‘House Hunters’ Narrator Andromeda Dunker Has a Rare Cameo in This LA-Based Episode
When HGTV came to her 'hood, she hopped in front of the camera. Meet the icon who’s usually behind the mic; it’s high time for her story (and a look at her cozy, quirky home).
This portrait of House Hunters narrator Andromeda Dunker wasn’t taken in her home; her place is much funkier, and we’ll tell you all about it shortly.
In an all-new episode of House Hunters, nearly-weds Antonio and Emilie are planning their nuptials and searching for their first home in her LA County hometown of Agoura Hills. She’s keen to remain close to her parents, and he’s intent on sticking as close to a $700,000 budget as possible.
A certified public accountant, Antonio's convinced that purchasing at the top end of their home budget will consign him and his bride-to-be to a life of deprivation. She plans to maintain her habit of popping over to her folks' place to watch their favorite reality TV shows, which would mean staying in their decidedly pricey neighborhood.
“I think that if we’re going to go up to the $800,000 mark, we would be living a very Spartan lifestyle,” Antonio contended. “Rice and beans, living on cots … [we’d] be like a World War II soldier.”
“So dramatic!” Emilie sighed. “I want to be located in Agoura Hills near my parents. I’ve lived here my entire life.” (This is not strictly true; she spent one year at college in Pennsylvania, Antonio’s home state, then transferred to UCLA and moved back in with her parents.)
Emilie promotes an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach to neighborhood selection. Antonio's more of a "if we try to buy a home near your parents, we will not be able to afford fixing anything that breaks" kind of guy.
Hmm, Sounds Familiar
There’s a third voice — a very recognizable voice — in this story. And for the first time on House Hunters, the camera cut to the lovely human behind it. “OK, this looks like a fun one!”
“Hey, I’m Andromeda Dunker,” she continued. “I’m the voice of House Hunters, and I’ve also been the house hunter in LA — I know how hard the market is. But this time I’m going to step out of the booth and play along. I want to see which one these guys pick! It’s gonna be interesting.
"When my husband, Joshua, and I were buying our first place in Los Angeles, we were planning our wedding at the same time, much like these guys in nearby Agoura Hills," Andromeda explained. "I’ve been in Emilie’s shoes; it is so stressful!"
It’s still not time to talk about Andromeda’s house just yet, but we need you to know that she has Frank Sinatra’s toilet at her place.
Emilie and Antonio's Search (and Andromeda's Commentary)
Emilie’s mother, Mollie, has both come along with Emilie and Antonio on home tours and joined her daughter to look at a few places without her future son-in-law. “Truthfully,” Emilie told Antonio, “only one person’s needed.” Harsh!
Cut to Andromeda — who could relate to that, too, as it happens. “My mom actually picked out the house we live in, because she knows her stuff,” she said. "She’s bought like nine homes in her lifetime, so I get where Emilie’s coming from!” (Stay tuned for House Hunters With Andromeda’s Mom.)
Emilie's mom, Mollie, accompanied the couple and their agent, Joshua, to many a prospective home. “Sometimes when it’s just us two, it feels like there’s four of us in the room,” Antonio confessed. “[Emilie] kind of has her dad as like the little angel in her corner, and her mom is the little devil, if you like to think of it in cartoon terms?”
“Emilie and her mom go on tangents on their own; it sometimes makes me feel like my opinion doesn’t matter as much,” Antonio said. “Ultimately, it’s up to Emilie and I to find that place, and to, you know, communicate with each other.”
Emilie and Antonio’s search began in her folks’ backyard, so to speak, at this townhouse in Agoura Hills — not the three-bedroom, single-family home she dreamed of, but a fixer-upper that had a backyard their dog would appreciate and a price tag of $769,980.
They then cast their net wider, to a townhouse 10 minutes away in Oak Park; it didn’t have the two-car garage they both hoped would accommodate Antonio’s pungent lacrosse gear, but it had a bit of character and a downright crowd-pleasing price of $688,500. A budget-busting, single-family home 25 minutes away in Simi Valley, in turn, had four bedrooms and a pool. Which would they choose?
Like Emilie and Antonio’s dog, Andromeda’s Chihuahuas, Sadie and Chloé, have humans who prioritize room for them to roam. It’s nearly time to see their digs.
