HGTV/YouTube HGTV's Dave Marrs reacts to a new on-set challenge.
“Sometimes filming just doesn’t go like you want it to.” That’s how HGTV host Dave Marrs explained a major mishap that occurred on the set of his show, “Fixer To Fabulous.” It’s just the latest in a string of close calls HGTV hosts have experienced while filming.
On July 1, Marrs posted an Instagram video of a demolition task gone terribly wrong. In the video, filmed while walls and windows were being torn down for a home remodel, Marrs and a construction crew member attempted to toss a large window over a balcony and into a trash dumpster below. However, the slow-motion video shows the giant window hitting and bouncing off the edge of the dumpster and crashing down to the ground below. Viewers can see the stunned camera crew below trying to move out of the way.
In the post’s caption, Marrs wrote, “Sometimes filming just doesn’t go like you want it to. The cow noises at the end of the video are me screaming ‘No, No.’ More clean up is definitely in my future.”
His wife and “Fixer To Fabulous” co-host, Jenny Marrs, commented on the post with four tears of laughter emojis followed by “NOOOOOOO!!!” Fortunately, it appears no one was injured in the accident.
This Is Not The First HGTV Mishap Caught On Film
Unfortunately, many HGTV hosts and crews have experienced shocking incidents on-set in recent years. For instance, on an episode of “Flip or Flop,” a garage door inexplicably crashed onto the hood of a crew member’s car. Tarek El Moussa was inside fixing a door with ex-wife and co-host Christina; video footage shows them get startled by a loud noise, and then run outside to see what’s happening.
During that show’s 10 year run, which ended in March 2022, the couple witnessed lots of shocking things in the homes they purchased to flip. In a 2015 interview with fellow HGTV host David Bromstad, the now-divorced pair revealed some of the scariest things they’d come across — including one house that had 33 feral cats, with fur everywhere including the ceilings! There was also a property they called “the fake leg house,” because it was inexplicably full of plastic legs with shoes on them.
Chip and Joanna Gaines are another co-hosting couple who’ve experienced their fair share of wild mishaps while filming their hit show, “Fixer Upper.”
One of the scariest moments caught on film was when Chip nearly crushed Joanna, accidentally lunging forward in a Jeep. In the HGTV segment, posted to YouTube in 2014, Chip starts the ignition while Joanna is standing in between the front of the Jeep and the back of a parked van. The Jeep lunges forward and Joanna jumps out of the way just in time. The Jeep crashes into the van, leaving a huge dent.
“I put it in first gear,” Chip explained to the crew. “So when I turned the ignition on, the thing started bouncing forward and I almost crushed my wife!”
Some HGTV Shows Have Been Struck By Natural Disasters
The hit show “Renovation Island” may take the prize for the most on-set mishaps — but not because of human error. Hosts Bryan and Sarah Baeumler dealt with years of setbacks, from hurricanes to the pandemic, while renovating the Caerula Del Mar resort in South Andros Island, Bahamas.
According to Country Living magazine, the 22 villa resort opened its doors in April 2019, only to abruptly close that August due to Hurricane Dorian. Though Caerula Del Mar didn’t sustain major damage, much of the island did, and some of the Baeumler’s employees lost everything. So they paused filming to help local families and businesses rebuild.
They held a grand re-opening in early February 2020 — mere weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to shut down the resort again. Another hurricane — Isaias — hit in August, causing a great deal of landscaping damage. Finally, the resort re-opened with major safety precautions that October.
“Renovation Island” has followed the Baeumler’s ups and downs as resort owners, but Season 3 — which premieres on HGTV July 24th — will showcase them remodeling their family’s Florida home while juggling raising kids and running the resort from afar.
Another hit show that dealt with the aftermath of a natural disaster is Erin and Ben Napier’s “Home Town.” In December 2019, a deadly tornado tore through Laurel, Mississippi — the town where they live and film their show.
According to People Magazine, a house they’d already renovated months before was heavily damaged. The couple donated their time and started over on renovations. On the episode about the repeat renovation, Ben looked straight into the camera and said, “Take that, Mother Nature! We’re going back.”