watching you, watching me

This morning, just as the girls and I were walking into the house after taking Catcher to school, I got a text from my friend reading "You're on HGTV right now!!!!!" If you're a follower of this blog, you may remember that once upon a time--it feels like eons ago--I roped my family into shooting an episode of HGTV's My First Sale (if you need a refresher, you can check out the story here and here...and here).

This whole ordeal started way back in North Carolina when Scout was only three months old (I was pregnant with Tillie by the time we wrapped shooting, but that's another story). Scout is now three years old--you can do the math on that one. I never thought I would see the episode air on HGTV since they switched the dates on us so many times (sorry to my FB peeps for all the false social media alerts) although we received a DVD copy, and I heard rumors from others that it did make air. Well...now I've seen it for myself during HGTV's regular scheduled programming. Being taken by surprise this morning, I actually didn't mind listening to my annoying voice on TV, and watching the girls watch us was a trip--here are snippets of conversation from the surprise showing:

Tillie (to the TV, when Alex was talking onscreen): No. No. I don't like that daddy.

Scout (to herself, talking about us): That family is cool.

Scout (to me): Why is Alex painting the walls white?

Scout (to Tillie, while rubbing her back): It's okay, Tillie. You're not in this family. You're in mommy's belly.

in other shocking news

Remember this house? In case anyone is keeping track, our show about selling it did not air on HGTV last week. What is they say? Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Well...shame on me because for the second time I launched a social media blitz alerting all our fans (haha!) out there of an air date that wasn't. Coupled with the fact that the show isn't even good, this is the last time I will write about our brush with reality television. Or, more specifically, this is the last time I'll write about this particular brush with reality television. You never know if Alex and I will try out for The Amazing Race some day.

finally...really...(maybe)

Next Wednesday the Wheats' episode of My First Sale is finally airing. This time it's for real. Or maybe. That's what we've been told. If you want a sneak peek, check the video I posted here. After watching the DVD again (Alex made me do it this time) I take back the part that it's the worst episode of the show ever. The content may be boring, but at least we're cute. That's cute compared to your average HGTV couple, not your average Hollywood couple. 

Although I promised not to blog about the show during the filming of the show, I feel like the statute of limitations has run out on that deal, so here are a couple of things they don't tell you:

- We were with our first realtor for 18 months and the house never sold.

- We did take some of her advice--granite counter tops, anyone?--but I don't think putting out a bowl of fruit in your kitchen is going to sell your home.

- The first day of shooting lasted about 12 hours, and it felt like the longest day of my life. I think labor was more enjoyable. [Remember, this was all my idea].

- There were entire days worth of shoots that never made it into the show.

-The "comp" house that we go to check out in the show was in a sketchy neighborhood. Seriously, I would have been afraid to unload my groceries after sunset on that street. But they have a nice backyard.

- Our second realtor sold the house in 3 months and worked some incredible magic to make the deal go through as we were driving from Charlotte to Austin.

I did learn a couple things from this whole experience, though. Like the next time I'm on TV I want to be totally in charge (i.e. hosting my own decorating show). But before that I need to work on this weird southern draw that sometimes comes out when I'm on camera.

and the emmy goes to...

Alex and I received a little surprise in the mail on Saturday: a DVD copy of our episode of HGTV's My First Sale. So we now have proof that the video was actually made, and after watching it three times (Catcher made me do it!) I can honestly say that it's probably the worst episode of this show ever. Nothing really happens and nothing is resolved. My hair doesn't look as bad as I thought it would, but I kind of have a weird southern accent (do I actually talk like that?). I don't know if it ever actually aired, but enjoy this little snippet of the Wheat family in action.

not quite famous

Today was the day of our big HGTV debut. Today was the day that someone, somewhere was going to see my little house in Charlotte and love its decor and track me down to help them decorate their own space. Or some fat cat at HGTV would happen upon our episode and see my "star quality" and decide that I need my own TV show.

Except none of that happened because our show didn't air. As of last night, we were still on the HGTV roster, but at 10:00am this morning--9:00 central time, by the way--some other family in Charlotte took over our time slot. Alex was home to watch the episode and broke the news to me via text since I was "playing it cool" and going about my normal day by taking the kids to the museum.

