Buy It, Fix It, Sell It (2014)
In the Canadian reality show Buy It, Fix It, Sell It, a small pool of competitors compete against one another by buying items at an auction, reimagining those purchases into art pieces, and then selling them. Whomever makes the biggest profit off their purchase is declared the winner, although somewhere along the way reality gets thrown aside in the name of entertainment.
Like most reality shows, each episode of the show follows an identical format. Three of the show’s four artists attend the same auction and bid on items they hope to turn into expensive art projects and sell for a profit. The show is very formulaic. Every artist tries to sell their items high, the buyers lowball them, someone says “let’s meet in the middle,” and then they do.
The show’s four competitors are Willy, Bob, Tiffany, and brothers Mike and Joe (known collectively as “the Neon Brothers”). Each has their own style and never shall they deviate from it. Tiffany is the wacky artist with orange, pink, and purple hair who turns everything into over the top art pieces. The Neon Brothers buy things, fix them up, and add neon to them. Then there’s Willy, an artist who’s also a biker, and Bob, an artist who’s also a hot rod guy.
Reality shows like this have two main draws. The first is watching the process of taking something normal and turning it into something else. The other is seeing how much profit can be made by selling such pieces of art. Somehow, Buy It, Fix It, Sell It manages to mess up both of those things.
Shows like Flea Market Flip show audiences the work that goes into converting regular items into over the top art pieces. On Buy It, Fix It, Sell It, all the work takes place off screen. In almost every episode, items magically change from broken down pieces of junk to expensive pieces of art during the commercial break. Very rarely do we see nails driven or paint being applied. In one episode Bob buys an old motorcycle for $350 and after the commercial break the entire thing has been disassembled, sandblasted, painted gold, turned into a drink dispenser, and reassembled. The Neon Brothers purchase an ugly coffee table and by the time we return from the commercial break it’s been turned into a fancy headboard complete with fabric, a custom sign, and lots of course, lots of neon.
What’s more ridiculous is the fact that the parts they add to the items they sell aren’t included in the overall cost. In another episode, Tiffany purchases a leather suitcase for $170 and, when she finds herself short on time, outsources it to someone else (again off screen) to upgrade. The next time we see it, it’s been converted into a coffee table complete with a glass top, a stained pallet bottom, and fancy metal castors. Tiffany attempts to sell it for $800 but is only able to get $200 for it, which we’re told is a profit of $30. Tiffany apparently has people on speed dial who will contribute materials and put dozens of hours into a project for free. Actually, everyone on the show does. None of the parts and none of the labor costs anyone anything. What a world!
Perhaps the least realistic part about the reality show is the selling process. Each item is delivered to the client’s house or space… and then the negotiations begin. In on episode, Tiffany does to a client’s cafe and — while the owner is away — spends an entire weekend gluing and screwing books to a wall in a custom art installation. Then the owner returns, again after days of work, and negotiations begin. I’m no expert when it comes to selling artwork, but I’m pretty sure permanently installing it before discussing a price puts you at an extreme disadvantage when it comes to negotiations.
With so many reasons not to watch this show… I must confess, I binged the entire show — all 20 or so episodes. At the end of the day, the hosts are really charismatic and likeable. If they made more episodes, I’d watch every single one of them… and complain the entire time.
Buy It, Fix It, Sell It is currently available to stream for free on Tubi.
Link: Buy It, Fix It, Sell It (Tubtv.com)