House Hunters International in San Miguel de Allende

In April 2015 I traveled to Mexico for House Hunters International on HGTV. Four straight days on location in San Miguel de Allende — a colonial city in Guanajuato known for its cobblestone streets, baroque architecture, and large expat community. It’s one of the more popular destinations for Americans looking for a second home abroad, and the production leaned into that visual richness throughout.

I followed the buyers and their family as they toured properties and made their decision, running Sound Devices recorders, Lectrosonics wireless, and Sanken microphones throughout. The challenge with this format is that you’re in motion constantly — new locations every few hours, interiors that vary wildly in acoustic character, exterior sequences on noisy colonial streets. San Miguel’s tourism-heavy center means there’s ambient foot traffic and music wherever you go. Managing that while keeping dialogue clean requires staying close to talent without being in the shot.

House Hunters International is a workhorse format — fast-turnaround production, high episode count, and a travel component that means every shoot is a different acoustic environment. The San Miguel episode was Part of Season 81.