They’re a couple of hot properties
BROTHER ACT: HGTV’s Scott twins find international fame
TORONTO — Taylor Swift and her family are “obsessed” with them, Russell Crowe is a “big fan,” and Cher has championed them on Twitter.
Vancouver-raised “Property Brothers” twins Jonathan and Drew Scott, whose Brother Vs. Brother: Jonathan Vs. Drew airs Mondays on HGTV Canada, are bona fide international stars these days.
Their shows are broadcast in more than 150 countries, the New York Times recently ran a big profile on the home renovation gurus, and People magazine made them the cover story in April.
The dimpled duo has even achieved enough pop culture cachet that TV series like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt have referenced them in dialogue.
“I think our female viewers want to date them, our male viewers want to grab a beer with them, but everybody is inspired by them,” said Kathleen Finch, chief of programming, content and brand officer for Scripps Networks Interactive, the parent company of HGTV.
“They’re not just on the network because they’re pretty boys. They’re on the network because they’re really great home experts and they have great design tastes and great skills.”
They’re also “really, really good producers,” satisfy HGTV viewers’ voracious appetite for content and “are, without a doubt, one of our most highly rated and most popular talent,” Finch added.
Part of the Property Brothers brand is a family-friendly wholesomeness that connects with viewers — the Scotts’ parents, older brother and their significant others are also a part of the business and sometimes appear on their shows. And, of course, there’s the identical twin factor (hints for telling them apart: Drew is the realtor, Jonathan is the contractor and has a scar between his eyebrows).
The Scotts have an ever-growing number of stories about meeting celebrities who love their shows.
“On the Today show late last year, we were co-hosting and Russell Crowe was there and ... came over afterwards and said — in his Russell Crowe voice — ‘Hi, Jonathan and Drew, I just want to say I’m a big fan of your show,’ ” Drew recalled in a recent phone interview.
“Jonathan acted all cool until Russell Crowe walked away and (then) turned around to me and said, ‘Gladiator loves the show!’ ”
Michael Bublé, Tegan and Sara, Russell Peters and Chris Hardwick have also said they’re fans.
“We were talking with Taylor Swift and her whole family, her dad was telling me how obsessed they are with the show,” said Jonathan. “Cher went on a Twitter rant about how obsessed she is with the show and that she sometimes yells at the TV when the people are being difficult to us.
“Even Garth Brooks, Garth and Trisha (Yearwood) were just saying that this is the one show that they can sit back and enjoy and know that they can escape and be inspired.”
On the new season of Brother Vs. Brother, each twin has a budget of $600,000 and six weeks to buy and renovate a waterfront home in Galveston, Texas. Guest judges review weekly room challenges, with the loser having to endure punishments such as riding an amusement-park ride on repeat.
“Jonathan has been bragging for two years — absolutely bragging and showing off — that he’s won the last two seasons, so I’m fighting every single episode,” said Drew.
“Drew wants to beat me, like, running to the car,” added Jonathan, who boasts that he was born first.
Their other series include Buying and Selling and the upcoming Property Brothers at Home: Drew’s Honeymoon House, in which they’ll build a home for Drew and fiancée Linda Phan in Los Angeles. They’re also shooting another two shows in Nashville and plan to release a book on their lives in the fall.