On September 26, 1969, a lovely lady who was bringing up three lovely girls met a man named Brady who was busy with three boys of his own. And they knew that it was much more than a hunch. That this group must somehow form a family. That’s the way we all fell in love with The Brady Bunch. The Brady Bunch.
Fifty years later, their show is still airing seven days a week and they are loved more now than they were then. So much so, that a house they never lived in is the second most photographed one in the United States. Some white one is on top of that list.
Back in 1973, before the original sitcom ended its run, a family bought the real house in Studio City. They lived and died in it. Then in July 2018, the surviving family members decided to put the house on the market. There was a bidding war between Lance Bass and the Property Brothers. Neither one got the iconic home. Instead, HGTV snuck in bought the house. Not only did they buy it, they decided to make the interior look like the exterior with the help of HGTV’s Jonathan and Drew Scott (Property Brothers: Forever Home), Mina Starsiak Hawk and Karen E Laine (Good Bones), siblings Leanne and Steve Ford (Restored by the Fords), Jasmine Roth (Hidden Potential) and Lara Spencer (Flea Market Flip).
Late last year, the designers went in along with the original Brady kids (Barry Williams, Maureen McCormick, Christopher Knight, Eve Plumb, Mike Lookinland and Susan Olsen), and started renovating the house. HGTV documented how they turned the single level house into a two-story one with the iconic stairs.
Tonight at 9p, on A Very Brady Renovation, you will hear the story of the house. Then you will see them all get their hands dirty as they rework the entrance, living room and dining room. You will see it go from a place we do not know to look like the one we have known our whole lives. The teams will work on their plans, start construction and ask fans to help them find the knick-knacks that made those rooms special.
The designers worked really really really hard to recreate everything. Painstakingly so. It is interesting to hear how detailed they got to make sure it was all accurate to the show. They replicated a sound stage into a house. Normally, it is the other way around.
Even though the Bradys played a big part in the renovation, to see their faces when they enter the house after it is done is everything. You will see their shocked, in a good way, faces as they experience the entry way and the biggest room tonight for the first time. It is truly priceless.
In the coming weeks, you will watch as they move the kitchen from one part of the house to the other. Then you will get to see how they made it that infamous bright orange and dull avocado with blue paper towels. They also recreated the family room in the back, Alice’s bedroom, Mike’s office, the children’s bedroom with the Jack and Jill bathroom in the middle, their parents’ bedroom and Greg’s attic. It would not be complete without the attic that is actually in the basement. That is for another episode. The house would not be complete without Tiger’s doghouse. The one that Susan Olsen and Mike Lookinland made out in back in the day and again during the filming of their series.
It is incredible to see what they did and how they did it. Last week, I went to the renovated house and wanted to cry. I felt like I was living the dream of being the 8th Brady child. You know, because Cousin Oliver is the 7th.
Anyways, my hat is off to all of the designers and the actors for bringing the Brady Bunch house to life perfectly. It is surreal what they did. It is quite amazing and I cannot wait to watch how it all came about starting tonight at 9p.
On a personal note, why the Brady Bunch house is not just a house. On my first visit to LA, my friend, Juan Fernandez, took me all over Los Angeles. The place I remember most is when we stopped by the house. He told me the first time he saw it in person, he cried. I almost did the same thing at that moment. Since then, I have been to the house over 50 times. One time, the day we found out Ann B. Davis died. However, I did not know it at the time as I walking by one a Sunshine Day. Another time when Florence Henderson passed away and I wanted to pay my respect to her. I have taken everyone I know that visits there and they all remembered it. It is a symbol of happiness because that is what the show is to all of us. When I got the invite to the event, I immediately asked my friend Juan to join. There was no one else I wanted by my side. The two of us stood in the house squeezing each other’s arms at times to be like is this really happening. Even though we did not meet each other until our early 20’s, it felt like we were two kids all over again going somewhere special. Better than Disneyland.
We are not the only ones to have that special connection with this house. So many others do and that is why I am grateful that HGTV did it right. We should all repay them by watching every episode live. Too bad Juan is on a television show of his own (KCAL9 News a 9p) at that time or we would be watching it together.
