I got sucked in the ‘Celebrity IOU’ hype because of its fourth episode. Michael Bublé was the special guest celebrity and he was gifting his grandfather’s house to Milette, his late grandfather’s caregiver. So many people in m circle was talking about it that I said fuck this, I will watch this show. I am not a HGTV viewer, and to be honest, I have only heard of the Property Brothers, and do not really know who they are. But this is not just your typical Home Improvement show – this features A-list celebrities – Brad Pitt, Melissa McCarthy – gifting special people in their lives a ‘house renovation.’

It’s a simple formula reality home improvement show, but this time it just involves A list celebrities – so you get the human element with a celebrity dazzle, and you get the ‘feel good’ factor for the situations. I have to admit I was taken by the ’emotional’ bit here, and really, I should know better. Everything of course is manufactured, primes for extreme waterworks. I thought the celebrities were charming, and it was good to see them as ‘humans.’ Brad Pitt, Viola Davis, Michael Buble – they all projected to be most likable after, and this would only help their image.

My one question, though, – does the network/show pay for the renovations? From what I can gather, they do do (based on sponsorships, etc) and based on the record-breaking ratings this show is garnering, it may even be worth their time.