‘It’s an opportunity to show some hope’: Hit housing show finally lands in Australia

Like many young Australians, The Project panellist Georgie Tunny never expected to own a home. But that didn’t stop her and her flatmates from obsessively watching the American reality series House Hunters, running since 1999 and more than 200 seasons, and its spin-off, House Hunters International.

These days, The Project panellist is happily installed in the Melbourne house she purchased in 2021 with her fiance, singer and actor Rob Mills, and feels qualified to narrate the inaugural House Hunters Australia on Ten.

“There’s a script, but I can add my own little touch,” says Tunny. “I have sat watching House Hunters on my couch and just essentially Goggleboxing what was going on. So this felt like that. I found it so fun.”

Like the original, the series follows prospective buyers as they are introduced to three listings in their desired location and price range. There’s no obligation to buy, of course, but it boosts the feel-good factor if they can chant “we bought a house!” in unison at episode’s end. Much of the mild dramatic tension comes from style clashes, something to which Tunny could relate.

“Robert and I probably would have benefited from a show like House Hunters because it forces you to say exactly what you’re looking for and be really upfront with each other,” she says.

“When we first started dating, Robert was into the Scandi vibe – minimalist, lots of blues and greys, not too much clutter. I am more of a maximalist when it comes to a house looking like it’s been lived in. I don’t want it to look like an art gallery. So we’ve been trying to find a middle ground. I’m introducing more colour to him – a lot more textures, and a lot more knick-knacks because I have a lot of stuff.”

Although they competed together in Ten’s Amazing Race: Celebrity Edition, Tunny isn’t sure they would actually make such a compatible team on House Hunters: “I think we might have killed each other.”

Executive producer of House Hunters and The Project, Tamara Simoneau, says Tunny “adds a bit of Aussie cheekiness to the show”.

“Georgie brings her signature fresh, sunny energy to this format that’s been around for decades. It’s really important that whenever we take on a well-loved international format, we make it our own.”

At the time of the interview, Tunny had just disembarked from a flight from Japan, where she had interviewed Tom Cruise for his final Mission: Impossible film. It was one of many career highlights on The Project, which she joined in 2022 after leaving the ABC’s News Breakfast.

“Any time that I’m on the desk with Sarah [Harris], Waleed [Aly] and Rove [McManus], it’s a ‘pinch me’ moment,” says Tunny. “I don’t take any of it for granted. Talking to celebrities is one of my favourite things to do because I’m such an OG fangirl.”

Launching a property show during a national housing crisis may seem risky.

“Buying a house is a serious business,” Simoneau acknowledges. “But the tone of our version of House Hunters makes it very easy viewing. We meet real Aussies with real wish lists, budgets, hopes and dreams. If you’re on the hunt, there’s lots to learn. And if you’re not, it’s a great game of ‘Which one will they pick?’”

Tunny agrees. “It’s an opportunity to show some hope,” she says. “When we were looking for our own property, it was easy to just be like, ‘We’re never going to get a foot in the door!’

“And these couples are at different stages of their lives. Some are first-home buyers, some are looking to downsize, some are looking to move further out, or some are looking for a holiday weekender. And that’s realistic of where lots of people are around the country.

“I think there’s something in this show for everyone. And it’s also still reflective of where we find ourselves right now in this housing crisis.”

House Hunters Australia airs on Sundays at 8.20pm on Ten.

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