Photography photography courtesy of Heather and Aaron Hawes
For most, the chance to appear on national television is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So it’s no wonder that when St. Louis wedding photographers Heather and Aaron Hawes thought they might have a shot at appearing on HGTV’s House Hunters, they sent in an application. A few weeks later, the couple received an email from the show, and the process began.
“We applied on a whim,” Heather says. “We thought we had an interesting story, so we just tossed it out there. We didn’t set out to be on TV as a life goal, but it was a fun thing that happened.”
What really made their story interesting was that the photographers were looking for a unique space—one that could be used for both a studio and their home, but not just your typical apartment above a storefront. They wanted something a little more out there.
“We knew we didn’t want to be in a cookie-cutter space or something suburban, like a regular house,” Heather says. “We’ve always wanted something weird.”
This is where House Hunters came into play, swooping in to help the couple find their dream space. At least, that’s the story as viewers see it.
In the October 15 episode, titled “Hipsters Want an Unconventional Space in St. Louis,” the couple scrutinizes three living spaces: a live-work space with an apartment on top and a former coffeehouse on the bottom, a condo that used to be an auto dealership, and a firehouse with a residence upstairs. Each nontraditional space meets their needs in different ways, and it would seem that the couple has a tough decision to make.
But here’s the kicker: Before the Haweses even applied for the show, the couple had already made their purchase.
“When you apply, if they’re interested at all, the first question they ask is ‘Have you found a place?’” Aaron confesses.
Though this might seem to defeat the purpose of the show, there’s reason behind it—especially when it came to the space the Haweses chose, the firehouse. “This was a foreclosure,” Aaron says. “So legally, if they’d wanted to film it before we got it, they would have needed a release statement from the bank, which would have been impossible.”
The premise of the show may be a bit fabricated, but according to the couple, House Hunters is not fake or scripted.
“We’re not actors at all,” Heather says. “I can’t even lie to save my life. But I think because we like looking at a space and evaluating how our lives could fit into it, it came pretty naturally.”
Aaron seconds this, adding, “With the other properties, our producer wouldn’t let us see them until filming, so everything we say is honest. It’s just more contrived, in that we already picked our house. The show is more about the process than anything—because honestly, who’s going to choose a property after looking at three?”
