BY DC CUEVA
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| Pic Courtesy: HGTV |
Both of my parents who are now retired, including my dad who worked his last day at NASA last month, have plenty of things to do now as they don't have to worry about those early wake-up calls other than for frequent casino hops. Aside from our mix of sports, YouTube slot videos and Bachelor Mondays among other things, something my mom & dad have been enjoying watching on TV a lot of have been home improvement shows. And inspired by that, they have been doing a lot of work in our backyard, from gardening & manicuring our plants to making new things in the same house I've spent my whole lifetime in.
And as those of you have been enameled with rumors of those cast on the next Challenge around staring at the live feeds of America's most closely watched summer house, last week the influx of MTV Reality alumni appearing on shows outside of the ones of their origination continued after stops this summer on Married at First Sight, Holey Moley, Say Yes to the Dress, Chris Brown's "Go Crazy" video and of course, Big Brother. But this time, this was something totally different: one alum actually doing her day job, all in a city that's been enjoying what's otherwise been a twisted 2020.
Kansas City has become an important city lately: the Super Bowl champions are preparing to defend their kingdom led by the NFL's richest man, the newly engaged Royals owner and MVP Patrick Mahomes come next Thursday night when the Chiefs begin their NFL title defense. At the same time, one of its own is shacking up in the BB All-Stars house straight off her Challenge finals appearance, while just after competing together on Total Madness Bayleigh Dayton's fellow KC'er Wes Bergmann has welcomed familiar faces to town for his Friends & Benefits web project, which has helped to make this part of the Midwest a better place to live.
KC has also rapidly become a favorite place for MTV Reality casting directors to scout new talent: Wes & Bay aside, this is where Devyn Simone grew up to become a pageant queen before going onto Real World Brooklyn, two Challenges and The Wendy Williams Show. And this was where MTV king Cory Wharton's first on-camera crush, Jenny Delich of RW Ex-Plosion, also grew up, and back in April was where we followed her going into several haunted places in this city, including a hotel that's seen many haunted episodes inside its downtown walls.
But we can't forget that they are just two of those seven strangers, and it was just a few weeks ago that we saw two-time Challenger Nicole Zanatta and her current girlfriend (and a Real World alum herself) Ashley C. on a quarantine-themed miniseries of True Life just after we saw them in the snow on Ex On The Beach: Peak of Love earlier this year. And sharing quarters with them in the Second City was Sylvia Elsrode, who came to there from KC described by MTV as a "fiery hot-tempered bartender" and a "serial dater" who didn't find love there in the City of Fountains.
And it was after that first challenge that Syl was put in a precarious spot: peer pressure got to her in voting in Tony over someone else for the first elimination, and she was at odds with everyone else afterwards, even after handing Kailah an early defeat in the first nighttime elimination. We then saw her on Vendettas two years ago when she survived a tough elimination in the oil against Melissa but after giving more than 110% while being sick she had to medically evacuated. And most recently, Syl was on Final Reckoning being partnered with British hunk Joss, and they made it all the way to the final, but not before getting into a headbutt with one of the challengers beforehand.
Sylvia is now in the same field that Jenny is in: helping to sell real estate and assisting those who have been longtime residents of the KC area and those who are moving here with in the process of picking and choosing a new house. If you have been working in this field for a long time, you know that this might be one of the coolest jobs out there: just join the house buyers to scout new houses, pick out what features they want, and make a cool paycheck. And last Thursday night while your attention was on watching - or trying at all costs to avoid - a certain political speech, Syl returned to our TV's again - this time on a different channel on the dial.
A series that has been on HGTV for most of its 25-year existence has been House Hunters, which since 1999 has followed thousands of families, couples and individuals in their pursuit to find a new home with the help of a local real estate agent. Unlike most of what we see in the unscripted field, the show's format is purely & fairly simple: each subject visits up to three houses or apartments to buy or rent, they choose one at the end of the half-hour, and cameras follow their journey before, during and after the process has gone down. Because of its simplicity, House Hunters has become a jewel in the HGTV stable in expanding into a multi-show franchise, and has no doubt helped influence viewers of all ages in making decisions about all aspects of their home selection process.
Last Thursday night's episode of House Hunters had real estate agent Sylvia as the one to help out a budding Kansas City couple of where they want to live: personal trainer & fitness guru Justin Williams and makeup artist & aspiring cosmetologist Carolyn met through them slipping into each other's DM's upon her moving to town. Within a few years, the boyfriend & girlfriend tied the knot and moved into an apartment with two beds & two bathrooms, but they have eyes on bigger things of starting a family and having more company than just their pets and their day jobs.
She describes her husband as "an alpha male," while he sees his wife as "free-spirited," and it's what balancing what they want and who has the final say that has to do with choosing a new place to call home. But there's also a dilemma: Justin wants to move from the city to the more wide openness of the suburbs and stay closer to his parents, while Carolyn wants to keep the status quo and stay in downtown but move to an established house. He wants to have ample space for put in a gym in an unfinished basement, while she wants to have more space for her clothes & makeup... and they still want to keep things within a $350,000 budget with which to play with.
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| Instagram @syl_marie_88 |
Their second option sees them drive to Pendleton Heights just northeast of the city, as Carolyn looks over what she wants in her home, and they find an 1800's Southern house at their intended goal and with plenty of bricks outside. Inside, they find a 4-bed, 3-bath & 2,800 sq ft. home that has a modern fireplace & kitchen but full of history: wooden floors, pocket doors and an old-school basement to add what they see as a grungy feel to his gym. It also has ample amount of space for all of Carolyn's clothes, an open floor plan on the main level for their guests, and a balcony to look over their neighborhood.
And Sylvia then gives them choice #3: a place that splits the choice of city & the 'burbs in Overland Park - 20 minutes from downtown & much closer to the future baby's grandparents. They encounter a distinctive, old-style Tudor home that costs $330k but not to Justin's liking at first when he & Carolyn are trying to look for compromises. But once they walk inside a remodeled 2,900 sq ft space (the largest of the three homes), they see a 4-bed & 3.5 bath with a clean kitchen, a sun-room, a large backyard, a carpeted basement and plenty of bedroom space. She says that the Overland house "captures the best of both worlds."
Those who were glued to Season 3 of Siesta Key and the unlikely romance of Madisson & former producer Ish saw them encounter some issues when trying to pick a new house for them in Florida. In Carolyn & Justin's case, they have to pick between something new for him in the suburbs or an older model near downtown for her... and all three choices had something they either one of them want. But in the end, it is his preference that wins the day and like anyone looking over their choices they compromised well: he can have ample gym space, while she can furnish some of the rooms to her liking as she did to their bedroom and living room. And also, having a new model means their new home can withstand whatever bad weather can unleash here, especially when the Midwest finds itself in constant tornado danger.
The Williams' episode of House Hunters was filmed all the way back earlier this year well before that bottom known as the COVID pandemic fell out -- you can tell by how they are dressed up and bundled up a little bit in their late winter/early spring clothing. But nonetheless, spending that over $340,000 was the best investment they have made at this stage of their lives, something that they feel is the right & best choice. Having a friend who's now growing her resume in selling houses after having been on national TV four times surely helped to make this choice of a new house easier, too.
- I AM DC @DC408Dxtr
#TheEscapeYouDeserve
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