debut

If there is one thing that is more awkward than hearing your own recorded voice, it is seeing yourself on TV.

I made a teeny tiny mention back in the fall that we were filming an episode of HGTV's House Hunters International right here in Grand Cayman. Well, the inevitable occurred: They actually aired our show.

Check out HGTV's intro to the episode:

Nate and Jen aren't your stereotypical accountants. Years ago, the military dangled an enticing carrot in front of Nate: he and his high school sweetheart could be stationed abroad and live an exciting adventure. It didn't work out, but that didn't mean they forgot about the idea to live somewhere exotic. They finally decided it was time to escape harsh Pennsylvania winters and make the move to Grand Cayman - the largest of the Cayman Islands and a world financial center. Here, their careers are transferable But their two incomes might not be enough to live the island dream Jen envisions. The cost of living here is among the highest in the Caribbean and this young couple is shocked to find their $2700 dollar budget is on the low side. She wants views and fashionable furnishings at any cost. He just wants access to the beach to kite-surf - and he wants it in budget. Will fellow expat and real estate agent Tony Catalatano be able to find something that will both wow Jen and win over number cruncher Nate? Find out when House Hunters International goes for broke in the Cayman Islands. 

Apparently, I'm a diva. Oh dear.

We bravely invited B&K over to watch it with us. No, we hadn't seen it before-hand, so watching it for the first time with spectators added an extra element of nervous laughter. We decided this would require copious amounts of cheese to distract ourselves (and our guests) from the inevitable embarrassing moments.

 

I figured, if it got too cheesy on the screen, I'd counterbalance it with another slice of Manchego...cheese. Yeah.

 NS found House Hunters Bingo cards so we could play along, catching the classic one-liners that most show participants end up saying.

Honestly, I don't know about anyone else, but I could NOT focus on my bingo card. So much for multi-tasking when your own voice and face are booming and beaming back at you.

For those that didn't see the first airing, don't worry; these things tend to re-run ad nauseum. You can check out future listings here. Someday, it might even be online. For now, it was kinda cool to be a tiny bit famous for all of 22 minutes on air, and I can check "Being on television" off my bucket list.

A special thanks to:

 -- Katie for filming our casting video

 -- Rich, Dave, and Mike for fun-packed days of filming on the island

 -- My parents for helping us unpack a ton of boxes

 -- Kurt for making the most interesting opening credits ever

 -- All of our Cayman friends for coming out for the bonfire portion of the episode

Okay so enough about that. For true Oscar-worthy performances, stick around for photos from our Oscar party - the most fun I've ever had watching an awards show. Stay tuned! 

(Gosh I so wanted to start that last short sentence with, "As we in the biz would say..."   Ha!  No.  None of that. Done.)