That Place on the Cliff

House Hunters.  Watching that show is my favorite ritual right before bed.  I pop on the TV and take a journey with people searching for homes in the U.S. and abroad.  I find it soothing and entertaining to see parts of our country that I’ve never been to as well as how people live in other parts the world.  Then I invariably gag because a six bedroom mansion with an ocean view in Costa Rica costs the same as a two bedroom apartment in Manhattan with a view of a brick wall and a family of rodents.

Although it’s a reality show, House Hunters is also comedic.  Invariably, the husband wants to live in the city in a loft-like apartment with exposed beams and a view.  He wants to spend no more than $500,000, wants all of the upgrades, and doesn’t want to do any work.  The wife wants to live in a traditional two story home in the suburbs, thinks they can spend up to $750,000 and is open to doing work.  The realtor is in a pickle.  How can he satisfy both of them?  They will have to compromise, he warns them, especially given their budget and the limited number of properties available.  Could it be that the show is fictionalized?*  I mean, how many couples can possibly be in this identical bind?*

Last night’s episode was more humorous than usual.  In it, a husband and wife from Chicago, together with their 18 month-old daughter, were looking for a house in Grenada where the husband was going to attend medical school.

That’s it. That’s the funny part.

That was terribly mean of me.  I’m sure the medical school in Grenada is fantastic.  And that wasn’t actually the funny part of the episode.  The actual  funny part came when the husband and wife were recapping the three properties they had seen and were discussing the pros and cons of each.  Of the third property, the husband said “That place on the cliff seems like the perfect place to live‏.”  Really?  With an 18 month-old child, the “place on the cliff” seems “perfect”?  Maybe you had to see it, but trust me when I tell you that it was literally on a cliff.  The backyard looked like an infinity pool and just beyond the edge was a long drop into the sea.  I hope this guy exhibits better judgment as a doctor.**

*Rhetorical question.

**They didn’t end up taking the “place on the cliff.”  I’m sure they were never even considering it and that the guy has excellent judgment.

What do you watch before bed?  Do you find House Hunters as amazing as I do?  Interestingly, I’ve never correctly predicted which house the family will choose.  There’s a one in three chance that I will be right and I never am.

How’s that for odds?