Jessica Alba, Lizzy Mathis don’t fake anything in Honest Renovations Season 2
Best friends Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis are on a mission to make Honest Renovations Season 2 unique. They have upped the ante in the second season, including more diversity in their chosen families, and retain their signature touch.
Speaking to ClutchPoints about Honest Renovations Season 2, it is evident that Alba and Mathis want to make their show different than the various HGTV series like Love It or List It and House Hunters.
Mathis claimed that there is not “any show quite like ours.” This is due to Honest Renovations being “geared specifically towards families.”
Mathis and Alba are both mothers, which helps them relate to the families in the show.
“We wanted to give other parents a viewpoint outside what they were used to,” Mathis explained. “We wanted to bring new solutions to them and new ways that they could make their house work for them.”
For Alba, Honest Renovations offers practical tips for anybody.
“Whether you are a parent or not, there are a lot of organizational tips. There are a lot of tips on how to paint [a] room differently than you typically would — here’s a different color palette that you may not have thought about,” she said.
They also shop at Home Depot, choosing affordable options for their renovations. Their friendly banter is another selling point for fans to watch the show.
Not faking anything
While Jessica Alba loves being prepared (“Being prepped is the magic,” as she told me), she acknowledges that you need to allow moments to breathe to find the smaller moments.
“I think when you try to over-produce it, it is not as good. The more you allow these moments to breathe and keep the cameras rolling, you find nuggets of goodness in there,” she said.
Mathis revealed that the first walkthrough and interaction with the families were the first time they saw the houses and met the families.
“We are doing it as you see it, and I think that’s cool,” Mathis said.
Mathis conceded that most reality TV series are “produced more than you think.” However, when asked if anything is dramatized in Honest Renovations Season 2, both Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis responded with an emphatic “No.”
This is an instant turn-off for Alba, an actress already faking things for a living. Any drama seen is a product of the moment, not manufactured.
“That gives me the ick,” Alba shared. “Because I’m an actress, and I think I am used to scripted. I never want it [Honest Renovations] to come off disingenuous. And all of the drama that comes through — or emotions, is how we talk about it — is all genuine. It’s all in the moment.”
Relatable families
The show is also very genuine. Alba explained that the families in Honest Renovations Season 2 are “going through really difficult things in their lives, or they have overcome difficult moments [in] their lives.”
Showing these struggles in their show allows viewers to empathize with the families who are chosen via a casting call. Anyone can apply, and both Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis are hoping for diverse situations and families.
“This season was cool because we have a lot of multi-generational families in this season, and [a] single mom,” said Mathis. “We take that into consideration. We want everyone to feel like they are a part of the show.”
Natural drama
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports.
Lizzy Mathis acknowledges that there will be drama with any home renovation.
“We don’t need to create extra drama,” a laughing Mathis said. “Pipes burst, walls are being moved — you discover things when you open walls that you had no idea was going to be there.”
Another source of natural drama is when the Honest Renovations families get rid of things.
“People have [an] attachment to stuff,” explained Alba. “What people surround themselves with, they feel very emotionally attached to. The process of let’s clean this out and let’s declutter, that’s hard for, I would say, one hundred percent of our families.”
Surprisingly, this process begins the same day as the first look at the house. Alba and Mathis always visit the homes they are renovating in Honest Renovations. Right after the cameras stop rolling, the families are moving out.
“There’s no in-between because we also have to get started,” Mathis said. “Once we meet them, that’s the first thing you see. We have to get them out of there right away. We don’t have a week of lag time to get it all sorted, be neat about it, and process [all] of [the] feelings. We’re in, we’re out.”
Alba added, “We need as much time as possible doing the renovation.”
Getting rid of stuff
Their advice? Think about what you will need after the renovation. They will suggest donating excess chairs, tables, and more to friends and family.
“Everything is going to come back after we do the reveal, so my big thing is, ‘Do you really want this? Do you want this back in your house when you have all new things here?” Alba said. “What are you going to do with two couches, two chairs, and three tables? Do you really want it, or are you willing to donate it?”
Mathis views this part of the renovation process as an opportunity to do a purge. She suggests doing it any time you are doing a home renovation.
A nightmare first look
When Alba and Mathis do their first looks at houses in Honest Renovations, they have some fears. For Alba, it’s wall-to-wall carpet that is her “nightmare.” This is because of how much bacteria and dust it collects.
For Mathis, she does not like the “hoarding of things.” She notes that during the pandemic, people got comfortable collecting things. Now that we are years removed from it, she sees it as a time to begin going through things.
“I cringe every time I walk into [a house,] and there is so much happening that it makes me feel overwhelmed,” she revealed. “I’m like, Oh gosh, we [have] got to get through all this.”
Staying on top of several renovations at once
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports.
Preparation was a recurring theme of my chat with Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis. They hammered home that the key to a successful reality TV series like Honest Renovations Season 2 is staying prepared. During the filming of the season, they are doing all of the renovations at once, so they have a mood board to stay organized.
That does not mean they don’t refresh themselves before going to each house.
“We have all this dialogue right before we walk into every house because when doing six renovations at one time, you are trying to keep it all straight,” Mathis said.
Each house is also different. Alba and Mathis try not to enforce their own styles on the Honest Renovations families. Even if it is not their cup of tea, they want to honor the family aesthetic.
“I think with a lot of design shows, it is that one designer’s full touch every time,” said Mathis. “With us, it is really important for our families to feel like it is their home. We want to leave and let them make sure they feel like it is comfortable for them to live in.”
Advice for buying a house
While Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis spend time renovating houses on Honest Renovations Season 2, they also can help you when buying a house. When asked for things to look out for when touring houses, Alba and Mathis were both quick to weigh in.
“Definitely get the plumbing, AC, and HVAC double-checked, and I would even say professionally cleaned,” Alba advised. “Have them look and take photos of the basement and the attic. Make sure someone takes the photos, and [that] there is no mold, or the right pans and piping were used, [that] there are not crazy wires.”
Lizzy Mathis agreed with her Honest Renovations co-star, saying that inspections are key. She emphasizes that a well-built home is most important since you can “make any changes, and it is still going to hold the test of time.”
“A lot of time snow with new builds and rebuilds, they plaster and fake a lot of stuff,” Mathis warned. “It looks very beautiful and pretty on the outside, but down beneath those walls and underneath is where a lot of the truth lies.”
Jessica Alba on her Marvel future
One of Alba’s signature roles was as Sue Storm in Fox’s Fantastic Four movies. She played the iconic Marvel character in two movies from 2004-07.
However, despite the multiverse being used to bring back Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and more in recent Marvel movies, Alba has not come back yet. Heck, Jennifer Garner returned in Deadpool and Wolverine. As did Alba’s Fantastic Four co-star, Chris Evans, as Johnny Storm.
This is not due to Alba’s lack of desire to go back to Marvel. She said that she would “love to do anything with Disney or Marvel because I’m a fan. I think [there are] great legacy characters in the Marvel Universe, and I think there [are] so many different ways to bring those characters to life.”
She then talked about Evans, who went on to play Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) from 2011-19. Alba kept the door open for a return in a similar capacity as a different character.
“I think it is cool that Chris played the Human Torch, and he played Captain America,” Alba said. “I think there [are] a lot of actors who have played several characters in the Marvel Universe, and it would be fun to jump back into that for sure.”
Honest Renovations Season 2 is streaming on The Roku Channel.
The post Jessica Alba, Lizzy Mathis don’t fake anything in Honest Renovations Season 2 appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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