Update (January 24, 2019): HGTV might be getting some new content from two twin brothers from Chicago.
Anton and Anthony Downing, Chicago firefighters who flip houses on the city's South Side in their spare time, are waiting to find out if their show, Double Down, will be picked up by HGTV. The program is similar to other cable house flipping shows, and follows the brothers as they renovate Chicago properties.
As Blavity reported previously, the Downing's pilot episode aired on Discovery's DIY Network. Now the Chicago Tribune reports the men are getting a shot at a timeslot on Discovery's premiere home network, HGTV. The same Double Down pilot that aired on DIY Network will be broadcast on HGTV on Friday.
The twins said they've been told by network executives the show will be picked up if viewership numbers are high and if the channel receives good feedback from viewers.
Anthony Downing said he's hopeful, and believes there's room for a show focused on houses in Chicago's historically Black areas.
“We’re on the South Side, and we also want to showcase the West Side, middle-class, affordable houses, starter homes for families,” Anthony said.
His brother added he hopes the show will be picked up so that other people will be inspired to flip houses in their neighborhoods.
“We want [viewers] to know that we’re just like them," Anton said. "We want them to see our show from an aspirational aspect. If the twins can do it, they can do it.”
Original: A pilot from twin Chicago brothers will soon air on Discovery's DIY Network.
Siblings Anton and Anthony Downing, are a firefighting, house-flipping duo that takes pride in fixing homes in the city they grew up in. Not only do they take pride in it, but they’re also extremely passionate about it, a trend popular in other Black-led HGTV shows like Flip or Flop led by married military vets Andy and Ashley Williams.
"We grew up…not far from where we renovated our first property,” Anton said. “We didn't have to go to other cities to do this show. We were right here where we grew up.”
“We see the whole city looking for this. We get it. We're home grown,” added Anthony.
Reminiscing on their younger days when they’d walk by countless boarded-up homes in their neighborhood, the brothers make it clear that they want, more than anything, for their work to inspire the kids that are in the position they once were.
“You can see their eyes as they look at the house we're working on,” Anton said. “I hope they feel that ‘Hey, on my block there's a nice house.’ That their neighborhood is nicer because of what we're doing.”
The Downing brothers' pilot premiered on DIY Network on Saturday, December 29th. If the network decides it attracted enough viewers, the show will become a weekly series on HGTV.
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