VICKSBURG — With three houses to choose from, Rob and Lauren Cannon made their way around Vicksburg hoping to find the home of their dreams.

And with the help of local realtor, Lindsey Gilliland, they finally decided on the perfect choice.

If the Cannon’s house search sounds a bit familiar, you guessed right.

The popular HGTV show, “House Hunters” made its way to Vicksburg and at 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 24, the episode “On the Level in Mississippi” will air featuring the Cannons, Gilliland and homes in the River City.

To become eligible for the show, Rob said he and his wife first had to fill out an application, which was then followed by a couple of interviews.

“The first interview was a phone interview and then we were asked to have a Skype interview with the casting director. The casting director then pitched our story and interviews to her boss and we were accepted,” Rob said.

Once the crew arrived in Vicksburg, Rob said filming began and the process was a lot more involved than he had anticipated.

“We were filming about eight to10 hours per day. By the end of each day you were definitely ready to get some rest,” Rob said.

Filming lasted five days, but Rob said, “We loved our director and crew and getting to know them through this process and their stories were fun. We also were able to share with them some of our values and love of Mississippi and Vicksburg.”

“Filming was definitely an experience,” Lauren said.

“The days were very long, but the crew working with us made it a lot of fun. We laughed a lot, because some of our criteria for a house differs between me and Rob and some of our wish list was ridiculous, but that is us and it made it something to laugh at,” she said.

The couple said they moved to Vicksburg in 2017 and for a year rented a house before taking the plunge in becoming homeowners.

“Since we are not from Vicksburg, we wanted to get a feel for what we actually wanted,” Lauren said.

Lauren is originally from Senatobia and Rob from Brandon. The couple met in Jackson while she was in physical therapy school and he was in medical school.

“I first met the Cannon’s when Rob was interviewing with Mission Primary Care,” Gilliland said, “and I gave them a community tour highlighting some of the great things about Vicksburg like it’s history, shopping, restaurants, schools, as well as our real estate options.”

And as the couple’s real estate agent, Gilliland said, she then helped Rob and Lauren find three homes that most fit their wish list.

“And from there we narrowed it down to the perfect home for them,” Gilliland said.

Like Rob and Lauren, Gilliland said she enjoyed being part of the HGTV series.

“Going through the process of filming HGTV ‘House Hunters’ was such a fun experience,” she said, “and it was a great opportunity to highlight Vicksburg and our community.”

Gilliland admitted she was an avid viewer of “House Hunters.” Rob said he was familiar with the show and had watched some episodes, as had his wife.

However, in preparation for their television debut, Lauren said she made sure to tune in more often.

“We do not actually watch a lot of TV. I had heard of the show though and had probably watched it a time or two. But I definitely tried to watch some of the episodes before we filmed to get a feel of the flow of the show. I love how I think I know which house the person or couple will end up with, but then I am usually wrong nearly every time,” Lauren said.

During the filming in Vicksburg, Rob said their director made it a point to find out what qualities they were looking for in a house.

The director also wanted to know, he said, how that fits the personalities of the family members and what would be some of the features that the family would be willing to compromise on.

Through this process, Rob said, he also gained a “much deeper appreciation for television and movies as a whole.”

“We didn’t realize all of the hours and hours it takes to film just a 23-minute show. After this, it then takes months for the editors to trim it down and even more to make it all, but still tell each couple’s story,” Rob said, adding, “Our director made a real effort to not just tell a story of a couple picking a house. He told our story to the television audience.

“We also felt so cared for by the entire crew. We were wanting to show hospitality to them as they were coming here to our hometown,” Rob said, “But they were so kind to us.”

Lauren also said it meant a lot to have a caring realtor.

“Since we chose to rent in Vicksburg for a year before we bought, we had an idea of what we wanted in a house and what we didn’t want in a house. The list we had for what we wanted in a house seemed impossible to find, but I have to give Lindsey the credit in doing an amazing job at listening to us and finding the perfect home for us. We would not be here in this home without her. We love it so much and are so blessed to be living here,” Lauren said.