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HGTVs

Drew (left) and Jonathan Scott now film all of their renovation shows in Los Angeles to lessen the stress of juggling multiple businesses.
TV & Streaming

HGTV’s ‘House Hunters,’ ‘House Hunter International’ Get 400-Episode Order

by jummy84
written by jummy84

HGTV has bolstered its slate of real estate shows by freshening up its House Hunters and House Hunter International series with a giant 400 episode renewal order through 2026.

The House Hunters franchise, launched 25 years ago and attracting over 13 million viewers monthly, will return as real estate experts continue to steer potential buyers to local dream property purchases.

Botched Homes will see New York City-turned-Florida contractor Charlie Kawas and his crew fix failed renovations in a reality series from producer Mounment and set to debut in 2026. HGTV also ordered 16 half hours of Neighborhood Watch, a home surveillance footage series from Arrow Media also to debut next year.

Also upcoming from HGTV is the house hunting series World’s Bargain Dream Homes, where home buyers dream big and buy low in the show from Twenty Twenty Television. And HGTV home reno stars Drew and Jonathan Scott are set to star and executive produce 14 episodes of Property Brothers: Under Pressure from Scott Brothers Entertainment.

The new real estate series sees the Scott twins help wary buyers grapple with commitment issues to possibly make the biggest purchase of their lives.

“With this programming order, HGTV is delivering more of our tried-and-true formats that drive consistent ratings for the network, while also featuring new talent and concepts to engage our devoted fans and attract different audiences,” said Howard Lee, chief creative officer, U.S. Networks at Warner Bros. Discovery in a statement.

House Hunters is produced by Pie Town Productions, while the spinoff House Hunters International series is produced by Leopard USA.  

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Jenny Marrs
TV & Streaming

HGTV’s Jenny Marrs Can’t Sleep, Addresses Grief After Heartbreaking Loss

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Jenny Marrs shared a heartfelt post on social media on Wednesday (October 1), opening up about dealing with grief and the “deep heartache” she has been feeling in recent weeks.

The HGTV star recently lost her mother-in-law, Donna, the mother of her husband and Fixer to Fabulous co-star, Dave Marrs. Last month, both Jenny and Dave posted tributes, with Jenny writing on Instagram, “[Donna] taught me how to be the kind of mother-in-law and the kind of grandmother who I can’t even begin to imagine this earth without.”

On Wednesday, Jenny returned to Instagram to reveal she hasn’t “slept well the last two weeks,” admitting, “Grief seeps in at night most acutely, once I slow down from the day’s activity.”

“Each day is a disorienting experience – life continues to move forward as I am simply trying to reconcile my deep heartache with the sunshine out the window and the pressing demands on my time,” she added.

However, she has been finding solace in words from her own book, Trust God, Love People, which is scheduled for release on October 7.

“This morning, I was sorting through emails for next week’s book launch and happened across a handful of audio files from the audio book I recorded,” Jenny shared. “I opened this one from the “Lessons from the Farm” chapter and I felt my own words speak life to my heart… Maybe someone else needed them today too.”

In the accompanying audio clip, Jenny says, “Farm life can be both beautiful and brutal. That day was certainly one of the hardest days. While we’ve witnessed hundreds of joy-filled miracles here on this little patch of land, we’ve also experienced deep grief.”

It’s unclear from the clip which death Jenny is speaking about specifically, but the designer has been open in recent months about several devastating losses. Earlier this year, she revealed the passing of her beloved neighbor Bob, and then, four months later, they lost Bob’s wife, Jill.

In July, Jenny and Dave also posted about losing their long-time pet dog, Dolly, who had been in the family for over a decade.

Sharing her friend’s words of advice in the audio clip, Jenny said, “Being His means holding all of it, the miracles and the pain. And still raising our hands and saying, ‘I don’t understand this and I wanted a different ending to this chapter, but I can still trust that you are good… Despite the hard, God is always only good.”

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Alison Victoria and Donovan Eckhardt
TV & Streaming

What Happened to HGTV’s Alison Victoria and Partner Donovan Eckhardt? Their Legal Drama

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Alison Victoria is bringing her talents to Las Vegas on the new show Sin City Rehab, but she previously worked in Chicago for five seasons on Windy City Rehab. HGTV’s Chicago-based show was not without its shortage of drama, especially in the early seasons.

That’s because of legal drama involving Victoria and her former business partner Donovan Eckhardt, whom she no longer works with. Scroll down for a refresh on what happened, including where the two stand today.

What happened to Alison Victoria and Donovan Eckhardt?

Victoria and Eckhardt had a falling out in 2020, which was documented on Season 2 of Windy City Rehab. Victoria officially pulled the plug on her working relationship with the contractor after she found out he mishandled company finances, she revealed on an episode of the show.