And so it continues...the TV show that almost didn't cast us if it weren't for my power of persuasion and pitching skills...the 9 months worth of interrupted weekends that we sacrificed...the takes and the double-takes and the triple-takes...the stressing over outfits to wear and remembering whether or not I had already worn that pair of shoes...the 4 hour shoots that turned into 12...I guess that's the price of fame (wink!).

small screen debut

It's funny to think that it all began more than a year ago when Scout was four weeks old and I was home watching way too much HGTV and getting crazy ideas in my head about being on TV. In my defense, I was sleep deprived and, at the time, I truly believed it would sell our house. On Monday our episode of My First Sale finally airs, and here is what HGTV has to say about it:

Baby makes four for this Charlotte couple and there's not enough room in their 847 square foot home. They're desperate to sell but when their realtor makes suggestions, the two push back. When their doubts grow, Sarah and Alex fire their realtor. But right away, the second realtor starts giving the same advice.

I know we're totally going to look like a couple of dweebs, but when you think about it do you ever see anyone "cool" on HGTV anyway (Novogratzes not included)? Although I've threatened not to watch the episode, I'm the one who got us in to this mess in the first place, so I guess I have to follow through and watch the "reality" unfold...dumb outfit choices and hairstyles and all...

10.10

We finally have a date that our episode of My First Sale is going to air on HGTV--10.10 at 10am. Like I've said, I'm sure I'm going to hate my hairstyle or think my voice sounds weird or whatever, but I can't believe we finally have a date. Kind of like the selling of our house, there were times when I thought the filming process was never going to end. I'm curious to see how they spun our story, and after it airs I'm sure I'll be tempted to layout the differences between "reality" and "reality TV" (even though I'm not supposed to give away any secrets...haha). At least that chapter of our real life has a happy ending that brought us to Austin.

10 months later

This past Saturday was our final, actual, real last shoot with HGTV. At least that's what I've been told. Although we had to re-arrange our schedules and spend our free family Sundays with a TV crew in tow, and I would furiously clean the house before the crew got there only to have dirt and mud dragged through it once they arrived, and the kids would go hours without napping and lose all sense of self-control by 5:00pm, there was a part of me that loved it. Perhaps it's the lights or getting a quick glimpse of yourself on the monitor. Maybe it's the producer saying you look good or the camera guy throwing his artsy spin on your otherwise mundane task of raking the yard. I don't know what it is (or was) but I can't wait to see the finished product. Actually, I should reserve judgment until after the show airs because I'm sure I'll think my voice sounds weird or I'll hate my hair or one of my dumb outfits (figuring out what to wear each day, it turns out, was the most difficult task of all).

Other than feeling like a minor--if totally insignificant--celebrity at times, I think I also enjoyed the whole experience because I got a better understanding of Alex's work. I loved listening to him talk to the sound guy and the camera guy (sorry, I don't remember their "proper" names) and drop his TV buzz words. Catcher had fun, too. He was totally comfortable with the cameras in our house and affectionately referred to them as the "TV screws." I'm sure he'll hate us someday when he's a teenager and we make him sit down and watch himself in toddlerhood on My First Sale, but it will be our own little HD version of a home movie.

P.S. Can you believe this all started back in September?

P.P.S. Do you think our house will look small on TV?

put me in the movies

...or take me out of the movies and sell me for cheap. What?! I'm talking about Film Biz Prop Shop, a not-for-profit establishment in New York City that takes donations from TV shows, film sets, Broadway shows and other commercial productions and then sells them to us for super-cheap (otherwise the stuff would end up in a landfill...ridiculous!). I just learned about this store so I haven't been; however, I'm eagerly awaiting its virtual debut (and let's be honest, I probably wouldn't venture out to Brooklyn to see the store in person anyway).

Until the site launches, I'm thinking of my favorite movie sets and dreaming about what I could do with all that Josef Frank fabric from Mama Mia!, for example. Do you think they have the Womb Chair that was used in one episode of Felicity? Or maybe Pat the Dog from Friends?

and...scene

This past Sunday we had our last shoot with HGTV. Wait. Back it up: on Sunday I thought it was our last shoot, but there may be more in the works...we won't get into that now. So back to Sunday when I thought it was our last shoot, I had a momentary lapse of reason and thought I would actually miss the cameras. When you're in the middle of a 12-hour shoot and the kids are beyond the breaking point of sanity, you wonder why you got yourself into this in the first place (oh yeah...I was home on maternity leave and bored out of my mind and sleep deprived and desperate to sell my house and thought it was a great idea). But then there are things that you really will miss--like hanging out with the crew, a hot battery pack on the small of your back, the feeling of being miked up hours after the day has ended and the lingering flow of conversation that is not-quite-normal between you and your spouse. Yeah, I think I will miss it. But I'm not sure the whole family is on board with my sentiments. 

