Celebrity | Reality

7 'Property Brothers' Secrets The Scott Brothers Don't Want You To Know

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I don't even own a home, but I'm a certifiable HGTV junkie.

And if you watch the network as much as I do, you've seen hundreds of episodes of Property Brothers by now.

But if you've been dreaming of inviting Drew and Jonathan Scott to renovate your own fixer upper, I have some bad news for you.

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Sadly, "reality TV" is not as real as it's made out to be. While the Property Brothers do actually renovate homes, being featured on the show is not all that it's cracked up to be.

Here are 7 behind-the-scenes secrets from the set of Property Brothers:

1. It Takes Two To Tango

There are two things you must have to be a client on Property Brothers.

The first is a home to renovate, and the second is a sidekick.

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Whether it's your spouse, your friend, or a relative, it says in black and white on the show's applications that every episode features two clients.

So why is going solo strictly forbidden? Well the client questionnaire asks you to list if you have opinionated personalities and interesting relationship dynamics.

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Yes, it seems like the drama between the clients on every episode is just part of the show.

As Drew says, "The homeowners are never as bad as how they look on the show."

2. You've Gotta Pay To Play

You might imagine that Drew and Jonathan just treat their clients to all those fabulous renovations and stylish pieces of furniture.

Nope.

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For one thing, you need to have the cash to buy your fixer upper home for the show. And while they're rundown, some of those are still pretty expensive.

You cover the costs for the actual renovations as well. The show chips in $10,000, but the clients reportedly provide between $70,000 and $90,000 for repairs.

But that's not all. Remember how something seems to go wrong with the reno every single episode?

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Those "contingencies" are covered by the homeowner, with a contingency fee that's 25% of their renovation budget.

And since you're pretty much guaranteed to pay out for water damage or some other obstacle, you should expect to fork over $100,000 for your renovations.

3. The Home Buying Segments Are Staged

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Famously, HGTV's hit reality series House Hunters required contestants to actually buy a house before they could be featured on the show.

While Property Brothers doesn't have such a strict rule, Drew and Jonathan do expect you to have your sights set on a home, or have made an offer already.

So why does every episode feature a tour of a "turnkey" home before the couple settle on their fixer upper?

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It's just for dramatic effect. The couple almost always knows which house they're getting already - they might even own it before their "tour."

But for the record, the brothers insist they don't stage the fixer upper homes to make them look ugly and worn down.

What you see is really what you get.

4. The Rooms Get Picked Ahead Of Time

Drew and Jonathan may play up their design expertise, but they actually have plenty of time to plan out their renovations.

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Each episode is filmed in just six or seven weeks, so to keep on schedule the homeowners pick which four rooms will be renovated ahead of time.

While the brothers insist they give every couple "a completely renovated home," the work is really concentrated on these four rooms, which are featured on the episode.

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There are even restrictions on which rooms you can pick: the kitchen and bathroom take the most time and money to renovate, so couples can only pick one.

5. Jonathan Doesn't Do All The Work

You don't see them on TV, but the twins actually have a small army of helpers.

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A Reddit poster who was auditioning to be on Property Brothers revealed the show hires a crew of local contractors to do the hard work.

In fact, over the course of six or seven weeks, Drew and Jonathan only visit the homeowners seven or eight times.

"A crew is working on the entire house around the clock, some on-camera and some off-camera, to finish the project," the brothers explain on their website.

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Still, the Scotts are said to be very hands-on with the teams they hire, and former clients say they're as friendly as they seem on TV.

6. Yes, They Keep The Furniture

Chip and Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper are famously stingy, and make their clients pay to keep the furniture they display in the each home.

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The Scotts are a little more generous, and their production company covers the decorations and furniture.

They even insist that they renovate parts of the home you don't see on-screen.

The same is true for their spin-off show, Brother Versus Brother, but not for their real estate show Buying and Selling.

7. There's A Third Scott Brother

Scott Brothers

No, they're not triplets. But dedicated fans may remember the third Scott brother, J.D., from a few episodes of Property Brothers and Brother Versus Brother.

A year older than his twin brothers, J.D. carved his own path as celebrity impersonator in Las Vegas before joining the show's digital content team.

Over the years, Drew and Jonathan eventually convinced him to step in front of the camera on a handful of special episodes.

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He was also a cohost on Drew and Jonathan's weekly radio show Off Topic.

While he's not identical, you can definitely see the family resemblance.

Did these secrets change your opinion of Property Brothers?

Jonathan and Drew opened up about the setbacks and obstacles they faced before they were famous.

A Fixer Upper contestant also revealed what it's like to be on the show.

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