a young couple who had risen in the ranks of flipping, Christina (Haack) and Tarek El Moussa. Flip or Flop became another massive hit. However, the shows couldn’t be more different. The Gaines were a kind, sweet Southern couple. The El Moussas were hustlers from California. They didn’t overlap in tone or aesthetic, so there was little to no competition. But they both had their followings.
With two shows featuring a married couple revitalizing the network, it was time to try the concept again. HGTV was eager to attempt to find their next Fixer Upper. In 2016, it was Home Town with Ben and Erin Napier, a Southern couple revitalizing their small town of Laurel, Mississippi. A year later, it was Fixer to Fabulous with Jenny and Dave Marrs, a Southern couple revitalizing their small town of Bentonville, Alabama. And they worked!
Because the Gaines were on their way out and the El Moussas were engaged in a very public divorce, the Marrs and Napiers had to pick up the slack. In the meantime, HGTV utilized other shows with familiar relationships, such as Good Bones, featuring the mother-daughter duo of Mina Starsiak Hawk and Karen E. Laine, and Unsellable Houses, hosted by sisters Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis. Still, they were the diamonds in the rough. Viewers just loved those married couples!
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HGTV Needs More Diversity In Couples
If you look at the lineup today, so much of the programming centers on the same concept. While we’ve expanded beyond the South, we are still watching renovation shows led by husband-and-wife duos across the country. In Florida, it’s Mika and Brian Kleinschmidt of 100 Day Dream Home. In Hawaii, it’s Tristyn and Kamohai Kalama of Renovation Aloha. In South Dakota, it’s Cole and Chelsea DeBoer of Down Home Fab. In Atlanta, it’s Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson of Married to Real Estate. They all have their niche. They each bring their own special je ne sais quoi. However, the recipe remains the same.
When it comes to diversity, HGTV has made an active effort to introduce couples that do represent the fabric of the country. Yes, there have been queer couples featured in the likes of Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent of The Nate and Jeremiah Home Project, Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas of Bargain Block, and Davina Thomasula and Kristin Leitheuser of Small Town Potential, but there can always be more representation. In the case of Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson, they are the only Black couple on the network. There are certainly strides to showcase a larger reflection of diversity, but it could go even further. Talent comes in all forms.
However, diversity must also encompass the types of programming that viewers can consume. Sure, there are solo acts all over the network. Alison Victoria and David Bromstad are doing just fine. With the end of Good Bones, there’s more potential to have Mina Starsiak Hawk do her own thing. But just looking at Rock the Block, the teams are made up mostly of couples, as the show serves as a training ground for the next generation of HGTV shows. Of course, the network can thrive and survive if it takes a new direction in its programming. It’s just a matter of taking the risk and attempting a new formula. Maybe it’s time for Design Star to return to create the next superstar.