Judging by his expression, Catcher won't miss the cameras following us around; he's been there and done that and is jaded by the whole reality TV thing at this point.

Scout, on the other hand, was more or less asleep during the first few months of filming, so she's still new to the TV world and was all smiles on Sunday. Or maybe the big light just put her in a trance.

to do

We're almost (almost) ready to get this house back on the market. But every time I turn around, there seems to be something new we need to do (even though we've been doing this for 18 months now). Below is a list of things to get done before we meet with our new realtor on January 30th. By the way, we were supposed to meet with him this Sunday and we had a shoot scheduled with HGTV. Then the Packers beat the Falcons: end of story.

1. Finishing packing the books on the dining room table and get them up to the attic.

2. Re-caulk the tub in the bathroom.

3. Unpack/hook-up the Sony PlayStation (or take it to the attic).

4. Get rid of the giant box that the new TV came in.

5. Take the old TV up to the attic (and pray that squirrels don't make a nest out of it).

6. Take Catcher's bike up to the attic (he's still too short to ride it!).

I know I'm forgetting 100 things, but I'm kind of bored. I find myself making to-do lists all the time with my new job, so I'm not really in the mood to make another one right now. Later!

what's up with rob van winkle?

curbed.com

If you're "from the 90s" as I often describe myself, then Rob Van Winkle needs no introduction. He is Vanilla Ice. He knew how to "light up the stage and wax a chump like a candle," but what ever happened to the rapper-turned-heroine addict? It turns out that sampling David Bowie and sweet dance moves aren't his only talents--he knows a thing or two about flipping houses. This weekend I stumbled upon The Vanilla Ice Project on DIY network, and I have to admit I'm kind of hooked. Watching Vanilla Ice and his band of tattooed contractors flip a 7,000 square foot home in Palm Beach, Florida is quite inspiring. I wonder if they could make it up to Charlotte for a little mid-century renovation...

lights, camera...

How to make a small house feel even smaller:

- Take two full-grown adults + two small children

- Mix in a guy with an HD camera, a clipboard-yielding field producer and an audio dude

- Toss in a tall realtor

- Season with production lights and various technical equipment

- Walk from the living room to the kitchen and see if you can make the short journey without tripping over anything...

Sunday was our first day of shooting for My First Sale. We scheduled the shoot to begin at 9:00am, and I was shocked to find a text message from my husband when I got out of the shower at 8:30 stating "they're here!!" (I had sent him out with Catcher for coffee and donuts). Here was my reaction upon learning a production crew was waiting in my front yard:

Scout was oblivious to the pre-production chaos:

Catcher was getting all jacked-up on donut holes:

And Alex was in the driveway chatting it up with the crew [no picture]. I want to keep the show a surprise, so I won't go into details about the day.  You'll just have to wait and watch the Wheats on TV.

dress code

We begin shooting My First Sale on Sunday, and all I can think about is what I'm going to wear. I was talking to my brother on the phone earlier tonight and he asked if I was nervous. "Only about what to wear," I replied. The good news is that we have more than one shoot, so I'll have plenty of opportunities to put together some TV-worthy outfits, but for the moment I'm stumped. I guess it's because I work around clothes all day that I sometimes think they're more important than they are. I really shouldn't worry about it--it's not like anyone who watches the show is tuning in to see what the homeowner of the half-hour is wearing.

But what about the kids?

Images from the book Fashion Illustration by Fashion Designers, courtesy of New York Magazine .

cheers!

Remember 28 days ago when I came up with the brilliant idea to apply for HGTV's My First Sale? Well, today we got the call that we made it, and they want to begin taping immediately (maybe this weekend...yikes!). So tonight Alex and I are celebrating. If this little media blitz doesn't get our house sold, then I give up.

they like us

It looks like we're one step closer to making it on My First Sale. The producer called yesterday to let us know they loved the casting video and they're working on a pitch to send along to the network for final approval. She also mentioned that we shouldn't do anything to the backyard--one area of the house that could use some improvement--because it would be good footage to show us cleaning it up, planting, etc. 

