Heavy/HGTV/YouTube HGTV's Dave and Jenny Marrs
Dave and Jenny Marrs have reached a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over a rule the government agency says they violated on their HGTV show, “Fixer to Fabulous.”
The couple’s Arkansas-based company, Marrs Construction, has agreed to pay $35,000 in fines for not following the EPA’s Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule during two home renovations in 2018 that were featured on their show, according to a release from the EPA issued on January 19, 2024. As part of their settlement, the Marrs will also educate viewers on future episodes about the dangers of lead paint.
Here’s what you need to know:
Dave & Jenny Marrs Have Agreed to Educate ‘Fixer to Fabulous’ Viewers About Lead Paint
During the first season of “Fixer to Fabulous,” which debuted in 2019, the show featured renovations on two homes built before 1978 that didn’t comply with government rules designed to limit kids’ exposure to lead paint in older homes. Paint chips and lead dust are often in the debris created by renovations on those homes, so protective measures are now required during renovations and repairs.
“Lead exposure can cause irreversible and life-long health effects, including decreasing IQ, focus, and academic achievement in children,” the EPA said.
The agency’s release stated that “Specifically, Marrs failed to: (1) obtain recertification before beginning renovations, (2) assign a certified renovator to each renovation, (3) maintain records showing their compliance with RRP measures, and (4) perform work in accordance with the work practice standards.”
After being contacted by the EPA, the Marrs’ construction company did obtain RRP firm certification, certified that it is now complying with the RRP Rule, and “pledged to comply in all future renovation activities,” the agency said.
The Marrs are now well aware of the risks of not conducting their renovations properly, but have agreed to face the consequences of breaking the rules several years ago. In addition to the $35,000 fee, Marrs Construction will produce a 30-second public service announcement video that will appear on social media and will be available for the EPA to use.
The Marrs have also agreed to raise awareness about the EPA Lead RRP program on “one episode in their upcoming season five and two episodes in season six” of “Fixer to Fabulous.”
The Marrs wrapped filming on a 16-episode, fifth season of the show in December. But at the time, Jenny said they had not heard yet whether HGTV had greenlit another season, so the EPA settlement is the first public confirmation that a sixth season is expected.
Multiple HGTV Shows Have Been Fined by EPA Over the Years
GettyChip and Joanna Gaines at SiriusXM Studios.
The Marrs are not the only HGTV stars to have been called out by the EPA. One of the first shows called out by the agency was Chip and Joanna Gaines’ “Fixer Upper,” which debuted on the network in 2013.
According to CNN, the EPA fined the Gaines in 2018 for airing “demo days” that didn’t protect occupants from dangerous lead levels found in homes they were renovating for their show.
In April 2022, former “Good Bones” hosts Mina Starsiak Hawk and Karen E. Laine were also fined $40,000 by the EPA, which alleged the hosts’ company, Two Chicks and a Hammer, was not certified to perform their demolition work and failed to contain and transport the waste in acceptable ways.
In its release about the settlement with Marrs Construction, the EPA said it has also settled other “RRP enforcement cases” with former HGTV hosts Nicole Curtis of “Rehab Addict” and Tamara Day of “Bargain Mansions,” as well as with two shows that have aired on the Gaines’ Magnolia Network — “Main Cabin Masters” and “Texas Flip N Move.”