Is HGTV’s ‘100 Day Dream Home’ real or fake?

Whenever people discuss reality shows, the topic of fakery often comes up. Today it is well-known that many reality shows distort the truth and stage certain elements to add drama and create an engaging narrative. Recently, many viewers have been wondering if the popular HGTV reality show 100 Day Dream Home is real or if it, like so many other reality shows, is scripted. 

It’s easy to see why as many HGTV shows have been accused of fakery over the years. Most famously, the show Fixer Upper has frequently been accused of faking things for the cameras, causing controversy within the show’s fandom. 

What is 100 Day Dream Home?

100 Day Dream Home follows husband and wife team Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt as they go and help clients design their dream home in 100 days or less. The pair are very suited to this, as Mika is a realtor and Brian is a developer, meaning they know everything there is to know about designing and building houses from the ground up. 

What makes 100 Day Dream Home fascinating is that the couple’s clients don’t get to see the house until it is complete, making it a massive surprise for them. 

Is 100 Day Dream Home fake? 

Brian and Mika have talked about what happens behind the scenes on 100 Day Dream Home several times, giving fans a tantalizing glimpse at how the show operates. In an interview with Distractify, they answered some common questions fans asked about the show. 

During this interview, Brian noted: 

“There are always ups and downs and in-betweens, and the great thing about our show is we try to capture everything in its real-time in real life to make it feel as real as possible.” 

This statement is backed up by how Mika and Brian talk about managing people’s expectations. In an interview with People, Brian noted that many people on the show had a “steak appetite on a hamburger budget” and that he and Mika have to “make their hamburger budget look like a steak.” Also in the interview with Distractify, the couple talked about how much of their work is teaching clients, noting that they often have to teach them about local building codes. 

All of this suggests that the show isn’t scripted. If it was, you’d presume the contestants would know this stuff going in and give the pair a straightforward task. 

However, at the time of writing, no one who got a house via 100 Day Dream Home has talked to the media about their experience, meaning we only have the episodes to go on. Ultimately, as with all shows of this nature, we might not learn the truth about them for many years. Compared to other reality shows, 100 Day Dream Home is still relatively young, and often information about the behind-the-scenes workings of a reality show doesn’t come out until several seasons have aired, so only time will tell.