Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 1 - January 23, 2026
Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 57 - Wednesday June 3, 2026
It was clear that working with HGTV/DIY without a written agreement was a bit of a risk. But I felt it was a chance worth taking. It can be compared to a Wizard of Oz metaphor, wanting to see behind the curtain, or like Alice in Wonderland, crawling down into the rabbit hole. There was real curiosity about having a film crew on my project. And there was deep, sincere interest in seeing and feeling what it would be like being in front of the cameras.
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| In front of the cameras. Trent Fasnacht Restoring Charleston August 2016 |
This
involvement with producers in New York, LA, and other parts of the country made
me feel significant, like I was on the fringe of greater appreciation for my
work and efforts renovating my pig’s ears. Plus, I was thankful to have a
larger platform to teach people how they could save houses others were
overlooking. And when I received a second unexpected email from a production
company working with another network, these feelings, this level of excitement,
was enhanced even more.
And yet,
as much as I tried to apply what I knew, construction and renovation and the
way other contractors and I did business, I was finding myself swimming in
completely different sorts of waters; the TV and entertainment means and
methods and people.
My state issued
general contractor’s license was an asset, but it was also the source of what I
came to see as untenable legal exposure. Other tradespeople shared this burden
with me, but as the homeowner, a “qualified party” and the network described “expert”
speaking most for the camera, I was exposed to the greatest level. If someone was
injured on my property, I could be named in a lawsuit, even if I wasn’t at fault
or around when an accident happened. If the house wasn’t rebuilt per building
codes and industry standards, that would be on me also, leading to potential fines
or other consequences. The producers were focused on the show, how things would
appear on camera. But I was soaking up the bigger picture, on the rehabbing, hard
to notice or more extensive issues I’d be left finishing or correcting when
they’d all packed up and left town.
Without a
written agreement with the networks, or valid contracts with others involved, this
situation reached a point of being unrealistic on the side of irresponsible by
me. After all, if I’m the celebrated know-it-all, expectations are that I won’t
be doing things that are so obviously incorrect. The standard was lofty, and it
seemed that I, more than others, was hyper-aware of the disconnect.
There had
been so much I didn’t know about television, and this ignorance led to a lot of
speculating on my part, guessing about way too much. And that’s a disconcerting
place to be when my family was counting on me to make wise decisions.
Before the
holidays of 2015, after the full season of American Rehab Charleston had
been released, some relief began to settle in. I thought I was finding my way, figuring
out at the least, how to tread water in this unique environment. After being tested
steadily for over two years, I was directed to buy three more homes. This felt
like a strong indication that I’d reached a noteworthy point, that I’d passed enough
of these various assessments. Although these trials weren’t life threatening, like
running a medieval gauntlet, with the legal exposure it did seem as if I’d managed
to finally make it through the bumpy two-year stretch to arrive at some sort of
legitimacy or payoff.
In December
of 2015, I received a large envelope from HGTV. It felt pivotal, like a significant
life moment. I went inside and sat down, anticipating that long-awaited documents
to lay out clarity were inside the white packet addressed to me.
Would it include
anticipated details and specifics?
Was it an
invite to New York, a chance to thank decision makers in person?
Maybe it would
be a contract, what I was then realizing I’d need to secure financing for three
houses on the Charleston Peninsula.
I decided
to open it, so I had time to process whatever was inside, and use that new
information or insight to start on next things I needed to be doing for producers.
Slowly, I pulled out the pages. And rather than series or network pertaining documents,
it was a mass generated invitation to subscribe to HGTV Magazine.
On one hand, I was grateful about being alone. But on the other, I felt embarrassed, deflated, and foolish.
Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 59 - Coming Soon
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