At the time of the falling out, Eckhardt’s contractor’s license was suspended (more on that below), but Victoria found that he’d still issued an invoice to his own company. “What are you getting paid for?” she wondered, noting that he couldn’t have done the work due to his suspension. She feared he was also letting other invoices “slip” through for work he hadn’t actually done.

“You got the money off the top,” she ranted. “That means that’s my money too. Those are my houses. That’s my bank loan. And I received zero from those jobs. From most of them, I received zero profit.”

“This is the end with me and Donovan,” Victoria said. “He’s gone, by his own right, by his own doing. I have lost a friend and I have lost a business partner. But I do know this … this happened for a reason, and I know that I am strong, and I know that I will get through this.”

In 2021, Eckhardt sued Discovery Inc. and Big Table Media, Windy City Rehab’s production company, claiming the accusations about how he handled finances were false. While he did not sue Victoria directly, she was inadvertently brought into the lawsuit amid Eckhardt’s claims of “defamation” and “intentional infliction of emotional distress.”

Eckhardt claimed he was painted as the “villain” on Windy City Rehab, leading to “depression, sleeplessness, and loss of appetite,” according to Chicago Sun Times. He said he also lost money because of the drama. The lawsuit was dismissed, per Chicago Sun Times.

Why did Donovan Eckhardt lose his license?

Eckhardt’s contractor license was suspended for 45 days in 2019, according to the Chicago Sun Times. The outlet reported that Eckhardt “violated the law by building three garages and garage decks without permits and endangering workers and the public by removing flooring at properties without putting up safety barriers.”

In defense, Eckhardt claimed that he did not give the direction to complete this work. He said the work was done by people he authorized to work on the properties, though. The city still held him liable since he was still the company owner. Eckhardt was also accused of working at 11 properties without the proper permits.

All of this came amid a bunch of other legal issues for Victoria and Eckhardt. The two were hit with multiple stop-work orders due to building violations in 2019, and we also unable to file new permits at this time. They were also sued by some of the homeowners whose homes they renovated. One particular buyer sued for fraud in 2020, claiming their upstairs shower leaked gallons of water just one day after they closed on the house, with more problems arising from there.

Plus, Eckhardt was sued by a subcontractor, who claimed he did not receive more than $100,000 he was owed for work he did on a project.

Are Alison Victoria and Donovan Eckhardt friends now?

No, Eckhardt and Victoria no longer have a working relationship or a friendship. She told People in 2023 that they’re no longer friends, and reiterated this in another interview with the outlet in 2024.

“Donovan who?” she said. “It is so far behind me that I don’t even look back. But I know it’s so important because when people come up to me, they say, ‘I love your show, I love you and watching you go through that has helped me. Thank you for being vulnerable. Thank you for showing it.’”

Per his Instagram page, Eckhardt still appears to be doing contracting work.

Sin City Rehab, Season 1, Wednesdays, 9/8c, HGTV

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Erin Napier and Charlie Kirk
TV & Streaming

HGTV’s Erin Napier Clashes With Fans Over Charlie Kirk Shooting

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Home Town Takeover star Erin Napier has been warring with her own Instagram followers since last Wednesday (September 10) when conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was fatally shot.

Hours after Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Erin took to her Instagram Story and shared a brief message, writing, “Only the demonized celebrate death.”

Erin, who hosts HGTV shows with her husband Ben Napier, seemed to draw the ire of some fans with her message, leading to her sharing many of the responses on her Instagram Stories over the next few days.

“I am revolted by some of the comments in my DMs,” Erin wrote in a follow-up post. “Unfollow me, immediately, if you could be one of those comments. Christ, have mercy on us all.”

The situation heated up on Friday (September 12) when the interior designer began posting screenshots of specific messages from her followers, many of them criticizing her for her stance. In one message, a user threatened to stop watching her shows and toss their Napier products.

“Because I will not celebrate murder,” Erin captioned the post.

Another message came from an alleged psychiatrist, who blasted Erin for her support of Kirk. “Really Erin? You are homeschooling your precious children in LAUREL, MS (of all places) to prevent something like this from happening to them,” the user wrote, referencing Kirk’s stance on guns.

“This guy was ALL FOR IT,” the poster continued. “He died for what he believed in. God have mercy on his soul because I do not.”

Erin fired back, “You know nothing about why I am homeschooling my children, you sick goblin.”

Another message she shared saw a former fan writing, “Thanks for making an unfollow easy peasy.”

Again, Erin replied, “Because I will not celebrate murder.”

Erin’s Instagram Stories have since expired; however, on Sunday (September 14), she shared a prayer post, writing, “Give us strength to love, give us your peace and your kindness even as we reject wickedness and let it be what the world sees in me.” One of the first comments underneath the post came from fellow HGTV star Jenny Marrs who simply stated, “Amen.”

Kirk was shot and killed last Wednesday while giving a speech as part of his “American Comeback Tour” series.

On Friday, President Donald Trump confirmed that police had arrested the shooting suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who is accused of aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, and other charges.

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