One agreement that Alex and I made when we bought our house was that I would be in charge of the inside (regarding decorating choices) and he could have free reign on the outside. I have a feeling that I won't be sticking to this pact once the cameras start rolling. Although I don't know anything about plants and I'm not big on nature, I am big on opinions and I'll want to express mine. Of course, I won't really be in to the whole planting (or whatever) part, but maybe I can move stuff around or point to things.

cast away

Yesterday a guy with a camera came to our house to create a "casting video" for HGTV's My First Sale. Alex and I were interviewed separately, and then together and there was one family shot with us introducing the kids. I think we killed it. We're a cute, easygoing family, and I think (I hope) that shined through on our video. I felt completely relaxed in front of the camera and was excited to share our story. This isn't my first attempt at reality TV--my brother and I tried out for season two of The Amazing Race and made it to the semi-finals--so I hope I (we) make it all the way this time.

But let's not forget the reason I applied for the show in the first place was as a marketing tool to get our house sold. All the excitement of the casting video and my daydreams of us appearing on TV have temporarily pushed my anxieties about selling the house aside. I guess it's been a great distraction if nothing else comes of it...but I do want to be on TV.

testing 1,2,3

On Sunday afternoon, a camera crew for My First Sale is coming to our house for a casting video/screen test to make sure we're as charming on television as we are over the phone. I've always loved public speaking, so the thing I'm most nervous about is finding the right thing to wear. The producer suggested we don't wear black, white, grey or any crazy patterns or prints. That just about rules out my entire wardrobe, so I'll have to get creative. And what about the shoes?

take two

So guessed who called yesterday afternoon--the producer for HGTV's My First Sale. Apparently her boss had axed our story based solely on the information that we were just another family outgrowing our current space. He hadn't actually reviewed our application but once he did, he thought our story was compelling. He liked the fact that we moved here from Manhattan and 847 square-feet was palatial at first, but five years and two kids later it's shrinking by the minute (that was my pitch, by the way, I should have been in the production meeting last week). We chatted for another 30 minutes or so, and then she called my husband to get his side of the story. I texted him beforehand and told him to "be funny." He said he made her laugh a couple of times...

And now we wait. She had a production meeting this afternoon to further discuss us as candidates for the show, but I think we've got a pretty good shot this time (I knew they'd reconsider us!). I'm supposed to hear back within a couple of days, and the next step would be a casting test here in Charlotte. Good thing most of the baby weight is gone since the camera adds ten pounds.

almost famous

Apparently the traditional methods of selling a home--listing with an agent, hosting open houses, etc.--are not working for us, so the other night I decided to employ a guerilla tactic of my own. I applied to be on the show My First Sale on HGTV. I'm not sure how serious I was when I began the process but by 3:00pm yesterday afternoon, we were almost famous.

On Tuesday night I was playing around on the internet and clicked on hgtv.com to see about trying out for one of their shows (I was thinking Designed to Sell would be appropriate). As I was scrolling through the tab "be on HGTV" I saw that My First Sale was looking for homeowners in Charlotte. It was a sign. 

Wednesday morning the fun began. I returned to hgtv.com and clicked on "apply to be on this show" and dutifully filled out the 25 questions--why are you selling your home, is this your first home sale, who does the sale involve, etc.--and attached pictures of both my family and the house. An hour later the phone rang. It was a producer for My First Sale who wanted to talk to me more in-depth about the show and our situation (side note: she thought the family and house were totally adorable). We chatted for about 30 minutes, and she was on her way into a meeting to pitch our story to her boss. However, there was one little caveat. Our main reason for moving is that we're outgrowing our tiny little 847 square-foot house, which is to say we're not under financial duress or under contract for our next place or some other  serious situation that makes for "good TV," so there was a chance we wouldn't be moving forward. She asked me to email her a couple additional photos in the meantime, and we'd be talking soon.

Thirty minutes later I got an email from her saying we were denied by her boss. They had too many stories about expanding families and needed something a little more compelling. I guess it's a good thing that we're not in a desperate situation, but it was fun imaging our family on TV. I had already begun planning my outfits and imagining what it would be like to have a camera crew invade our home for a few days (where would all the equipment go?). Alas, I guess we'll return to the traditional methods of home selling...at least until we hear back from HGTV saying they made a mistake and want to put us on the little screen.