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50 free HGTV trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
HGTV began life as the Home, Lawn, and Garden Channel, launched from a small production company in Knoxville on December 30, 1994, and grew into the network that made shiplap a national obsession. Along the way it gave us the Property Brothers, Chip and Joanna, Hilary and David, Tarek and Christina, over 2,400 episodes of House Hunters and an annual Dream Home most winners cannot afford to keep. This quiz covers the network's history and owners, its biggest shows and the cities they made famous (Waco, Laurel, Indianapolis, Detroit), the hosts' backstories (which twins were apprentice clowns, which designer was in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which host worked as a Disney illustrator), the Canadian imports, the Brady Bunch renovation and the admission that House Hunters is mostly re-created. Every answer comes with a short explanation, so it works as a TV round, a renovation-night game or a test for anyone who has ever said "we could knock this wall down".
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What does the initialism HGTV stand for?
Home & Garden Television
During development it was called the Home, Lawn, and Garden Channel before the name was shortened.
Q 02Which company owns HGTV today?
Warner Bros. Discovery
Discovery took control in 2018 when it absorbed Scripps Networks Interactive, along with Food Network and Travel Channel.
Q 03In which Tennessee city was the production company that became HGTV's base located?
Knoxville
Scripps executive Kenneth Lowe bought the small video firm CineTel to serve as the hub.
Q 04On what date did HGTV launch?
December 30, 1994
It relied on Scripps-owned cable franchises and must-carry rules to get onto systems.
Q 05Who co-founded HGTV with Kenneth Lowe?
Susan Packard
Former CBS executive Ed Spray set up the system of using independent production houses.
Q 06Roughly how many US households could receive HGTV at its 2011 peak?
100 million
By November 2023 the figure had fallen to about 72 million.
Q 07What was the spin-off company that held the cable channels from 2008 to 2018 called?
Scripps Networks Interactive
The newspapers and broadcast stations stayed with the original company.
Q 08What is the name of HGTV's annual sweepstakes that gives away a custom-built house?
Dream Home
It has run since 1997 and the 2012 edition drew over 81 million entries.
Q 09Why have most winners of the annual house sweepstakes sold their prize?
Property taxes and bills
As of 2006 only two winners had actually lived in their houses.
Q 10Where was the very first giveaway house built, in 1997?
Jackson, Wyoming
Public tours began with the 2004 house in St. Marys, Georgia.
Q 11What did HGTV admit in 2012 about House Hunters?
Scenes are mostly re-creations
In many cases the purchase was already made before filming, and some homes were not even on the market.
Q 12How many properties do buyers choose between in each episode of House Hunters?
Three
Buyers are typically paid about $500 to film around 50 hours of footage.
Q 13In which year did House Hunters debut?
1999
It has since produced more than 2,400 episodes, with spin-offs including International and Renovation.
Which production company makes House Hunters?
Q 21In which country did Property Brothers originate?
Canada
It first aired on the W Network before HGTV picked it up; it now airs in over 150 countries.
Q 22What did the Scott twins submit as their sizzle reel to land Property Brothers?
A makeover of their older brother's living room
Cineflix had originally wanted Drew with a female co-host for a show called My Dream Home.
Q 23What unusual childhood training did the Scott twins have?
They were apprentice clowns
Pie Town Productions
The same company produces Christina on the Coast.
Q 15In which Texas city is Fixer Upper set?
Waco
The show boosted local tourism so much that the nearby Dr Pepper Museum saw attendance rise 60%.
Q 16Which interior design trend is Fixer Upper largely credited with popularising?
Farmhouse-chic
Zillow found homes with shiplap, barn doors and clawfoot tubs sold about 30% above expected value in 2018.
Q 17Which HGTV sister channel was rebranded under the Gaineses' Magnolia brand in 2022?
DIY Network
Fixer Upper: Welcome Home launched the new network on Discovery+ in January 2021.
Q 18What marks the Gaineses' Magnolia Market shopping complex in downtown Waco?
Two 120-foot silos
The silos were built in 1950 for the Brazos Valley Cotton Oil Company.
Q 19Which 2025 Fixer Upper spin-off was the first set outside Texas?
Colorado Mountain Home
The Castle aired in 2022, The Hotel in 2023 and The Lakehouse in 2024, all in Texas.
Q 20In Property Brothers, which twin is the real estate agent?
Drew
Jonathan is the licensed contractor who handles the renovations.
They charged up to $100 an hour for parties before Jonathan turned to magic and Drew to basketball.
Q 24In which Canadian city were Drew and Jonathan Scott born?
Vancouver
Drew arrived four minutes after Jonathan, and their parents had been expecting a single baby.
Q 25Which home furnishings brand did the Property Brothers launch?
Scott Living
Spin-offs of the show include Buying and Selling, Brother vs. Brother and Forever Homes.
Q 26Who were the original designer and realtor duo on Love It or List It?
Hilary Farr and David Visentin
Page Turner replaced Farr when the 20th season began in April 2025.
Q 27In which cult film did Love It or List It's Hilary Farr appear in a minor role?
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
She trained at the Royal Ballet School until age 11 before turning to design and acting.
Q 28Why did David Visentin get his real estate licence instead of going to theatre school?
His realtor father persuaded him
He began working at the family firm, Country Living Realty, in Barrie, Ontario in 1987.
Q 29Which formerly married couple hosted Flip or Flop?
Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack
They divorced but kept working together until the show ended after ten seasons in 2022.
Q 30In which California county did the Flip or Flop hosts flip houses?
Orange
The 2008 crash pushed them from a $6,000-a-month house to a $700-a-month apartment and into flipping.