‘Property Brothers’: Is Jonathan Scott a Real Contractor?
Jonathan Scott, along with his twin brother Drew Scott, is a staple on HGTV with the Property Brothers show. In a sea of home improvement shows, the Scott brothers have become a standout success with this show, Brother vs. Brother, and several other home improvement and real estate endeavors. The Canadian duo got their start when they were in college and saw an opportunity to fill a niche. They bought a house and then rented it to students for a healthy monthly income. Little did the Scott brothers know, this idea would earn them fame and hundreds of millions of dollars.
Scott’s rise to HGTV fame
From the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada to the screens of millions of people all over the world, Scott has built a business with his twin brother using the skills he learned on that campus in Alberta. He is genuinely a licensed contractor and his twin is a licensed real estate agent, according to DIY Network. His older brother J.D. Scott also has a production company that benefited the brothers in 2002 when they first began. Scott tried traditional acting before landing on HGTV with his twin but it didn’t pan out the way he’d hoped. In the end, his skills as a contractor turned out to be the key to achieving his on-screen dreams.
Property Brothers is a DIY institution
In addition to the Property Brothers TV show, there are other shows such as the competition show Brother vs. Brother that pits the brothers against each other in two teams that race to renovate a house with a certain budget and objective. Property Brothers: Buying and Selling is self-explanatory, as it centers on the journey to buy and sell a house. Property Brothers at Home shows viewers the personal home projects and experiences of the Scott brothers. Celebrity IOU shows viewers the projects of A-list celebrities as they give back to the people who have had the biggest impacts on their lives and careers. They’re even working on an animated project aimed at pre-schoolers!
Not your average licensed contractor
Although he is a real-life contractor, Scott doesn’t devote his entire life to his family’s TV shows and building, flipping, or selling houses. He is also an illusionist in Las Vegas (where his family lives), aspired to be an actor with his brother in other endeavors before HGTV, has a production company with his brother, Scott Brothers Entertainment, and a line of furniture and decor. He has spoken of the influence of his entrepreneur father, including the story of how he saved to buy a “beater car” while helping his father build a ranch. From humble roots, he and his brother rose to fame, but he never stopped being a contractor.
What’s next for Property Brothers?
In April 2020, Scott and his brother hosted a Celebrity IOU episode guest-starring Brad Pitt as he renovated a house for his makeup artist, Jean Black. In the episode, Pitt wowed the audience by getting in with the Scott Brothers’ team and doing some of the work himself. It was one of the most popular episodes to date and perpetuated the extreme fame of Property Brothers. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic slowed down production after that but construction is considered essential and their projects didn’t just come to a standstill.
As a licensed contractor, Scott can continue construction but the idea of renovating upwards of 40 houses per year has been considered to possibly be unrealistic. Construction may be essential but camera crews aren’t and the Scott brothers want to be sure that their cast, crew, and guests remain safe. Property Brothers and Brother vs. Brother have been officially renewed, according to Variety. The brothers are still figuring out their schedule and it is clear that they’ll continue building, buying, and selling along with all of their other entrepreneurial ventures.
