HGTV Stars Earning $100,000 Per Episode as Network Cancels Multiple Shows: Report
Things are changing at HGTV.
The network has gone on a cancellation spree in recent weeks. The hosts of Bargain Block, Izzy Does It, Married to Real Estate, and Farmhouse Fixer have all announced that their shows would not return for new seasons. Even more surprising, network stalwarts Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa have also had shows cancelled, with both Christina on the Coast and The Flipping El Moussas getting the ax.
Outraged fans have expressed their disappointment about the cancellations in Instagram comments and on Reddit threads. And some hosts have said they were blindsided by HGTV’s decision to cancel their shows.
“Mike [Jackson] and I just landed back in the States after an unforgettable family trip through the Mediterranean, and we’re met with the unexpected news: HGTV has decided not to move forward with Married to Real Estate,” host Egypt Sherrod wrote on Instagram.
HGTV ‘allowed their talent to run amok,’ insider says
A new report from Deadline sheds more light on what’s driving the changes in HGTV’s programming. One factor? Big salaries for hosts were no longer sustainable in an era of declining ratings and soaring production costs. Some of the network’s stars were making as much as $100,000 per episode, a producer told the publication.
“All of these renegotiations are about how much of a reduction their marquee talent is taking going forward,” a source said. “There’s no way that they’re getting the deals that they once got. They are no longer a talent-defining network.”
“They allowed their talent to run amok,” the insider added. “They gave them some form of creative control, and that’s harming their own shows. They were so afraid of talent they never said no and the shows aren’t delivering anymore. They kowtowed to talent and now they’re suffering the consequences.”
Which HGTV stars are earning six figures per episode? Salary details are hard to come by, but Jonathan and Drew Scott of The Property Brothers (and many other shows) were raking in $75,000 to $150,000 per episode in 2017, a network insider told Fast Company. Haack reportedly earned $50,000 per episode for early seasons of Christina on the Coast, while Tarek earned a similar amount for his first Flip or Flop spinoff, Flipping 101 With Tarek El Moussa.
Home renovation shows are expensive for HGTV
Sky-high costs for materials and costly delays are also a problem for HGTV’s renovation-focused shows. While a real estate show might cost $200,000 to $300,000 to produce, a home renovation show might be closer to $500,000.
“Home reno shows are expensive because all of the materials are jacked up and on delay, the price of wood and marble and everything else is going up, so these shows don’t make as much sense anymore,” a source told Deadline.
“Some of our episodes took 16 weeks to shoot,” an HGTV producer said. “It’s more labor-intensive than doing a real estate show.”
Some shows have gotten creative to keep costs down. Rehab Addict star and producer Nicole Curtis recently told Showbiz Cheat Sheet that she embraced DIY when filming new episodes of her show.
“I canceled all the lawn services on our house in Detroit, and I was mowing yards last summer because I was like, that’s an extra $1,500 a month,” she said. “Everybody thought it was insane. I’m like, ‘Dude, that’s $1,500 that pays for my camera guy.’”
But all the belt-tightening might not matter if no one tunes in. People aren’t watching as much HGTV as they did 10 years ago.
“The viewers have just left the building,” one person said. “And they’re not coming back.”
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