While I find the various organizing shows on TV quite entertaining, this form of reality TV is far from reality in my opinion. I believe these shows set an unrealistic expectation of both the organizing process (or journey as I like to call it) and of working with a professional organizer or organizing consultant.
I recently learned from fellow NAPO members that an episode of HGTV's Mission Organization can take anywhere from 80 to 120 hours to complete. That is a far cry from the 30 minutes we see on television!
This morning I had the pleasure to speak to the Saline MOPS group, where I mentioned the above fact. One of the women in attendance has a family member that has appeared on an organizing show. She reported that through the "magic of TV" her family members were told to make their house look messier prior to the first filming. So much for reality!