Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 1 - January 23, 2026
Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 54 - May 29, 2026
There is unique
satisfaction that comes with being wide-open candid for potentially a small pool
of readers within an ocean of prospects. Although it’s unlikely that I’ll
reach all of those who’ve posed questions or concerns, or took time to share
feelings by way of clearly, well thought out sentences in the form of emails or
DMs, it is more possible that people too polite to ask will get answers to their
own similar queries. And then also, maybe someone, after reading this and getting
clarity, will clear the air on my behalf, perhaps making a displeased viewer
understand in a way that is helpful. Sure, I could have responded to those
people myself, beyond appreciation for them taking time along with a few
sentences, but who’s ready for the longer version, a fifty-thousand-word answer?
With this response series, from here on, or as long as Blogger is still alive and kicking, I have a place to direct folks, after I’ve thanked them or apologized on behalf of myself and the networks or streaming services. And I say it this way, because there are certainly viewers who feel as if they deserve more than a shrug or being dismissed. After all, people took time to watch me on TV when there are hundreds of other options. And for this reason and others shared, I’ve felt some obligation to respond. And as I near the end, I realize that much of that weight will be gone.
Have you
ever felt simultaneously flattered and disappointed? Those are two emotional
states that are not often coupled. At least not for me. I read something very
nice that had been written about me, it said that I am an expert at historic restoration,
or something near to this. What a sweet thing for someone to say. However, I take
pride in shooting straight and that is a pointed remark that is off target. And
in that way, I was disappointed that someone would write something about me
without taking the time to be rock solid on the validity, the sort of description
that is important to me and many others. And I think the part of this that has
stuck with me, is the reality that many will think, likely have thought or seem to, that this is how I see myself or
how I sold myself to land my opportunity to renovate my houses on American
Rehab Charleston and Restoring Charleston.
First off,
it’s not that easy. Second of all, I wouldn’t nor did I do that.
It’s possible
that a producer saw clips of me from the test reel filming, read my blog, and
got the impression that I knew most of everything about saving old homes. That’s
not a bad thing. Nothing ill-spirited with that. It’s nice. They thought I was
more accomplished than I actually am. Wonderful. Thank you.
Or maybe someone
sold me and/or the show concept, to network decision makers as an expert in
historic restoration. This might be a less admirable, more calculated approach.
Yet that’s what salespeople tend to do, are trained to do. Again, that’s not me
nor something I did. But someone, in this speculated scenario, was meaning well
for me, my family, and perhaps their own interests. And they embellished.
Along with
reflecting poorly onto me, it is only short term beneficial for the larger effort
that includes all the people who worked so hard to make the shows. It might
have gotten viewers to watch, but it doesn’t take long for seasoned home
renovators to realize that I’m not as advertised. And then these viewers were permanently
lost. I know this, because they’re one of the groups who’ve written to share thoughts,
feelings, and concerns. But maybe, this was not who the network executives were
aiming for. It could be that they wanted the novice, or the aspirational DIYer,
rather than the sage who’d been there, done it, and wanted to come along for my
adventure, only to realize that they’d been oversold as I underdelivered on something
I didn’t promise or declare.
Imagine
this tagline: A guy who fixes up houses that other people don’t want. Sure,
it’s accurate. That’s closer to how I describe myself. But it’s not sexy. And
most people know sex sells. I’m more of an under promise and then try to overdeliver
sort of operator. But I’m not sure those sorts of pitches get the green light on
the island of Manhattan. Actually, I feel inclined to believe that those balls
lead to foul tips and whiffs up in the Big Apple majors.
How about
this longer setup? Check your provider's schedule for Silk Purse, where South
Carolina GC Trent Fasnacht takes on houses that are condemned or abandoned, left
for dead by the experts, watching and learning how he resurrects these
properties he affectionately calls “pig’s ears.”
Again, not
sexy, Plus it’s pretty wordy. As I described in the previous post, the milder version is authentic. It's more spot on and not totally awful sounding, but it’s not
much of an attention grabber compared to “historic restoration expert in the wildly
popular tourist hub of Charleston, South Carolina, the setting of ratings behemoth
Southern Charm.”
I’m left
to suppose that it’s math.
After all,
buying and renovating unwanted homes is math. Money math. Initial investment.
Capital improvements. Potential profit.
Home
renovation TV must have their own calculations based on viewership or estimated
eyeballs, ad revenue, and certainly a bunch of other factors I don’t know
about. They did this mathematical figuring and decided that expert in historic
restoration in Charleston, SC was the way to go and away we all went.
In 2013, the
director of programming said, “Enjoy the ride.”
I’ve enjoyed parts. Certainly most. But reading the emails of disappointed viewers is like being on a rollercoaster when a rider in front of you loses their lunch. I don’t know anyone who would want to be in one of those seats on that ride.
In conclusion, I am not an expert in historic restoration. I'm sorry someone wrote that about me. Although I share much in common with developer and home rehabbing queen Nicole Curtis, known for also taking on the unwanted properties, I am not worthy of that glorifying description. However, I think she is. And there are hordes of other people out there, more experienced in saving old homes, actual experts that probably deserved their own TV shows more than me. I am an unwanted homes remodeler, just a guy who’s been able to turn my pig’s ears into silk purses. Nothing more. Nothing less. I probably should have written and posted about this a long time ago. I just didn’t feel as if I had the right words until now.
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