Andromeda Calls It
Cut to Andromeda: “OK, moment of truth,” she said. “For me, it would be House 3 for sure with the pool, but for these guys, I think she’s going to win. So, House 1 for sure.” Sure enough, Emilie and Antonio bought the townhome in Agoura Hills. “See?!” Andromeda said. “I mean, I have seen an episode or two.”
So, What's Her Story Then?
Andromeda’s actually seen (and narrated) thousands of episodes of House Hunters since joining the network in 2009, as she told the late Loren Ruch (left) and Brian Balthazar (right) on a delightful episode of HGTV’s House Party in 2021. And yet, believe it or not, “People do not connect my voice with House Hunters," she said. “I’m not narrating my life when I’m at the coffee shop! I think I probably sound different now than when I’m like, ‘They walk up the stairs and turn to the right — and see a painting.’ You know, that’s different; it’s a character!” Not unlike, for example, her character as the savory spokeswoman for Hidden Valley Ranch, a gig she had for a decade. How’s that for some trivia?
Yep, Andromeda Repped Ranch for 10 Years
So if you find yourself looking for a new home and simultaneously hungering for a well-stocked crudité spread, or preparing a salad and also wondering if you could check off all of the items on your wish list by considering another neighborhood, she's the dulcet-voiced link.
What Was Her HGTV Audition Like?
The connection that changed her career almost didn’t happen, as she told Loren and Brian. “This was 2009, as you’ll remember, Brian, I was on vacation in Portland, Oregon,” she recalled. “I got the call from my agent, and she said, ‘I have this audition, I need this right away, can you do it?!’ Because I have my travel rig for [recording] auditions. She said, ‘Can you do it? I need it in 10 minutes!’ I’m like, ‘Uh, how about 20?’ and she’s like, ‘Ah, you know what, skip it, it’s nothing, it’s not a big deal.’”
But Andromeda pressed on. “I said [I’d do it], because you have to do every audition. Because I [could] do 30 and not get any! And I read for House Hunters and the rest is history!”
For his part, Brian — the producer who cast Andromeda — fell instantly for her voice. “I probably only looked at like 15 [candidates],” he recalled. “And it’s very easy for them all to blur together, and some of them are like [in a game show announcer’s voice] ‘TAKE A LOOK AT HOUSE NUMBER THREE!’ You get every type of voice under the sun. So, I listened to your voice and [said], ‘Oh, she’s the one, let’s go for it. Oh yeah, she’s the one.”
Is It Weird That She's So Known Yet Not Known?
Though Andromeda encounters people who've heard her long before meeting her all the time, it's not usually top of mind. "When you’re inside me, I’m not thinking that everyone’s watching House Hunters," she explained, "unless I’m in the doctor's or dentist’s office or the lobby of my old agency. Like, it’s a lobby thing! They have [the television] on HGTV."
"HGTV is very popular in dentists' and doctors' offices," Loren agreed.
Her House Is HGTV-Worthy — and Then Some
The first quilt Andromeda ever made is in a basket in her living room; like these, it’s kaleidoscopic in the best way. “I love colors that pop. It’s like a big garden,” she said.
Here’s Andromeda at her place in Los Angeles, which she opened up to HGTV cameras in 2018. This is her craft room, where she unwinds with quilting projects. “[This is] where I come after a long day of voicing House Hunters when I don’t want to talk to anybody, and I can close my mouth and start doing something with my hands,” she explained. “It keeps me sane! I love it in here, and I feel safe, and I get some quiet time.”
Her Pieces Have Spectacular Stories
No streamlined, contemporary kitchen for Andromeda, thanks. “I hate just gray, and beige, and white, and stainless steel,” she said. “I want everything to be colors like it was back in the '50s. I don’t know what happened!”
This fully functioning, circa-1943 stove flanked with her favorite shade of turquoise is, seriously, one of the least interesting fixtures in her home. One of her bathrooms sports both a toilet and a sink from Frank Sinatra’s last place of residence in Beverly Hills; “I got them at an architectural salvage place,” she explained. In her backyard, in turn, much of the furniture was constructed by Sven-Ole Thorsen. “Ring a bell? He’s Denmark’s strongest man!” They’re accessorized with outdoor pillows crafted from vintage beach towels by her friend Christopher (of indeterminate strength). It does the heart good to know that the sunny voice of House Hunters belongs to an equally sunny character. Shine on, Andromeda.
An HGTV Home Tour with a Special Connection to 'House Hunters'
Just who is Andromeda Dunker, and why does her voice sound so familiar? Find out the answer, then check out her funky and fascinating LA digs.
