Holly Boyce checked off being a reality TV star from her bucket list after she and her husband appeared on a recent episode of HGTV’s “House Hunters.”

The couple spoke from their Kennewick home, which they toured and selected in front of the cameras after visiting other homes for sale in Richland and Pasco.

Being on the hit show was an easy sell for Holly, who once competed in the Mrs. Washington pageant, but not her husband, Josh Boyce.

“Josh didn’t want to do the show; he wasn’t interested in being on television, but it’s one of my lifelong dreams,” Holly said.

“He was just like, ‘I’m not doing it,’ and I said, ‘Well, then I’m going to find a fake husband because we’re doing it,’” she laughed.

Each “House Hunters” episode highlights homebuyers in the market for a new place, focusing on the features they are interested in and whether they’re finding them, and sharing with viewers the overall experience of finding and buying a new home.

While taping the show, Holly said Josh ended up having just as much fun as she did.

Josh agreed the experience was more “low-key” than he originally expected, while Holly said it was about what she expected, though there’s not a lot they can say beyond that.

Taking part in the show required them to sign a nondisclosure agreement about their experience, which put sweeping limitations on what they could share, including when they filmed, how long the process took, the size of the production crew and even how they were cast.

Holly could share that she applied through the show’s website but is unable to speak about the process beyond that.

On its website, HGTV says it looks for “energetic individuals, couples and families passionate about their search for a new home or vacation property” and takes viewers “behind the scenes as you work with a real estate agent to decide which home is best for you.”

Upsizing in WA

During the “Upsizing in Washington” episode, the Boyces settled on a home in south Kennewick with a 180-degree view of Badger Canyon.

Public property records show they closed on the house in February 2024 for $830,000. That’s 11 months before their “House Hunters” episode first aired in late January 2025 as the second episode in season 255.

Holly watched her national television debut for the first time along with the rest of HGTV viewers, though she viewed it on an iPad while traveling to Portland. She still hasn’t watched the episode on a bigger screen, though Josh can’t say the same.

“I’ve seen it probably about seven times,” he said. “Everyone at work pulls it up. And they’re like, ‘We’re going to watch it,’ and I’m like ‘OK,’ Josh said, rolling his eyes.

So far, the couple said they haven’t been recognized as local celebrities.

A production crew for the HGTV show was previously in the Tri-Cities in late 2017 for an episode that premiered in 2018. At the time, the couple who were featured shared that the show does all its filming only after participants have made a final decision on a house, with the crew going back and recreating the process.

The Boyces did not confirm whether this was the same process for their appearance on the show, which included scenes from Ice Harbor Brewery in downtown Kennewick and Hamilton Cellars in Benton City, where they discussed the pros and cons of different homes with family and friends.

“We also got to know the crew, so we’d joke around with them and try to make light of long days,” Josh said. “They would see us starting to kind of drag because you’re getting tired, and they’d do something funny to pep things up.”

Josh and Holly Boyce’s purchase of their Kennewick home was featured on HGTV’s hit show, “House Hunters,” in January.

| Courtesy Holly Boyce

The episode’s narrative focused on the Boyces’ desire to move on from their “starter” home in Richland’s Meadow Hills neighborhood where they’d lived for 16 years.

“We were only supposed to be there a few years,” Holly said. “Then we were going to build another one and do the same thing and just kind of move until we had good equity and then just stay somewhere after that, like three houses later. Josh was in the construction world back then and had built half the house himself.”

Plans changed and they remained rooted in Richland since 2007, when their youngest child was born.

“We lost jobs. We lost a lot of things during that time frame and so we just kind of got stuck there,” she said. “And then, your kids are in school and you’re just like, ‘I’m not going anywhere.’”

It was also the home they lived in when Holly was diagnosed with breast cancer, which now “feels like a lifetime ago,” she said.

On “House Hunters,” Holly shared her hopes of finding a home with a pool and room for her growing home-based business while Josh wanted a flat driveway, double ovens and a bathroom in the primary suite.

They worked with local RE/MAX broker/Realtor Ashlie Martin to tour a home on a large lot in Pasco along with an alphabet home in Richland, built for the Manhattan Project.

Martin identified the homes worth touring and was also the listing agent on the Boyces’ previous home. She said she knew her rapport with the couple would work well on “House Hunters.”

“I figured their personalities with my personality would be a great match,” Martin said. “It was a really good experience and (the production team) called me recently and asked me to do as many episodes as I want, which is so exciting. It was a great process, and I will be offering this to my current clients and future clients as well.”

From buyer to seller

A longtime HGTV fan, especially of the “House Hunters” show, Holly said the house-finding experience motivated her to get into real estate and she’s now studying for her real estate license. Once licensed, she hopes to apply to be on the show again – this time as the broker.

For now, the Boyces are settled into their new home, enjoying the view that first drew them in. They have talked about putting in a pool or painting the exterior, but neither has happened just yet.

“I wanted it to be a calm (place),” Holly said. “It was hard to make the jump from owning something for 16 years since there’s a certain amount of payments and equity you have in there, but this is just a new chapter.”

The Kennewick home offers extra space for their teenage daughter and an office for the online clothing shop Holly owns with a friend, Bella Reese Boutique, which offers “date night” outfits, intended for women who want to look chic, but not necessarily dress like teenagers. The shop does vendor pop-ups, including two in May at Badger Mountain Organic Winery in Kennewick.

To apply to be on “House Hunters,” go to pietown.tv/casting/house-hunters or to use Martin as a buyer’s agent in selecting a home and possibly be featured in a future episode, contact her at 509-438-2512 or via Instagram @ashliemartinhomes.