Last week, Amy Poehler’s interview with Michelle Obama was released. Amy interviewed MO for her podcast Good Hang, and I’m including the interview at the end of the post. Michelle is a big podcaster now as well, and she’s been returning the favor by doing more pod interviews this year. I actually think MO is in her IDGAF Era, which happened as soon as Trump “won” the election – Michelle was just like, “you know what, I don’t give a sh-t anymore, I’m going to say whatever I want.” Well, as always, MO is just like us. On Good Hang, Michelle revealed something about herself which I relate to so much: she loves HGTV, and she’s obsessed with House Hunters.
In the May 13 episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler, the former first lady, 61, revealed that when she wants to, as the host phrased it, “disconnect, check out and just have fun,” she watches HGTV. “My version of golf to Barack, because he’s got golf on all the time — he says, ‘It’s my background noise’ — so my version of that is HGTV,” Michelle revealed to a visibly excited Amy Poehler, who responded, “I love HGTV. Let’s talk about it.”
The first show Michelle named? A channel fixture since 1999. “House Hunters,” she said. “There’s something so soothing about the arc of that. You know? You look for a house. We just like looking at people’s houses.”
The Light We Carry author then asked Poehler, 53, a question that divides fans of the long-running series: “Do you prefer when the budget is a low-budget house or a high-budget house? Because sometimes I feel a way, especially House Hunters International.”
In response, Poehler said, “Okay, I’m obsessed with House Hunters International. First of all, every place looks so … I’m like, ‘Wow, you can get that for that money?’ Like, I’m always blown away by what you can get. I’m always like, ‘Should I move to Morocco?’ But usually, they’re never gonna get anything with that budget. And then…”
“They get something with the budget,” Michelle stepped in. “And don’t you like the way people have such high expectations with a low budget? Like, ‘These aren’t marble.’ It’s like, but you wanna pay a hundred dollars a month, you know? Why would you get marble? And then the real estate agent is, and especially in the foreign countries, incredulous. It’s like, ‘Oh, you want a yard for a large dog?’ I love it though.”
And Michelle also loves the HGTV shows focused on what comes after the purchase, she revealed. “Oh, love all the makeover stuff. I love Rock the Block,” the Becoming author said, before explaining — and praising — the premise of the series to an unfamiliar Poehler.
“This is when they get all the designers from all the other [HGTV] shows, and they come on to one block of newly built houses from scratch, and they compete for rooms to see each week,” Michelle explained. “So the designers go in. They have a week or whatever to redo that area, and then they’re judged by other designers. And then they win, and they collect points until they finish the whole house. It’s an amazing concept,” she added of the series, as Poehler added that “that seems like the highest budget in the world.”
As for why they enjoy renovation and makeover series like Rock the Block, Poehler offered, “Just a completion. There’s an end where something is done.”
“And I like the before and after,” Michelle added. “I like the, ‘Oh wow, those floors look much better.’ ”
House Hunters International is WILD! I love that show and I wish HGTV aired it more often. These days, you have to be really lucky and find a marathon once in a blue moon. But HHI is more fantasy – the fantasy of picking up and moving to another country, seeing what you could get in a certain price range. It’s more fun when the people have money AND wild expectations. But I honestly prefer the home makeover shows, for the reason Amy says – the completion, the actual end result within a 30-minute or 60-minute show. I’m a big fan of Ben and Erin Napier (Home Town) and Dave and Jenny Marrs (Fixer to Fabulous). I like a married couple working together, especially when they have a good marriage.
Screengrabs courtesy of Good Hang.
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