House Rules season three: Do you have what it takes?
Do you have the renovation chops to make it on TV? More importantly, have you ever thrown a punch? (It will make sense later.)
After watching Adam and Lisa’s triumphant comeback earlier this week with perfect scores all round, some viewers may be considering a crack at the reality TV show. Now’s your chance – applications are open for the third season of House Rules.
Property Observer perused the application forms for the show (don’t worry, there are no plans to don the overalls). We were glad to see that questions are a good deal less comprehensive than those put to contenders for The Block, though we assume the process from couch to televised construction site is a long one.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the show, both you and your team member must be over 18 years old on the day of your application. You both also need to be Australian citizens or permanent residents for at least two years. While it might look like everything happens in a flash on television, contestants need to commit to a filming period of up to three to four months. Those who can’t take time off work need not apply.
Personal info
The application begins with the basics: Each person must fill in their name, contact details, occupation and previous education or work experience. While all the teams this season are partners, it looks like Seven is open to colleagues, siblings or friends competing together as well.
About You
While The Block wants to know your dream job, the highs and lows of your relationship and what brings you to arguments, House Rules is thankfully a little less intrusive. You’re asked to describe how you and you team mate met. You’re also asked who makes the big decisions and who has an eye for design – hopefully Seven is looking to shake up the “men build, women shop” trope built over previous seasons.
Contestants must detail any renovation, building and trades experience they have and explain why they would enter a home reno show.
Seven also casts a careful eye over your history, asking whether you have appeared in any other TV shows and if you have any criminal charges or convictions, or whether you’ve been subject to any non-judicial disciplinary hearings or tribunals.
If you’re prone to a blow up beyond the standard reality TV “I can’t do it anymore!” and storm out, you might be out of the running. The application also asks whether you’ve ever hit anyone in anger or self defense and to provide details if so.
You also have to detail anything that might stop you from physically working on a construction site.
About your home
Of course, it’s not all about you (and your partner). It’s also about your house. While Seven is obviously after a home that’s a little worse for wear, there’s a lot more that goes into picking the perfect makeover subject.
Seven wants to know your address, how many people live at your home (perhaps hoping for another Brooke and Grant situation) and how long you’ve been living there.
They need to know who owns the property, when the house was purchased, its purchase price and the current mortgage – after all, that’s what the channel will have to cough up if you win. You need to state the current value of the house and how old it is, with details of any renovations.
You will have to describe the current condition of the home – if this season is anything to go by, the shabbier the better.
Then there are the practicalities of filming a television show. Is the property within 100 metres of a school? Is it under a flight path? Are there any restrictions to access on the property? Will your fellow contestants have to contend with asbestos or lead based paint?
You also need to say whether you’ve submitted any development application plans for the property, and describe your design style.
Photos and videos
Then comes the audio/visual component. Applicants need to submit photos of their home’s exterior and just about every room inside. You’re also encouraged to submit a copy of its current layout, along with a proposed house layout. Seven also encourages contestants to submit a video tour of their home, but it’s not compulsory.
Interests and hobbies
At this stage, you’re given a list of hobbies and interests to check off. They range from the obvious (renovation and design, sport, fashion) to the bizarre (medical).
Terms and conditions
No matter how passionate you are about renovating (or having your mortgage paid off), a few details can kill your application before it’s even been submitted.
In particular, you can’t be an employee or associated with any news or media outlet, including a web based media outlet, either in Australia or elsewhere (unfortunately ruling Property Observer out). If you, a family member or anyone living at your house has been an employee, officer, director or agent of Seven or its affiliates in the past two years, you’re also out.
At this stage, Seven also notifies you that you won’t be paid for your audition and that you’ll behave yourself once you’re there.
While you won’t be signing over your life if you sign up for House Rules, you will be signing over your medical details. All contestants must agree to a medical or psychological test including a drug and prohibited substances screen and a communicable disease check-up, with information from the test handed over to the producers.
For those worried about being edited in an ugly light (a common complaint from Steve of The Block: Fans v Faves), you might have good reason:
“The Producers will own the copyright in the Recording and may edit the Recording in any way and may synchronise the audio from the Recording with other visual images and the vision from the Recording with other audio.”
So if you do throw your hat in the ring, don’t complain if you end up looking like a dill in front of your friends.