From ‘The Block‘ to ‘Grand Designs‘, home renovation and real estate shows have become a true small screen phenomenon, captivating audiences with dramatic transformations and inspiring home renovators and DIY enthusiasts at the same time.
But for any wannabe property reality star, there’s a big unanswered question: what does it actually take to get onto one?
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Scott Cam and Shelly Craft from The Block. Picture: supplied
Whether you you’re a home owner with a property that needs some serious TLC, or just an avid interiors fan with design aspirations, exactly how do you go from reality TV dreaming to landing a spot on a property show? Turns out, there’s a competitive and sometimes convoluted casting process that goes on behind-the-scenes.
From crafting a compelling application, to tips to trump the competition and how to nail your audition tape, read on as the producers behind some of Australia’s most popular property programmes reveal the secrets of the casting process.
The application process
The path onto a home renovation show typically involves several stages, the first beginning with an online application form where you’ll be asked to provide details about yourself, your home, and your renovation plans.
“We have our own casting site that people apply via,” executive producer for ‘Space Invaders’ Phillip Tanner, told realestate.com.au. “We also put out a casting call on Channel Nine and various social networks.”
Be prepared to share photos and videos of your property, as well as a written description of your project and why you’d be a great fit for the show. You may be asked to submit a video audition, which is your chance to showcase your personality and explain why you’re the perfect candidate.
The hosts of Channel 9’s newest home makeover Space Invaders are renovation queen Cherie Barber, decluttering guru Peter Walsh and former Aussie Pickers star Lucas Callaghan. Picture: Supplied
“There’s an ‘audition tape’ of sorts – more like a badly self-shot video on an iPhone that accompanies the written application!” said supervising executive producer for ‘Grand Designs Australia’ and ‘Restoration Australia’, Brooke Bayvel. “But it’s quite important as far as giving us a sense of their character and their enthusiasm for their project.”
The next step often involves interviews with the show’s producers and casting team. This is where they’ll get to know you better and assess your suitability for the program.
Behind the scenes on Space Invaders. Picture: Supplied
“There is an extensive application form that the potential homeowners submit including videos and photos of their home issues,” explained Karen Warner executive producer of Foxtel and BINGE’s ‘Love It Or List It’.
“The next stage is speaking to the homeowners directly over zoom. Together, all these elements are presented to the network to choose the final mix.”
Standing out from the crowd
With hundreds of hopefuls vying for a spot, it’s essential to make your application stand out. And while an ‘audition tape’ isn’t always required, some shows want a Zoom ‘audition’ instead. For both, producers say that focusing on your personal story — rather than your skills or your property — is paramount.
“As far as tips go, bring as much personality and passion to the video as possible and if you’ve got a good sense of humour, all the better!” said Miss Bayvel. “What we really want to know is why your project is so special — if you can make us excited there’s a great chance the audience will come along for the ride as well!”
Grand Designs Australia host Peter Maddison with Tamborine Mountain couple Sarah and David Hobart. Picture: Foxtel/Rhiannon Slatter
If you make it through the interview process, the producers will visit your property to assess its potential and discuss your renovation plans in more detail.
“Once we find a person, couple, or family that we’re interested in, our casting person will do a Zoom call with them to establish what they are like. Are they interesting, does the clutter create conflict, how do they interact? If we like what we see, myself or the series director visit the house and do an in-person interview with them and shoot some videos. Generally this is the time when we know if they have a chance or not. This tape is then edited and sent to the executives and network for approval.”
Personality is also very important as is showing enthusiasm for appearing on the show.
“It’s very competitive, on average we only renovate ten properties each year,” said Kam Vurlow, executive producer for ‘Selling Houses Australia’ — which returned this week for its 17th season on Foxtel and BINGE.
“The best advice we can give is to be yourself, be excited about the opportunity and be completely open and honest about your predicament.”
Personality over property
While a dilapidated house in need of a serious makeover is a good starting point, it’s far from the only thing producers consider.
“This is a television program so people do need to be interesting,” said said Mr Tanner. “However, the most important feature is that they need to be authentic.
“Some of the best people we have featured are average people who completely commit to the process. Then the audience gets behind them and that is what makes the show successful.”
Andrew Winter and Neale Whitaker – hosts of Foxtel’s Love It or List It Australia. Picture: Foxtel
When crafting any reality show, regardless of whether it involves a renovation or not, personality, compelling stories and (often) a dash of drama is key to creating engaging content. Whether it’s a growing family needing more space, a couple tackling their first renovation, or someone overcoming a personal challenge, a strong story is what will resonate with viewers.
