You might expect cheery homeowners and hosts behind-the-scenes of HGTV's shows, but Orlando Soria says it's anything but that. The professional interior designer described in a personal blog post working 14-hour days without eating, wearing uncomfortable recording equipment, having no access to private and clean bathrooms, poor COVID-19 safety procedures, and receiving an unlivable wage.

Soria was hesitant to share his experience with the network giant saying, "I thought I'd get in trouble or burn professional bridges." However, he felt the truth needed to come to light. After surviving the filming for the two design shows, Soria claims the network canceled "Build Me Up" after three weeks despite "getting better numbers than Martha Stewart's show."

The cancellation wasn't about his face no longer being on TV but its effect of extinguishing his opportunity for sponsorships and leveraging content deals — extra income the interior artist needed as the show left him with little compensation. He might be one of the HGTV stars who lives an insanely lavish life, but for "Unspouse My House" star, he shares, "After taxes and my agent fees, my take home was $17,500." While "Build Me Up," which came from his original concept, left him pocketing $11 an hour. However, even with 99% turmoil, there was still 1% the ex-host enjoyed.