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Under the (Glue) Gun: Containing and Constructing Reality in Home Makeover TV

This article presents a case study of two families over a seven-month period as they move from fan to applicant to cast of the home improvement reality TV program Trading Spaces: Family. Specifically, we detail the discrepancies between the actuality of participation and the preferred “reality” of dramatic and collaborative interior design. We explore how program format, contracts, and selective editing are employed to control unscripted events and how these strategies shape the participants' experiences and expectations of their home makeovers.