Dave & Jenny Marrs Say Goodbye to Joe Looney in Emotional Season Finale

Heavy/HGTV/YouTube "Fixer to Fabulous" airs its final episode with carpenter Joe Looney on March 5, 2024

Change is in the air for Dave and Jenny Marrs in the emotional season 5 finale of their hit HGTV show, “Fixer to Fabulous.”

As the couple renovates part of their own Arkansas farmhouse in the episode that premieres on March 5, 2024, Jenny not only cries about the bittersweet change that comes with transforming the bedroom where she once rocked her babies to sleep, but also about saying goodbye to their longtime carpenter and friend, Joe Looney.

Looney, who has been one of the Marrs’ go-to carpenters since their series debuted in 2017, retired from his renovation work in December as the fifth season wrapped. The cast and crew celebrated him at their wrap party, Jenny shared on Instagram, but the loss feels fresh as their emotional goodbye now airs for all to see.

The day before the episode aired, Jenny shared a clip of their emotional goodbye and wrote, “I cried all over again watching this clip. We love you, Joe! 😭 Happy Retirement, my friend. You deserve it!! 🤍🤍🤍”

Here’s what you need to know:

Joe Looney Joined ‘Fixer to Fabulous’ With His Son, Chase

Joe Looney, a retired firefighter, was brought onto the show by his son, Chase. In September 2022, Chase told San Antonio Magazine he agreed to be on “Fixer to Fabulous” only if his dad, whom he called his “best friend,” could come along for the ride.

“Well, me and (Joe) have been a duo since I was about 14,” he told the magazine. “I started working for him around then. When the show came around, Dave told me, ‘I won’t do it without you, Chase.’ I said, ‘That’s fine—I won’t do it without my dad.’ So, basically from the beginning, my dad was a big part.”

In a post about the cast and crew bidding farewell to Joe at their wrap party, complete with a cake shaped like Joe’s head, Jenny wrote about how much she’ll miss him.

“I can’t imagine doing this without him by our side but I’m grateful for the many years (so many pre-TV) with this amazing human,” she wrote. “He deserves a little rest and we all sent him off to retirement with a whole lot of love (and requests to just pop by anytime he’d like).”

Joe remained on the show after Chase left; his son’s last appearance on “Fixer to Fabulous” aired in November 2022, according to Yahoo, about a year after he and his wife Chelsie filed for divorce.

In January 2023, Chase posted photos from a family vacation with his two children, writing, “Life is different with just the three of us,” alluding to the split.

In June, he posted photos of some side tables he built and wrote, “For all of the messages I’ve received asking what I’ve been up to. Custom furniture made from locally milled walnut. And yes I can do more than demo.”

Joe Looney Has Had Many Memorable Moments on ‘Fixer to Fabulous’

Joe became a fixture on “Fixer to Fabulous” as a quiet and quirky grandfatherly figure who was always dressed in denim overalls. The Marrs have featured him in many sweet moments on the show and in social media clips, including his interactions with their kids.

In a December 2021 holiday special, according to People, Joe adopted a dog when Dave and Jenny renovated an animal shelter in Bella Vista, Arkansas. In an emotional segment, he revealed that he never thought he’d get another dog after losing his beloved pup, Lucky.

Joe named his new dog Spirit and said on the show, “I said I would never have a dog after Lucky, but…she said take me home. I said, ‘okay.'”

During a January 2023 episode of “Fixer to Fabulous,” Joe was seen “dealing with a sore back,” according to Yahoo, but was cleared by doctors to come back to work. To Dave’s surprise, Joe returned to work with superhuman strength, ripping a door from its hinges.

“Joe is the little engine that could,” Dave declared.

The season 5 finale of HGTV’s “Fixer to Fabulous” premieres at 8 p.m. Eastern time on March 5. The episode is scheduled to re-air on March 6 and 12, and April 11.