Get to Know 'Married to Real Estate' Hosts Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson

Egypt Sherrod has been gracing our screens since 2007 when she stepped into the host role of HGTV’s Property Virgins. Egypt's husband, Mike Jackson, has been along for the whole ride. He even shared the screen with her as a guest star on her second HGTV show, Flipping Virgins. However, it wasn’t until Egypt and Mike were both cast as blind judges on Season 2 of HGTV’s Rock the Block that the couple began really sharing lines. But once they did, one thing became clear: The Atlanta transplants needed a show of their own.

Married to Real Estate (and Each Other)

While working together on Rock the Block Season 2 and weathering the COVID-19 pandemic under one roof, Mike and Egypt became acutely aware of how well they handle life’s biggest struggles together. Knowing that they couldn’t be the only ones juggling a full work schedule and a hectic family life, they began sharing a behind-the-scenes look at their lives on social media. Instantly, the clips resonated with viewers and, before the couple knew it, they were pitching their very own show based on the same premise: real-world, work-life balance.

“It’s wild how it all came about,” Egypt tells HGTV. “It really started with the pandemic, you know? Being sort of shut in together, and we’re both running our respective businesses from the kitchen counter, and we have our kids in virtual school at the other end. It was a little bit of a zoo here, but we were getting it done, and then Mike said, ‘Well, let’s film this.’ And we started making people laugh on social media with our daily shenanigans — trying to work and balance home life. Our management said, ‘Y’all really have something here, you should shoot a sizzle reel.’ So, we did that and sent it to HGTV, and they loved it.”

And so, Married to Real Estate was born. Hosted by Egypt and Mike, the show follows the couple as they attempt to find their clients homes in seemingly unattainable, dream neighborhoods — all while managing their own busy family.

“It’s so crazy to think [that] a year and a half ago, none of this was in the works,” Egypt says after the first season of filming. “It really came out of just being resourceful and using what we had at the time to entertain each other and entertain the public.”

The Mike and Egypt Allure

It’s safe to say that many celebrities aren’t as they appear on TV — but not Mike and Egypt.

“We’re really just us," Egypt says, and Mike agrees. “Exactly what people see on television, that’s us around our house, with our friends, with our family, with our kids. And sometimes we just forget the camera’s there. So, it’s cool not to feel produced; it’s cool not to feel like the camera’s on. So, it doesn’t feel like work at all.”

As natural as it is for Mike and Egypt to film the series, there's another obvious reason why Married to Real Estate resonates so well with viewers.

“I think our audience sees themselves,” Mike tells HGTV. “It’s not just two hosts. You get to see the family; you get to see the mothers; you get to see real-life crises; you get to see the drama within the construction. And [viewers] can relate. They’ve been there before.”

Egypt expands on this, noting that the aspects of marriage and parenthood play a significant role in the show too. “For those who have been in a coupleship, like Mike and I, for a long time — we’ve been together [since 2004] — you know what it’s like. Every day, you gotta make a choice that this marriage counts, and our relationship is worth it, and so I’m going to put in the effort,” she says. “When you’re trying to be a great parent at home and live out your dreams at work, you have to split time. We wanted to show balance and how we’re trying to balance our work and family life.”

In this way, Mike and Egypt are all about transparency.

Working Together

As full circle as it feels for Egypt to have her behind-the-scenes partner of two decades beside her on national television (Mike regularly worked on projects for both of her shows, just not on film), they both admit it took some getting used to — especially during the very first week of filming.

“When you’re dealing with always having all the lines, there’s an adjustment there where it’s like, ‘OK, I don’t have to point out everything, say everything, do everything,'" Mike says.

Returning to Rock the Block

What Mike and Egypt learned in the early days of Married to Real Estate gave them an edge when they circled back to Rock the Block as Season 3 competitors; you might even say it made them invincible. After all that work-life balancing they did on their own show, that whirlwind, six-week battle was no sweat. OK, it was actually a lot of sweat, maybe more sweat than they’d ever sweated, but these two will always be about taking on new challenges together.

Once they were declared the winners, “We drove the rental back to the airport, we got on the plane and we slept the whole plane ride home,” Egypt recalls. “We had to literally be filming the very next day on Married to Real Estate.” The plates never, ever stop spinning.

Catching Up and Looking Ahead

Now that those off-the-cuff social media videos have grown into a full four seasons of shooting Married to Real Estate, Mike and Egypt open the door to camera crews like it’s second nature. “I think now we are so used to it that we almost forget we are filming sometimes,” Egypt tells HGTV. “Our film crew is so welcome at our home that I have caught a few of them in my pantry during lunch break!”

Mike agrees that the vibe has evolved. “Our film crew is like our family now. We care and invite their opinions, ideas and feedback. They get along with our girls like older cousins,” he says. The social media spaces that started it all have remained welcoming spaces too: “Fan feedback is always fun,” he says. “We’ve gotten compliments on our home, the way we raise our girls and even admiration about our playful marriage. It’s all love.”

Leading With Your Light

Married to Real Estate has always blended Mike and Egypt’s work on professional projects with their work on their relationship, and the fourth season is full of personal anecdotes about their process as partners. Presenting their interactions as teachable moments is part of how they move through the world. “It's who we are on and off camera,” Egypt explains. “We like to live a life of authenticity, that speaks to who we really are as human beings, parents, friends and children of God. It's all about leading with your character, not your tags and titles. The world needs some light. The world needs some laughter, joy and love. We'd like to think that our slice of life adds to the positivity the world needs.”

Stay Tuned For…

Egypt and Mike are sharing their light in another much-needed way this season: They helped actress and comedian Cocoa Brown and her young son, Phoenix, rebuild after their Fayetteville, Georgia, home burned down. “It really hits home, you know,” Egypt says. "It could happen to any of us, which is why I felt so connected to her and wanted to do it super big for them." Mike felt a personal connection to Cocoa and Phoenix — and a true calling to do right by them. “With every project, I get excited to see a vision go from just an idea to reality,” he explains. “However, with Cocoa's project, it was a bit more personal and familiar. I had two family members lose their homes to major floods. I understand what it feels like to have to start all over. The thought of being a part of a renovation that would give a family a new beginning was an honor.”

Married to Real Estate Season 4 premieres on HGTV Wednesday, March 12 at 8|7c, and next day on Max and discovery+. Keep up with the couple on Instagram at @egyptsherrod and @djfadelf.