Homestead Rescue is an American reality show on the Discovery Channel which follows the Raney family as they travel across the United States to help the struggling homesteaders. The show stars the Raney family patriarch, Marty Raney, and his two of four children - Matt Raney and Misty Raney Bilodeau. The reality show is currently running in its fourth season, which premiered on February 14, 2019. Despite being a success in its genre, there are many viewers who have been accusing the show of being not as real as others may think. Read on to find out why these viewers think that Homestead Rescue if fake.

Reasons why Homestead Rescue may be fake

Viewers have been skeptical about Homestead Rescue from the beginning. The question about whether Homestead Rescue is actually real or not has been around as long as the reality TV show itself. 

One thing that viewers are the most concerned about is that if the homesteaders featured on the show really live completely off the grid as shown in the show. They say that some people who have been featured in this program clearly lack any experience in these situations. Thus they think that these people have been placed in these situations by the show itself. 

Another reason why viewers think that the reality show could be fake is as it focuses on the most obvious improvements. The show has been focusing on problems that could be solved in a relatively shorter time than those which would cost more time and effort. 

A couple named Kim and Josh, who was a part of Homestead Rescue, released a statement accusing the reality show of editing a major part from their episode. The disgruntled couple said that the show edited out a successful part of their homestead, making them look much worse. They were shocked to see the results of agreeing to the show of adding dramatic elements to their episode. 

According to Kim and Josh, the production company had approached and told them that they were looking for successful homesteaders for their show. The couple claimed that their homestead includes a successful farm, which was not shown at all. Having said that, the couple was not dissatisfied with the Raney family at all. In fact, Kim was complimenting Marty Raney.

Homestead Rescue cast Marty Raney speaks out about the allegation

In July 2017, Marty Raney had an interview with Fox News. During the interview, Marty shared some information about the show. He said, “The America that I'm seeing is rural; the America that I'm seeing is farmers, ranchers, homesteaders, and those to choose to live off-the-grid, and when you think about it was that collective, that demographic, that built America, hands down, and they did it with hand tools."

Talking about the show’s Season 2, in particular, Raney said, “It's been a long ride. There's been a lot of danger involved, a lot of high-risk that people will never know. Grown men cry on this show virtually every episode and that includes me."

In another interview, Marty shared how the reality show originated. The former Ultimate Survival Alaska (aired on National Geographic) cast member said that the idea of Homestead Rescue came from Discovery and it reached out to Raw Productions in London. He said, “We’re trying to do something new; we’re trying to take Discovery back to how it started. As those discussions progressed, I was like, man, this is too good to be true: I get to build, I get to help people, real people, with real needs.”

Marty does not support the idea of viewers that the homesteaders shown on the reality show are not real. He insists that the first time he and his children see the property and meet the homesteaders is when they are filmed driving up to it. However, some of the crew reaches the spot beforehand to set things up for their arrival.

“Obviously the production people have been out there trying to procure the permits for building or whatever is needed legally. But I’ve never met those homesteaders in my life until the day I drive into the property. We meet them just as the viewer does, organically and authentically,” Marty told.

He went on to say, “It’s the only way I would do the show. I would not sign any contracts. There was length, poignant, frank, assertive discussions with Discovery and Raw Productions. The more I demanded authenticity and less scripting, the more Discovery and Raw got excited.”

When the interviewer asked him to compare his experiences to the National Geographic show he worked on before, he said, “They’re both extremely difficult to make. Both tried to keep it as authentic as they could. That’s difficult to do. But I will tell you this, Homestead Rescue is light years more authentic than Ultimate Survival Alaska, which prided itself on being authentic.”

Speaking of Ultimate Survival Alaska, Marty said, “ It was 35 episodes, which really means 35 different locations in Alaska, and they were thousands of miles apart from each other. So the transportation, the logistics.” 

He elaborated, “Here’s a little fact nobody knows: we were sequestered for 90 days straight. No conjugal visits, no contact with humans, never slept under a roof, which means we slept on the ground for 90 days. If production took a three-day break, flew out to LA or wherever they went, Anckorage, we stayed out in the middle of nowhere. Campfire, they brought food.”

Marty mentioned that Homestead Rescue is even longer and more challenging to shoot.