I’m not sure about elsewhere in the world, but daytime TV in the UK is full of programmes where people want to move house to somewhere a little nicer or chilled - whether it’s to escape the rat race, bring up kids outside of a city, to retire, whatever. They have the strangest “contestants” though, like (and I’m pulling these from my arse but I doubt they’re far from the truth) meeting Tarquin, 44, a part time artist; and Helena, 49, who volunteers at the local farmers market.
My (half serious) conclusion is the contestants like you describe are either the no-I’m-not-wealthy class of idiots that have simply come from money and don’t realise that’s not the norm, or they’re drug dealers that found a skilled accountant.
Yeap, same thing with “find my dream house” shows in America. I think the major difference is that instead of the people being in their 40s, it’s usually people in their 20’s. The source of the funding is ultimately the same, rich parents. The likely difference is between trust fund kids in the US and just people whose parents have finally taken their much awaited dirt naps in the UK.
I think rich parents are basically a prerequisite to owning a home for anyone under 40 nowadays. I’m one of the only people in my friend group of people in their late 30s who owns a home, and that was due to what I consider a minor miracle.
I was lucky and bought an abandoned house from the bank for 30k after the last recession, and that was only possible because I got a loan I probably shouldn’t have qualified for through USAA. So, still a bit of nepotism, but because my dad was in the service, not because he was wealthy.
Yeah that’s the House Hunters trope. It’s in the US too on HGTV.
Lisa is a 25 year old retired yoga instructor and Drew is a 28 year old brick layer who does crack in the alley behind his apartment. They are looking to upgrade into a home in the suburbs because Lisa is expecting any day now! Their budget is 3.5 million. Can they find a home?
Every single episode of those shows features a couple that has already purchased a house, and they pretend to give them two other choices to “pick” between.
Especially noticeable when they find a fake option that’s a better fit for their wants/needs than the one they actually chose and the same price or cheaper.
Yeah the one episode I watched beginning to end you could see the lady dying inside while touring her actual dream home that cost significantly less than the one they “ended up going with.” I didn’t know that was how the shows were set up so her reactions puzzled me until I learned that fact.
After that I figured that episode was the peak of the genre and never bothered again.
I’m not sure about elsewhere in the world, but daytime TV in the UK is full of programmes where people want to move house to somewhere a little nicer or chilled - whether it’s to escape the rat race, bring up kids outside of a city, to retire, whatever. They have the strangest “contestants” though, like (and I’m pulling these from my arse but I doubt they’re far from the truth) meeting Tarquin, 44, a part time artist; and Helena, 49, who volunteers at the local farmers market.
“Their budget is 1.2 million pounds”
what the actual fuck
My (half serious) conclusion is the contestants like you describe are either the no-I’m-not-wealthy class of idiots that have simply come from money and don’t realise that’s not the norm, or they’re drug dealers that found a skilled accountant.
I’m under the impression that these shows are designed to make regular people think one or more of the follwiing:
if you stay in the race long enough and work hard enough, you can attain the same thing
if you can’t, you’re a failure = go drown your sorrows by being a good consumer.
be unhappy with their situation and persuaded to blame minorities or the government.
Yeap, same thing with “find my dream house” shows in America. I think the major difference is that instead of the people being in their 40s, it’s usually people in their 20’s. The source of the funding is ultimately the same, rich parents. The likely difference is between trust fund kids in the US and just people whose parents have finally taken their much awaited dirt naps in the UK.
I think rich parents are basically a prerequisite to owning a home for anyone under 40 nowadays. I’m one of the only people in my friend group of people in their late 30s who owns a home, and that was due to what I consider a minor miracle.
I was lucky and bought an abandoned house from the bank for 30k after the last recession, and that was only possible because I got a loan I probably shouldn’t have qualified for through USAA. So, still a bit of nepotism, but because my dad was in the service, not because he was wealthy.
Yeah that’s the House Hunters trope. It’s in the US too on HGTV.
Lisa is a 25 year old retired yoga instructor and Drew is a 28 year old brick layer who does crack in the alley behind his apartment. They are looking to upgrade into a home in the suburbs because Lisa is expecting any day now! Their budget is 3.5 million. Can they find a home?
oh no, they have a bunch of requirements and accidentally spent double their budget on the house but are still just fine somehow
Every single episode of those shows features a couple that has already purchased a house, and they pretend to give them two other choices to “pick” between.
Especially noticeable when they find a fake option that’s a better fit for their wants/needs than the one they actually chose and the same price or cheaper.
Yeah the one episode I watched beginning to end you could see the lady dying inside while touring her actual dream home that cost significantly less than the one they “ended up going with.” I didn’t know that was how the shows were set up so her reactions puzzled me until I learned that fact.
After that I figured that episode was the peak of the genre and never bothered again.
The fake jobs are euphemisms for having a trust fund.