Realty Realities - House Hunters in the V.I.

by Eloise Anderson

The setup is this: a couple from North Carolina decides to buy a house on St. John. They look at three houses and pick one. This is all filmed for television, after the fact, for an HGTV show called International House Hunters.

Prior to this interview I'd never heard of the international version of the show, but had been sucked into the regular House Hunters on many a Saturday afternoon. It doesn't sound interesting? Couples and realtors walking through houses, pointing at bathtubs? Well strangely, it is rather compelling. Perhaps because you catch a glimpse of random peoples' lives, perhaps because the re-enactments are sometimes so staged that you feel sympathy for the want-to-be owners. The original show has been on the air for ten years or so, and focuses mainly on middle-class suburban homes. The international version is its cooler cousin. They're not comparing grass-less backyards here, they're comparing million-dollar ocean views.

The couple in this episode are Ted and Sharon Prosser. The villas involved are: Aria, Sea Rock, and Into the Mystic. A very low-key production is going on as I arrive at the beautiful Coral Bay villa Sea Rock, just four crew members, the couple, and a realtor. I don't immediately know where the filming is taking place, so I hang out on the deck taking pictures. Eventually Brent Lynn, the crew's production assistant, finds me and pulls me into the mix.

Aria	Into The Mystic	Sea Rock

According to cameraman Greg Strain, a freelancer from "The Valley" of LA, the show films all day for 4-5 days, then all the footage gets cut down to 22 minutes. So the producer can afford to do take after take, until he gets the one he wants. "Whew, if I ever wanted to be to be an actress, this cures me of it!" says Sharon, as she regroups for a re-take. Sharon's incredibly good-natured though, and troupers through several more takes. In the next take of the same scene, Ted trips over the door jamb, laughs, and says, "Did I tell you that what I really wanted to be was an action hero?" And they re-take the scene again. It's cute. They're cute as a couple. They get that this show is a little "cheesy" but everyone is having fun and taking cues from the very patient and affable producer/director, Tom Brickner. Diana Beam of Remax International, the realtor who has been "showing" the houses, is doing great too, she's upbeat and sounding very natural, again and again and again.

I wonder about the other homeowners, the ones whose houses are not going to be picked. Diana says, "Oh the owners of the other houses have been calling me like crazy saying, Please don't trash my house!" and laughs. And it really is quite laughable, she's right, because if Aria is anything like Sea Rock, there's nothing to trash. These are amazing villas! The Prossers happen not to prefer the (all) outdoor showers of Sea Rock---but for someone like, say, me, I'd love it! And the view is something you'd never tire of---miles and miles of blue water and sailboats. Maybe that's actually part of the show's appeal, that the viewer is constantly forming their own opinion about each house, and silently judging the couples' reactions..."Well I would have chosen the other one."

Into The Mystic is the house the Prossers eventually bought, and they plan to live in Coral Bay for part of the year ("so don't make me sound too dumb," says Ted, "people reading this could be my future neighbors!"). The couple seems excited to be a part of St. John, and can't wait to live here. They're laidback people, it should go alright. If Aria or Sea Rock is your favorite, they are both still on the market and Diana would probably walk you right through them just like she did for the TV cameras. It would be fun for you, too. The producer didn't know when the episode would air, but it's likely coming in the next few months to a small screen near you.  Stay tuned to our website (www.stjohnsuntimes.com), and we'll let you know when to watch.

January 2009