Troy and Brandy Bishop had long dreamed of moving abroad. When a realistic chance arose, taking them to the European nation of Luxembourg, the Bishops looked to fulfill a second dream in the process: Make it onto HGTV's hit show "House Hunters International."
After going through the application process and several interviews, the Bishops were selected and filmed a re-creation of their home search last summer.
"My wife is a big fan of the show, and she would always half-jokingly say, 'When are we going to be able to live internationally like that?'" Troy Bishop said. "So the joke is we moved internationally so we could be on the show."
The real reason came down to a work opportunity with the professional-services firm KPMG Luxembourg.
"I was looking for a new challenge, work-wise," he said. "We've always wanted to live international. Our son had just turned 5, and we figured if we were going to do it, it was now or never."
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Troy Bishop is no stranger to television. After making his film debut in "Terms of Endearment" as a 10-year-old in Lincoln, he went on to have a long career after college in movies and TV, with appearances in "Scream," "General Hospital," "Scrubs" and "Nash Bridges."
After growing up in Lincoln and attending Lincoln High School, Troy and Brandy left Nebraska — him to Stanford and her to several different places — before reconnecting years later.
"We dated for two weeks in junior high, but I broke up with her because she wouldn't kiss me," he said. "We knew each other in high school but didn't reconnect until we were in our 20s after college. We became friends and started dating long-distance. She moved to Santa Monica where I was living, we got married and had our son Lincoln, so we've been married for 15 years and are living happily ever after."
Though Luxembourg's population is only one-fifth that of Denver, their last home, and there are no beaches to rival Santa Monica, California, the Bishops say their new residence has exceeded their expectations.
"We love Luxembourg," Troy Bishop said. "We've felt very lucky, because we did consider some other places in Europe, but I think this is actually the best place we could be. You're at the crossroads of Europe, two hours by train from Paris, a short flight to London — you're two hours from anywhere in Europe. Luxembourg is a hidden gem. It's extremely family-friendly, very safe, a booming economy and beautiful countryside."
On "House Hunters International," participants choose from three homes, typically none of which fulfill all of the preferences on their checklist.
In Thursday's 9:30 p.m. episode, HGTV says Troy Bishop is excited to live in Luxembourg's striking countryside, but with no work visa, Brandy is pushing him to live closer to town.
"At the end of the day, they'll have to agree on the option that's best for their son," according to the network's tease.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7214 or wstone@journalstar.com.