HGTV Buys the Brady Bunch House in a Brilliant Publicity Stunt

Celebrities

Heres a story . . . of a house named Brady!

In less than a week, the Brady Bunch house has made multiple headlines. On Sunday, former *NSYNC member Lance Bass was heartbroken to learn hed been outbid for the property by a nameless corporate entity, which was ready to top any amount offered for the house. It might have seemed shady then, but now all has been revealed: the mystery buyer was HGTV, which intends to restore the house in a publicity stunt thats as genius as it is obvious.

Per Deadline, Discovery C.E.O. David Zaslav discussed HGTVs plans for the home during the companys second-quarter earnings call. The network will, Zaslav said, “restore the Brady Bunch home to its 1970s glory as only HGTV can. More detail to come over the next few months, but well bring all the resources to bear to tell safe, fun stories about this beloved piece of American TV history.”

Its hard to think of a more fitting outcome than this. Although home-improvement programs are reliable ratings hits, competitors like Netflix are increasingly moving in on cozy reality fare—making it more important than ever for networks like HGTV to prove their might and relevance. A stunt like this could be just the ticket.

The Brady Bunch aired for nearly five years—from September 1969 to March 1974. The house, located at 11222 Dilling Street in Studio City, California, was listed for $1,885,000—and described in its listing as the second-most-photographed home in America, although its hard to know how one would quantify such a statistic. The house spans 2,477 square feet, with two bedrooms and three bathrooms.

HGTV has plenty of home-improvement stars in its rolodex and shows on its roster—so the possibilities when it comes to the Brady Bunch house are endless. For now it remains unclear what the networks exact plans are, but a special of some sort seems most likely. I can just imagine the twinkle in Drew and Jonathan Scotts eyes as we speak!

Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Laura BradleyLaura Bradley is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.

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