PROPERTY BROTHERS is one of HGTV’s most popular shows, but did you know the network originally passed on it?
“This show was actually pitched to HGTV in the US first, and it was turned down. Then it was pitched to HGTV in Canada, and it was turned down,” Drew Scott explained in a video posted to the brothers’ YouTube channel. “And it was another network in Canada that picked it up — the W Network. And they originally said, ‘Two young hot guys in tight jeans renovating? We’ll buy that show.’ So thank you to that executive.”
Their show for the W Network led to HGTV taking another look at the Scott brothers’ show.
Related: PROPERTY BROTHERS Reveal the Key to Their Success
“I watched about 30 seconds of the pilot,” Kathleen Finch, chief programming, content and brand officer at HGTV parent company Scripps, told Fast Company. “I stopped it and said, ‘I want them.’”
She continued, “They were adorable and we played off their boy band image a little bit,” adding that her thought process was, “We have a female audience, and it’s about time we got a little eye candy.”
THE PROPERTY BROTHERS debuted on HGTV in 2011 and went on to become a massive hit, spawning several spin-offs and other business ventures. The Scott brothers would eventually go on to negotiate with HGTV to own the rights to the PROPERTY BROTHERS brand.
“It was so important for us to take it in-house and figure out our growth strategy,” Drew told Variety. “At some point in the future, some aspects of our business will be partnering with the right people to help things continue to grow. But it’s been exciting for us to be able to be the ones to hold the control, to be able to make the decisions, because at the end of the day, I trust Jonathan through and through. He’s not some stranger that I brought in with money to do something or vice versa. We know we have the same values.”
Jonathan Scott added, “We divide and conquer everything in the company,” explaining that their moves are “data driven” and intended to serve both their consumers, as well as their brand.
“We’re not celebrities, we’re personalities,” he continued. “We’re personalities who will never compromise on the integrity of our brand and what we actually do. And finally, after all these years of running our business, we’re at a point where, wow, we’ve actually built something that’s pretty incredible. And it gives us a platform to really expand.”
It’s a good thing HGTV decided to take a second look at THE PROPERTY BROTHERS.
Read Next: How Drew and Jonathan Scott Landed on the Name PROPERTY BROTHERS
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