Latest news with #HouseHuntersInternational
CNBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
41-year-old lawyer relocated to Paris, has no plans of moving back to the U.S.: 'It's where I'm supposed to be in the world'
After law school, Adriel Sanders, 41, found work as a corporate securities, mergers and acquisitions attorney. But she didn't enjoy practicing law. "The whole firm knew it. It was not a well-kept secret. I tried to pretend like I wanted to be a partner, but I couldn't maintain that image. I didn't even want to be a lawyer," Sanders, tells CNBC Make It. "I didn't enjoy the work and the expectation to work all the time and I will probably be one of the only attorneys who says it, but I don't think it's that intellectually stimulating." Sanders, who goes by Adriel Felise online, quit that job and eventually went to work as general counsel for a publicly traded company. At the time, Sanders was living in Washington, D.C. and making $286,656 a year, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. She lived in a studio apartment and paid about $3,000 a month in rent. "What stereotypically happens to most Black women when they work in corporate America is the type of things I experienced my whole career. You're constantly hitting up against this glass ceiling," Sanders says. "I was deeply and truly miserable at the very depths of my little heart and little soul. I knew that it was not sustainable." While working her 9-to-5, Sanders dreamt of starting her own clothing line. She even pursued photography in her free time as a way to escape the endless grind of her career. "Photography was very much my creative outlet. For me, starting a fashion line is about doing what I should have always been doing and not about leaving a secure career. I feel like I'm stepping into my purpose," Sanders says. In 2017, Sanders and her two brothers went to Paris for the first time. That trip changed everything. When they first arrived in the city, Sanders was a bit disgruntled after having an uncomfortable flight. Her younger brother reminded her to look around and take in where they were. "It instantly clicked. I was like, 'This is your home. This is where you're supposed to be in the world and this is where you will always be," she says. "I knew I had to move to Paris." Sanders traveled back to Paris several times after that first visit. "The moment I stepped off the plane, I felt like I could just breathe," she says. In 2019, she decided she would make the move across the Atlantic. At the beginning of 2020, Sanders quit her job, gave her landlord notice, and started the process to obtain a French visa. She contacted Adrian Leeds from HGTV's "House Hunters International" to help find an apartment and flew to France for a few days while a moving company packed up her belongings and prepared to ship it all overseas. Sanders landed in Paris the day before France closed its border due to the covid-19 pandemic. "The slowness of the world meant that France sped up. We were all operating from the same level of confusion, so the good thing is that I was confused by what was happening, but so was everyone else," Sanders says. "I arrived the day before the lockdown, so there was no one and it was a complete dystopia." Sanders signed a lease for a one-bedroom apartment that cost 1,550 euros, or $1,815 USD, where she lived for two years. She then moved into a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment and signed a three-year lease. The rent was 1,980 euros or $2,319 when she first moved in. It has since increased to $2,540 USD. Sanders lives in what they call an "unfurnished apartment" in Paris, which means she had to purchase her own kitchen cabinets, stove, and washing machine. She estimates that she spent about $5,000 on the kitchen and close to another $10,000 to make the place really feel like home. "Could I have done it cheaper, 100% but my view is that I don't know when I will leave so I want to have things the way I want them," she says. In addition to rent, Sanders spends, on average, about 963 euros or $1,128 per month on expenses, which include household bills like cable, internet, renter's insurance, dry cleaning, electricity and gas, private health insurance, and a Navigo transportation card. She also has an annual subscription to the Louvre, which costs 95 euros a year and a second museum card that can add an extra 50-100 euros a year to her expenses. She also pays 1,069.20 euros or $1,252 annually to a guarantor service, which allows her to continue renting in France. When Sanders first arrived in Paris, she did some consulting as a lawyer but decided it was finally time to bet on herself. She says she had about $200,000 in her business account and $70,000 in personal savings when she quit that job and put all of her focus on creating her fashion brand, Adriel Felise, and becoming a content creator. That money and her income from content creation helps to fund Sanders' new business venture. Her parents are retired and have been able to help her out as well. "I'm grateful for it because it gives me the cushion to do the runway launching for the fashion line and that to me is the most important goal. It gives me the freedom to know that I'm not going to fall and can pursue my dream," she says. Sanders is self-funding the production of her initial samples and prototypes, but hopes to raise at least $2 million and have her 10-piece collection ready for launch in 2026. Sanders says leaving the United States and her corporate law career behind helped her realize she's more resourceful than she thought. "I can use my strategic side that I learned as a lawyer, but implement it in a very creative way." she says. "I love fashion and I'm so happy that I can now just say that and be upfront about it because for so long it was treated as something that made me less serious." When Sanders was working as a lawyer, she used to take walks around her office building and dream about starting a fashion line, and now seeing it come to life still doesn't feel real. "There's still a part of me that strives and pushes for more so I don't know if I'm fully ready to say I'm proud but I feel like I'm actually happy, which I wasn't for so long and that's huge for me," she says. "My goal and desire is to inspire women — particularly black and brown women — to just pursue their dreams and goals. When they do it does not matter. The most important thing is that they be bold, move wisely, and just go for it." Sanders plans to keep Paris as her home base and eventually buy a home in the countryside. Since moving, Sanders has traveled all over France, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, and more. She is currently making plans to spend the rest of the summer in the Loire Valley or Normandy in northern France. "I wish I had had the courage to move sooner. I wish I had the courage to do it after my first semester of law school to either drop out or enroll in business school and do something different that would have given me more options and choice to not get pigeonholed into something that I knew from the beginning I didn't want to be," she says. "I know that Americans really love to classify based upon age, race, etc. but I don't want to be classified as anything other than a woman who believed in herself enough to ignore the naysayers and go for her hopes and dreams."
