5 Hilarious (and True) Behind-the-Scenes Stories from the Property Brothers
Updated: Oct. 04, 2018
When you’re making a reality TV show, there’s bound to be footage that ends up on the cutting room floor. In this excerpt from their new book, It Takes Two (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017), Drew and Jonathan Scott reveal five hilarious scenes that you certainly *won’t* be seeing on their hit program, Property Brothers.
Drew Scott Dishes: Five Scenes That Got Cut from Property Brothers
When we do flips, like on Brother vs. Brother, we are investing our own money, so we’re not necessarily working with homeowners, but we are indeed letting the buyers decide our fate. Because of that, the stress really falls on our shoulders as we try to get these projects done. Some are easier than others, and we’ve learned the hard way that in this biz you just have to accept the unexpected. Here are some of my “favourite” do-overs, thanks to the gods of Reality Interruptus:
1. Attack of the Crazy Neighbour
While filming a Property Brothers scene, my clients, Jonathan, and I were walking up to a house to tour, and a crazy neighbour came running out of her house with a large chef’s knife in hand, screaming that we were trying to rob her and she was going to call the police. I could see why she might think Jonathan was some drifter up to no good, but I was standing there in suit and tie. “I must be the best-dressed robber you’ve ever seen,” I politely pointed out. I explained that we were touring the house next door to hers, and she finally calmed down.
2. The Case of the High-Maintenance Cat
A lot of our homeowners get worked up when it comes to budget, renovations, hand-me-down furniture we want them to get rid of, and so forth. We do trim content that might make them look unlikable. We’re notorious for teasing and bantering with our homeowners for a laugh, but it’s all in good fun and more often than not, we make ourselves the brunt of a joke. We would never intentionally humiliate anyone for entertainment’s sake, and we’ll save our homeowners from themselves if we have to. That was the case once on Buying & Selling, when our client walked into her house renovation while Jonathan and his crew were working and called everything to a halt with an important announcement: “If my cat walks into the room while you guys are working, you all must stop immediately. No one is allowed to work until my cat decides to leave on its own.” She was serious. We removed this from the show because she looked kind of nuts. (But hey, we’re keeping it here because it was years ago… we’ve moved on. And cats can’t read.)
3. Celebrity Video-Bombings
While filming in front of a flooring store in Atlanta, this guy on a bicycle zipped by in the middle of the scene, ringing his bell. If we had the person sign a release to be on camera, no problem. But this video-bomber happened to be the R&B artist Usher. Everyone was so star-struck, he was already two blocks away by the time our director thought to ask him if we could keep him in the scene. Usher, come baaack! Lesson learned. You can bet we kept our eyes peeled for Blake Shelton on a moped while filming in Nashville.
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4. Audio Interference
Sound is a very important part of any show. If you don’t have clean audio, the viewer is going to be distracted. One day, as I was trying to talk with the homeowners, sound issues kept popping up one after another after another. No joke: plane, train, bus, motorbike, MARCHING BAND (c’mon!), dogs, baby in stroller, more dogs, the local school letting out. Just when we thought that—at last—all was good, a bird with the most obnoxious wailing cry ever landed in the tree above me.
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5. Homeowners Who Just Want Freebies
We get thousands of applications to be featured on the show, but most are from people who have no budget and no intention of buying or selling—they just want a free house. (Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.) Then there are the ones who simply harbour a mad crush on one or both of us, but they’re quickly weeded out by the fifth time they ask how soon until they meet us in person. None of the nudist families who’ve applied have made it on yet, but we have had couples move up their wedding to be married on the show, and even one pair who offered to induce early for a delivery of twins during filming. It’s amazing how competitive people can be for the opportunity. You don’t have to be a married couple to get on the show, but if you’re single, you need to have a likeable sidekick such as a best friend or relative so there’s someone to discuss your decisions with. We don’t have an inter-cranial camera capable of filming you talking to yourself inside your head.
Can’t get enough of the Property Brothers? Check out our in-depth interview with Drew and Jonathan Scott!
For more behind-the-scenes banter from the Property Brothers, check out their new book, It Takes Two (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017).
