Milton couple to be on HGTV House Hunters episode Thursday

When Kaitlynn and Ian Donahue began looking for a vacation home near Lake Champlain last fall, they never imagined filming the process for the whole world to see. But they did just that.

HGTV's House Hunters will feature the Milton couple's search for a lake house at 10 p.m. Thursday, April 13,, giving Vermont a moment in the spotlight on a popular reality TV show.

Ian, a mechanical engineer at LN Consulting, and Kaitlynn, a speech language pathologist at South Burlington High School, enjoyed the process of filming the show and are excited and nervous to see the end result, Kaitlynn said in an interview Tuesday.

"It's something we'll remember forever," she said.

How they got on the show

The Donahue's real estate agent Leland Ryea originally asked the couple if they wanted to be on the show. It was a huge surprise, Kaitlynn said, and at first she thought it was a joke because it was a show the couple liked watching together. Ian was hesitant at first, she said, but she convinced him to do it.

The agent had been approached by a casting associate from House Hunters expressing interest in doing a show in Vermont. Ryea said after he was contacted, the show's directors wanted to make sure he could talk into a camera and appear natural. It took some practice, he said, but he got the hang of it.

He then considered his buyers at the time. Ryea chose the Donahues because they were looking for a house on the lake, which would offer more unique Vermont views for the cameras to capture than homes in subdivisions. The best part of the experience, Ryea said, was getting to know the Donahues as they filmed.

"You spend a lot more time with your buyers. I was able to create this friendship and this bond that I don't usually get to have," he said. "By the time you're done, you're all exhausted because you're all working 10 to 12 hour days and misery loves company."

Ryea, originally from Vermont, is proud that his home state will be featured on a show as big as House Hunters. He said the show offered him an ongoing opportunity to create episodes for the show, and that if Vermonters are interested, they can reach out to him directly.

Filming and waiting

The Donahues will be watching the episode at home with close friends and family. It will be their first time seeing the 30 minute episode along with everyone else after five long days of filming in November.

Kaitlynn said being on reality TV is a little harder than you'd expect, but the crew walked them through everything. She's hoping her and husband's personalities show up authentically on the show.

"You're not supposed to act, you're supposed to be yourself which is easier said than done with cameras and lights in your face," she said.

Michele Donahue, mother of Ian Donahue, got to participate in the filming by being at the reveal at the end of the episode. She said even though they haven't seen the episode, they have their predictions that the couple's 8-year-old shih-tzu-bichon-frise mix Cookie stole the show.

"We joked that Cookie the dog got more airtime than any of us," she said.

Michele Donahue said her 92-year-old mother watches House Hunters every night before bed and is very excited to see her grandson on the show. She has been keeping the secret about Ian's involvement for months and only told a couple close friends in her Florida senior living community. She'll be watching.

Contact Urban Change Reporter Lilly St. Angelo at lstangelo@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @lilly_st_ang.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont homes: HGTV House Hunters to feature Milton couple