Who among us hasn’t seen an episode of House Hunters? For that matter, who among us hasn’t seen an episode of House Hunters in which we’ve vehemently disagreed with the homebuyers’ selection? The HGTV show has been airing since 1999 and has entertained and occasionally frustrated millions of viewers. And we hate to break it to you, but it’s all fake — at least according to one past participant.

The format has remained constant over the past 18 years. A family, couple, or individual tours three potential properties, none of which seem to ever fit the wishlist exactly. Still, the subjects always pick one home by the end of the episode, and we catch up with them weeks or months later to see how they’re settling in. (Oh, and all the while, narrator Andromeda Dunker guides us through each buyer’s journey.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJURULJPz6g

Does that process sound good to you? You’re in luck: HGTV is currently casting more people to appear on the hit show. “We're looking for fun personalities and interesting stories,” HGTV says. “If this sounds like you, apply now! We are currently casting all across America!” To apply to be on House Hunters — either as a homebuyer or as an agent — visit the Pie Town Productions website.

Bear in mind, however, that there may not be so much “reality” in this reality show. In 2012, House Hunters participant Bobi Jensen gave an exposé to the blog Hooked on Houses, saying producers only cast them after she and her husband — a realtor who did the show just for the publicity — had already closed on a home! That home was shown as the winning property, and the other two homes Bobi and her husband toured in the episode actually belonged to friends of theirs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18KxusQn9xM

Plus, the producers juiced Bobi’s storyline, she claimed. “The producers said they found our (true) story… boring and overdone,” she said. “So instead they just wanted to emphasize how our home was too small and we needed a bigger one desperately.” Well, that’s showbiz, baby! We’ll still be watching, of course, and yelling at the on-screen homebuyers to make the choice we’d make.