HGTV Just Made Their Most Over-the-Top Reality Series

We’ve seen some “out-there” ideas when it comes to reality TV. For all the flack the genre gets for its perceived lack of realism, it’s definitely the most daring when it comes to the unconventional. We’ve seen endless dating shows, each with its own unique twist, competition shows for just about every kind of talent, and a surprising number of “Naked XYZ” programs.

Of the numerous reality channels and platforms, HGTV seems like it should have the most straightforward content. A house is purchased, remodeled, or flipped and shown off to the curious viewer and homebuyer. Copy and paste over every show. Everyone knows that concept; it’s even been parodied in shows like The Curse and Flipped. But they’re also not afraid to indulge the wilder side of the reality spectrum. Case in point: HGTV’s new series Zillow Gone Wild.

This concept began as a social media trend showing some of the most insane, tacky, and over-the-top homes for sale on the housing market. This show openly embraces the crazy, taking full advantage of how “different” it is from the rest. Zillow Gone Wild is also part of a growing trend of reality series adapted from viral internet memes and challenges. So what makes it stand out, and why should fans of crazy reality shows and home remodeling put this one on the list?

The Concept Behind Zillow Gone Wild

For as wacky as it is, the concept of Zillow Gone Wild is pretty simple. It’s based on the same-named social media account that shows some of the craziest homes in the United States. Each episode of the show sees host Jack McBrayer visit a select few of these homes to crown one of them as the most “wackadoo” of the episode. Literally, an onscreen rating system measures each residence by its creativity, commitment, and “wackadoo-ness.” The winners of each episode face off until just one remains by the season’s end. It’s not totally clear what the prize for the winner is, but it seems like having a star of 30 Rock come to your underground bomb shelter home and say “wow” at everything is prize enough.

Jack visits a home built in an abandoned missile silo, a fairytale castle that allegedly inspired Snow White and a solid-pink-painted Hollywood mansion that hosted the likes of Elvis Presley back in the day. There’s a home built around and within boulders and another with hundreds of cars, motorcycles, and memorabilia items scattered everywhere. Compared to those, the house with over 1,000 cupboards and a storage room the size of another house seems tame. As does the church that was renovated into a combined home and office space. This is just a small sampling of the wild builds; there are hundreds more to gawk at on the official @ZillowGoneWild handle online. Some of them also seem relatively affordable, given how lavish they are.

Besides the homes’ “wackadoo-ness,” Zillow Gone Wild represents a major shift from most of HGTV’s content in that there is no actual selling or remodeling of the houses. Some have recently been sold, while others are still on the market. At the end of the episode, we’re updated on whether the homes on the market have been sold, but that process is not a part of the show itself. Instead of remodeling, we admire the homes just as they are. Fans of HGTV are likely familiar with just how wild some of their home remodels can get. They even renovated The Brady Bunch house! But nothing approaches the level seen here.

Zillow Gone Wild seems like the natural end result of HGTV programming. That is, after years of trying bigger and more expansive remodels, you’re bound to end up here. There’s nowhere more “out there” to go. So, while Zillow Gone Wild was clearly commissioned to appeal to fans of the social media profiles, it should also find an audience with those who watch HGTV just to see how far the home builds have gone.

Zillow Gone Wild Represents a Growing Trend of ‘Meme TV’

Zillow Gone Wild is part of a growing number of television shows based on online memes and trends. Most notably, Netflix has Is It Cake? where participants try to guess whether something is cake. It’s really all there in the title. There was also The Red Ape Family in 2021, an animated offering based on that Bored Ape NFT character that seemed everywhere a few years ago.

Going even further back, one of the first real social media trend-inspired shows was CBS’ $h*! My Dad Says! in 2010, starring William Shatner. That took inspiration from a Twitter thread shared by the show’s creator of quotes and opinions from his father. At just one season with that title on network TV, they clearly didn’t know how to best adapt social media in the early 2010s. Creator Justin Halpern has since improved his resume as an EP for Abbott Elementary.

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Reality TV creatives are always looking for that “next big thing” to captivate the viewing public. Turning to social media is becoming more popular, as it can bring in an existing fanbase who follow the online content. Zillow Gone Wild is refreshing because it doesn’t pretend to be your grandmother’s traditional HGTV series. It fully embraces just how insane it is, and it’s worth a watch if you’re a fan of wild and wackadoo home designs. Zillow Gone Wild airs on HGTV and is available to stream on Max.