“We love a good love story!” said ‘Love It Or List It’ executive producer Karen Warner — who is currently casting for season six of the hit TV show. “Our couples also need to be authentic, engaging, enthusiastic, and comfortable in front of the camera.”
Renovations rarely go smoothly, and producers need homeowners who are willing to embrace the unexpected and share the challenges along the way. Another factor is a good mix of representation across each series.
“Getting a broad representation of the population is really important,” said Miss Bayvel. “On all shows we really push for a diverse cast of characters from different ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds, to differing sexualities and ages — the more variety of characters we have across all series’, the better!”
Love It or List It producers are looking for broad representation when auditioning for the show. Picture: Supplied
From fixer-upper to fame
Imagine your tired, outdated home transformed into a stunning showpiece, all while cameras capture the journey. For many homeowners, the dream of a picture-perfect renovation — or a serious refresh — is coupled with the allure of seeing their project unfold on national television. Of course, with some real estate shows, the property itself will dictate whether producers can move forward with an applicant.
“‘Selling Houses’ has quite a rigorous vetting process for the properties,” explained Mr Vurlow. “We conduct several inspections from a technical building perspective and a design perspective. We also commission pest and building reports, engineering plans, and go through council permissions, before locking a property in for a renovation.
Dennis Scott, Andrew Winter and Wendy Moore from Selling Houses Australia. Picture: Supplied
“We have our wonderful building consultants who first attend each home with our casting producers. They assess practical considerations – some projects might be too big or too small.
“There must be a genuine, desperate need from homeowners for our help and a realistic chance of success from the process. But equally the property must have the potential for transformation, there must be improvements the team can implement to make the property more appealing to buyers.”
Bricks and mortar or human interest?
Property shows offer a window into the world of design and construction, demystifying the renovation process, and empowering viewers to tackle their own projects. Add to this a viewer connection with the human stories playing out on screen and you have a winning formula. But, which is most important to producers?
“A bit of both actually,” said Miss Bayvel. “In some stories, the build itself is so interesting that that’s what we focus on. Others are as much about the personal journey of the homeowners during the build, as the house itself.
Last year’s The Block contestants Maddy and Charlotte with Scott Cam. Picture: Supplied
“The aim is to find really engaging people pushing themselves to the limit on really interesting and innovative projects. But not everyone has to be a huge personality – we’ve had some lovely characters over the years who have been shy introverts with extraordinary dreams, and that’s lovely too.”
It’s a statement echoed by Mr Vurlow: “It’s both,” he said. “Of course, viewers want to understand a homeowners’ predicament and what’s at stake for them, so the better a homeowner can bring their story to life, the more viewers will connect.
“There’s always two intertwined stories in each episode, the homeowner’s story and the property story. Both are equally important.”
Logistic considerations
While a watchable character and a good story are both top priority, when it comes to the final casting call, producers often also have a raft of logistical boxes to tick.
“We get hundreds of applications each season but many are unsuitable for the program due to their location, scope of work or some other factor,” explained Mr Tanner from ‘Space Invaders’ – a show where decluttering experts help people to sort through and discard belongings in what they call a “sort hall”.
“People need to be within an hour travel from our production sort hall. The production already spends a lot of time on the road traveling between the houses and the sort hall and, given we need to film an episode in four days including meet and greet, sort and reno, plus reveal, making travel any further becomes a production and safety issue.”
Eloise Collins, Matthew Collins and Grand Designs Australia host Peter Maddison. Picture: Rhiannon Slatter for Foxtel
Factors also include budgets — dictated by the scope of what’s required to renovate a property — and timelines. Both of these will need to align with the show’s format and budget.
“There’s the timing factor as well,” continued Miss Bayvel. “Are they building in our filming window, how realistic are their timeframes, and will they in fact be ‘in by Christmas’, or are they dreaming?”
Lights, camera, action!
Of course, many of these programs have turned everyday homeowners into DIY stars, and have — particularly in the case of ‘The Block’ — provided a launchpad for many of the contestants to begin new, property-related, careers. However, though the prospect of having your home renovated on TV is exciting, it’s important to understand the commitment involved.
Before you sign on the dotted line, consider the timeline of these shows — which can vary from weeks and months to years — so you’ll need to be available for the duration of the project.
Leah and Ash were contestants on The Block in 2023. Picture: News Corp Australia
Often you’ll need to be prepared to work with the show’s design team and may not have complete control over the final outcome. And cameras will be rolling during, often, unsettling and stressful periods. Being on a TV show means sharing your home and personal life with a large audience. Consider the implications for your privacy.
Ultimately, the journey from application to airtime can be a unique and rewarding experience, and even one that can transform not just your home, but your life.
