Scotts off the presses
Property Brothers Drew and Jonathan have a new book out
Jonathan and Drew Scott really do know how to make a thing go right.
It Takes Two: Our Story (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) is the memoir the twins, aka HGTV’s Property Brothers, write to share how it hasn’t exactly been that easy.
The Scotts, 39, have built a brand that includes home renovation series spinoffs ( Brother vs. Brother, Property Brothers at Home), a home décor collection and now two books, including the best seller Dream Home: The Property Brothers’ Ultimate Guide to Finding & Fixing Your Perfect House.
Drew got engaged in December and has been renovating a home in Los Angeles with fiancée Linda Phan. Of course, Jonathan is involved. Property Brothers at Home: Drew’s Honeymoon House premieres in November.
What’s on their schedules nowadays? A traveling house party to promote their new book. Stops are set for cities in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and more through September. Drew also will be prepping to join pro dancer Emma Slater on Season 25 of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars beginning Sept. 18.
Like the brothers, the memoir is very busy. It Takes Two has a breezy tone with alternating chapters by each twin. Funny, sometimes snarky, notes are scribbled in the margins.
One theme is clear: The Scotts
put family and friends first. Readers get a sense of how they were raised by their Toronto-born mother who worked at a law office and Scottish-born father who once worked in the film industry before the family settled in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. Older brother JD also figures prominently in the book.
It Takes Two covers everything from school pranks and dating mishaps to the demise of Jonathan’s marriage. On TV, the guys
give fans a glimpse into their lives. Now, they really are an open book.
USA TODAY highlights five fun things to know about Jonathan and Drew from It Takes Two:
1 JONATHAN’S MAGICIAN ASPIRATIONS WERE LEGIT
Jonathan: “At 16, I won 3rd Best Stage Performer in the Pacific Coast Association of Magicians magic competition. That’s right: I was officially an Olympian of magic. Well, in my head, at least.”
2 DREW
WOULD LOVE TO PLAY A SUPERHERO
Drew: “Superhero would be my dream screen role for sure. I loved Marvel and DC comics as a kid, so to play out my childhood fantasy of being Superhuman
would be amazing. I’d want one with plenty of white-knuckle stunts. Even better if I could swap out the tights for something cooler from my sock collection.”
3 THEY
HAD CELEBRITY CRUSHES, TOO
Drew: “My celebrity crushes were Tiffani-Amber Thiessen from Saved by the Bell and Sporty Spice. Jonathan leaned more toward Christina Applegate or Tyra Banks, whose posters he kept hidden in his room on the back of his closet door.”
4 THEY
BOTH BELIEVE IN GHOSTS
Jonathan: “The obsession started when traveling in Scotland as little kids, touring all the castles, cathedrals, and ruins we could
find. We’ve been to dozens and dozens of publicly advertised paranormal places without seeing a single spook.”
5 THEY
BOTH LOVE HAGGIS
Jonathan: “Everybody knows we love sushi. Believe it or not, being Scottish, we didn’t grow up savoring raw fish. What was the family favorite (except for JD, who is the pickiest eater alive) for us? Haggis! Scotland’s national dish — a large, boiled sausage encased in a sheep’s stomach, containing minced sheep’s heart, liver, and lungs, mixed with oatmeal, onion, and suet, and seasoned with nutmeg and mace. (In the U.S. sheep’s lungs are banned, so they use tongue instead.)
“It’s amazing. Trust us! Haggis out of a can is delicious, too.”