Sydney Morning Herald
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘It's an opportunity to show some hope': Hit housing show finally lands in Australia
Like many young Australians, The Project panellist Georgie Tunny never expected to own a home. But that didn't stop her and her flatmates from obsessively watching the American reality series House Hunters, running since 1999 and more than 200 seasons, and its spin-off, House Hunters International. These days, The Project panellist is happily installed in the Melbourne house she purchased in 2021 with her fiance, singer and actor Rob Mills, and feels qualified to narrate the inaugural House Hunters Australia on Ten. 'There's a script, but I can add my own little touch,' says Tunny. 'I have sat watching House Hunters on my couch and just essentially Goggleboxing what was going on. So this felt like that. I found it so fun.' Like the original, the series follows prospective buyers as they are introduced to three listings in their desired location and price range. There's no obligation to buy, of course, but it boosts the feel-good factor if they can chant 'we bought a house!' in unison at episode's end. Much of the mild dramatic tension comes from style clashes, something to which Tunny could relate. 'Robert and I probably would have benefited from a show like House Hunters because it forces you to say exactly what you're looking for and be really upfront with each other,' she says. 'When we first started dating, Robert was into the Scandi vibe – minimalist, lots of blues and greys, not too much clutter. I am more of a maximalist when it comes to a house looking like it's been lived in. I don't want it to look like an art gallery. So we've been trying to find a middle ground. I'm introducing more colour to him – a lot more textures, and a lot more knick-knacks because I have a lot of stuff.' Although they competed together in Ten's Amazing Race: Celebrity Edition, Tunny isn't sure they would actually make such a compatible team on House Hunters: 'I think we might have killed each other.'
The Age
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
‘It's an opportunity to show some hope': Hit housing show finally lands in Australia
Like many young Australians, The Project panellist Georgie Tunny never expected to own a home. But that didn't stop her and her flatmates from obsessively watching the American reality series House Hunters, running since 1999 and more than 200 seasons, and its spin-off, House Hunters International. These days, The Project panellist is happily installed in the Melbourne house she purchased in 2021 with her fiance, singer and actor Rob Mills, and feels qualified to narrate the inaugural House Hunters Australia on Ten. 'There's a script, but I can add my own little touch,' says Tunny. 'I have sat watching House Hunters on my couch and just essentially Goggleboxing what was going on. So this felt like that. I found it so fun.' Like the original, the series follows prospective buyers as they are introduced to three listings in their desired location and price range. There's no obligation to buy, of course, but it boosts the feel-good factor if they can chant 'we bought a house!' in unison at episode's end. Much of the mild dramatic tension comes from style clashes, something to which Tunny could relate. 'Robert and I probably would have benefited from a show like House Hunters because it forces you to say exactly what you're looking for and be really upfront with each other,' she says. 'When we first started dating, Robert was into the Scandi vibe – minimalist, lots of blues and greys, not too much clutter. I am more of a maximalist when it comes to a house looking like it's been lived in. I don't want it to look like an art gallery. So we've been trying to find a middle ground. I'm introducing more colour to him – a lot more textures, and a lot more knick-knacks because I have a lot of stuff.' Although they competed together in Ten's Amazing Race: Celebrity Edition, Tunny isn't sure they would actually make such a compatible team on House Hunters: 'I think we might have killed each other.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
My husband and I were on 'House Hunters International.' Here are 5 things that surprised me most about being on the show.
