Last night we enjoyed our brief moment on HGTV’s Rate My Space — a few fun seconds in the spotlight after a nerve-wracking half hour leading up to the broadcast. Did you catch the segment? We’re relieved that we came across clearly and didn’t seem too awkward on camera, even though Sherry swears her voice sounded odd. Thanks to everyone who reached out to say they tuned in — it meant a lot to us.
Here’s the behind-the-scenes story of how the taping came together, including some paused-TV photos to illustrate the process.
We used to assume that the show steered homeowners toward a few preselected inspiration rooms, but that wasn’t the case for our episode. C.V. and Noel, the homeowners featured that night, genuinely selected their favorite rooms from the RateMySpace.com gallery. When they picked our bedroom as an inspiration, the producers contacted us and asked for a short video tour and a brief video interview. That screening step makes sense — it helped confirm everyone could speak on camera and that the room photos matched the online submission. We passed that initial check, and two weeks later a crew was booked to fly to Richmond. For fourteen days we kept the house tidy and tried not to obsess over every little detail.
Although we refer to them as a “crew,” the shoot was essentially a one-person operation. Dan, the show’s primary shooter, travels to capture inspiration rooms for Rate My Space no matter where they are. He’d just returned from a shoot in Hawaii, so Richmond was likely a change of scenery for him. Dan filmed B-roll of Sherry doing everyday bedroom activities — simple things like considering her wardrobe — and recorded a variety of scenes to choose from during editing. He spent roughly six hours at our house filming, so a lot of footage was necessarily cut to fit the minute-and-a-half segment the show allotted us. Thankfully the editors trimmed out a few awkward moments, including the time I accidentally called Angelo “Anthony” during conversation. Live pressure will do that to you.
One of the highlights of the day was our chat with homeowner C.V. and designer Angelo Surmelis, which was filmed very early in the schedule — about fifteen minutes after Dan arrived. The conversation happened live and naturally, just as viewers saw it. C.V. was mid-makeover and genuinely excited; she came across effortlessly on camera. Using laptops provided by the crew, we connected via Skype and talked for about fifteen minutes about the makeover plan, Angelo’s vision, what other inspiration rooms had been chosen, and small details like the curtains we placed on either side of the bed — a detail Angelo appreciated once he learned there was storage behind them. Only a fraction of that discussion made the final cut, mostly our thoughts on paint choices and fabrics, but it was fun to be part of the conversation and to witness the creative process in action.
We asked Dan lots of questions about production because we’re curious how shows like this come together. A couple of interesting things we learned: for now, the show’s producers select homeowners primarily in California so they can manage production close to their headquarters. Also, the production company covers the cost of the makeover itself. That said, homeowners are responsible for taxes on the improvements, so the financial side isn’t entirely free. Even so, having a design team execute a room makeover with a budget provided by the production company is a great opportunity for most homeowners.
Overall, appearing on Rate My Space was a fun and memorable experience. We enjoyed meeting C.V., Noel, Angelo, and Dan, and watching the transformation as it unfolded. Other than Sherry joking that she might want a different on-camera voice, we’re thrilled with the final result and grateful for the chance to be part of the show.
If you missed the clip, you can view the episode segment here: our Rate My Space clip. We’d love to hear what you think about the makeover — did the redesigned layout make the bedroom feel more spacious to you? Please share your thoughts and any behind-the-scenes questions we may not have covered while we’re still buzzing from the experience.