My husband and I appeared on an episode of HGTV's "House Hunters International" in 2023. As a fan of the show, I was excited to be selected and encountered lots of surprises during filming. I was surprised by how long the pre-production process was and how many takes some scenes took. It was always a dream of mine to move to Europe, so when the opportunity to relocate to Germany for work presented itself, my husband and I didn't hesitate to say yes. As I was scrolling through an expat Facebook group, I came across a dream opportunity posted by a casting director — the chance to star in an episode of HGTV's "House Hunters International." I messaged the casting director to express my interest and was given a form to apply. As an avid fan of the show, I was thrilled when we received an email stating we had been selected. Now that our episode has aired, I've had some time to reflect on what wasn't seen on camera. Here are five things that surprised me most about the filming process. The application process included several forms and a lengthy pre-filming questionnaire asking us to detail how we met, why we were moving, and what we did for work. I was also asked to send some photos to represent our story. Then, we had virtual interviews to share more about ourselves, our lives, and our apartment preferences. Luckily, this process didn't delay our move since we were concurrently filling out documents for our visas. On the first day of filming, I was informed that I'd need to maintain the same hair, makeup, and jewelry for the next three days — a detail I hadn't considered but was crucial for uniformity in the episode. I did my own hair and makeup despite hoping a professional would do it. To maintain outfit coordination for each scene and day, we took photos and were meticulous about remembering our looks. To create a 30-minute episode, my husband and I filmed for four days. However, once we began, I was surprised to learn that filming wasn't done in chronological order. For example, the apartments we saw were shown in a different order on TV than we saw them in real life. Because the director wanted our genuine reactions to the apartment showings, we weren't scripted to say, touch, or do anything. However, we did have to repeat some dialogue, movements, and expressions multiple times. There was only one camera person on the shoot, which meant we needed to retake every scene at least four times so he could capture our individual reactions and our reactions as a couple. He also had to zoom in on any details, such as us touching an object or moving our hands. For the scenes to remain consistent, we had to remember exactly where we stood, what we touched, what we said, and how we reacted. One of the best parts of the filming process was sharing our love story on camera. It was so exciting to have a big milestone in our lives documented — it's something we'll always remember. Overall, we had a great experience filming our episode. The HGTV crew and staff were kind, helpful, and sincere in their desire to showcase an accurate reflection of us as a couple and our journey relocating to Germany. This story was originally published on October 25, 2024, and most recently updated on May 14, 2025. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Find out what Wheel of Fortune fans always ask Vanna White when they meet her
'Wheel of Fortune' star Vanna White says fans always ask her the same question when they meet her. The 68-year-old star has been the co-host of the US game show since 1982 and for over 40 years she constantly gets asked one thing when viewers meet her in person. She revealed: "[They say], 'Can I buy a vowel?' And I love it. "And 42 years later, vowels have not changed price! $250 — no inflation!" Vanna - who has two children, 30-year-old real estate agent son Nikko, and 28-year-old tattoo artist daughter Gigi, with her ex-film producer husband George Santo Pietro - has been described as having a comforting presence, and she always aims to put the 'Wheel of Fortune' contestants at ease by telling them to "pretend like you're in your living room". Speaking about how the contenders feel on the show - which is also hosted by Ryan Seacrest - Vanna said: "People aren't familiar with TV and all the cameras we have. "There are 200 people in the audience and they don't want to make a fool of themselves on TV. And it's hard! "When you're standing at home in your living room, it's always your turn. "When you're there, the puzzle board is like 20 feet away, and, 'Oh my gosh — where am I?' "They do quite well considering the circumstances. "When I first get to work in the morning, I go in and say hello to them when they're all getting in. "I say, 'Buy vowels, don't be nervous, and pretend like you're in your living room.' "I give them a little pep talk before they go on." Vanna's own TV habits include being a regular viewer of 'House Hunters International' and ABC reality series 'The Golden Bachelor'. In an interview with she said: "I like watching 'House Hunters International'. I feel like I'm traveling. "I'm in Switzerland and Portugal and all these places — that's kind of my little escape. "I also watch 'The Golden Bachelor'. I'm taken! "I've been with my boyfriend for 15 years, but it's fun to see that, too." Vanna is in a relationship with contractor John Donaldson who she met through friends.
