There are too many house flipping shows out there and we still can’t get enough of them, especially if the series in question is “Fixer To Fabulous”. Premiered in 2019, the show is truly one of the most creative and educative ones in the genre, providing the audience not only with a wide variety of options when it comes to renovating old homes, but also managing to bring modernity to every property without letting them lose their essence.
Even if Jenny and Dave are the show’s stars, other “Fixer To Fabulous” cast members such as the construction manager Chase Looney aren’t easily ignorable for his top-notch work and excellent taste.
However, given that Chase hasn’t been a constant presence in the show in recent seasons, you might be wondering where he is now, and whatever has happened to him. Stay with us to know all about Chase’s whereabouts, his family and business.
What Happened To Him?
If you have been up to date with the newest “Fixer To Fabulous” season, you’ve surely noticed that Chase Looney is rarely seen on screen, which logically brings up many questions regarding his well-being and whereabouts.
However, there is some mixed news regarding Chase’s current life. For one side, it’s known that he’s still actively working with the Marrs family and “Fixer To Fabulous”, as seen in a June 2022 Instagram post from Jenny on which she revealed the whole crew, including Chase, were in the final filming phase of the show’s new season to premiere in November that year.
On the not-so-positive side, Chase has been notably absent from public life. His social media accounts and YouTube channel have been inactive from the beginning of 2021, on top of the fact that the website of his business Chisel and Sawdust no longer exists.
Even if such a disappearance could have been motivated by his recent divorce from his now ex-wife Chelsie, it’s unconfirmed if this was the real reason. With luck we might get some answers in the future from Chase, but at least it’s relieving to know we’ll still see him on TV.
What Was His Business About?
Given how inactive Chisel and Sawdust social media has been for a while, it’s unknown if the business is still active. Nonetheless, the shop was everything we expected of a business led by someone as talented as Chase Looney.
According to the business’ Facebook, Chase’s family hold a long tradition in woodworking and firefighting. It’s no different for Chase, who following his father’s steps, specialized as a Master Finishing Carpenter and also joined the Fire Department of Bentonville in the late 2010s.
https://www.facebook.com/chiselandsawdust/photos/a.110368733717608/162635865157561/
That being said, Chase’s biggest and truest passion is furniture design and he finally accomplished the dream of creating and selling his creations in 2018, when he founded Chisel And Sawdust, gaining quick fame due to Chase’s features in “Fixer To Fabulous”, and his unmatched woodworking skills. Besides furniture pieces, Chisel and Sawdust sold other home-like products, their own clothing merchandise, and even collected funds for local Arkansas’ charities.
YouTube & Personal Life
Long before the start of his prolonged hiatus from social media, Chase Looney was quite busy with content creation for the internet. The rapid growth of his business Chisel and Sawdust led him to start his YouTube channel “DIY with Chase Looney” in late 2020, which introduced his audience to some of his best woodworking techniques for educational purposes.
Besides his designs, the channel also served to share some of his family’s life accompanied by his two children and wife Chelsie. However, while his profile on said video platform was still building an audience, in early 2021 he stopped posting altogether, and it’s possible this might be connected to his divorce which happened around that time, and was apparently a hard time for both. According to Chelsie’s Facebook, separation from Chase was similar to being ‘(kicked) out of a helicopter into shark infested water without so much as a life preserver. I was treading my new reality in complete fear’, she wrote, also pointing out her struggles finding a job after being a stay-at-home woman for over a decade.
Regarding the reason for the split, on another Facebook post Chelsie admitted that serious marital issues led to their divorce. All in all, it’s unfortunate that their family came to this, but there’s nothing else for us than to wish they deal with co-parenting the best way possible,
Why Does Chase Wear An Eyepatch?
Although his awesome work designing and building furniture and leading the constructions in “Fixer To Fabulous”, Chase Looney’s eyepatch notably also takes people’s attention while watching the show.
Given how often Chase has been asked about this, he addressed the issue on his own. As Distractify reported, the loss of his left eye was caused by an accident which occurred in 2017, when “Fixer To Fabulous” had just wrapped up filming its demo episode. Despite being an experienced firefighter, Chase was seriously injured on that 4 July by a firework which surprisingly exploded: ‘I believe the concussion from the fourth tube exploding tipped the fifth tube over after I had just lit it’, he admitted.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIRMx-lhX1A/
Recalling the moment, Chase confessed that ‘everything stopped’ once he realized something exploded, followed by some moments he doesn’t clearly remember: ‘in the chaos of that moment everything around me slowed down’, he confessed.
Right there, Chase was airlifted to emergency, and underwent a delicate eight hour-long surgery to repair the damage and save his life, but his left eye needed to be removed and he was told the probability of losing movement on that side of his face was high. Chase underwent all of those difficulties with lots of strength, and despite fearing that he’d lost the chance of appearing in “Fixer To Fabulous” due to his new appearance, the Marrs supported him all the way.
Did He Adopt A Dog In The Show?
A dog was indeed adopted while filming “Fixer To Fabulous”, but it wasn’t Chase Looney who adopted it.
As it happens, in December 2021 the show’s cast went to Bella Vista in Arkansas, where an animal shelter in need of a renovation was waiting for them. However, no one expected that Chase’s father Joe was totally smitten by a little dog named Spirit, who rapidly grew on him until he couldn’t help but take him home.
In the episode, it was noted that Joe’s previous dog had recently died a year prior: ‘I said I would never have a dog after Lucky, but she said take me home. I said, ‘okay’’, he admitted. In fact, Lucky was also a rescued dog, saved by Joe several years prior from a ‘traumatic event’, as described by Chase on an Instagram post: ‘he was Joe’s best friend and went to every single place with him, to every single show house and to work. He was the definition of man’s best friend’, he wrote.
Besides having a big heart to save and shelter animals, Joe is also a big supporter of his son, who in exchange isn’t shy about showing his appreciation for his father on screen and social media, making them one of the most loved family bonds in the show.
Who Are Jenny and Dave Marrs?
After being on air for several years having premiered numerous “Fixer To Fabulous” spin-off series, it’s for sure that the names Jenny and Dave are familiar to any regular fan of house flipping-centered TV.
That being said, there’s more to this couple than what the small screen lets us see. Despite being from Orlando and Denver respectively, Jenny and Dave met by chance while working for a commercial distributor in Arkansas after graduating in the early 2000s. However, while the corporate world wasn’t really fulfilling their creative and hardworking needs, their goal of establishing a building business was fruitless for a couple of years, as Dave’s bosses transferred him city after city.
When they finally returned to Arkansas, it was Jenny who gave the first step in the right direction, and sooner than later, Bentonville stole their hearts forever: ‘I think, like a lot of people do here, we came for a stint and realized how great a place it is. This is home’, she told AY Magazine.
By 2004 Marrs Developing was a reality, but the road was a hard one and difficulties such as the 2008 recession, pushed them to the market of old houses renovations. Finally in 2012, their business was doing well enough for Jenny to finally leave her corporate job, and the rest is history.
How Did The Show Start?
Resulting from their hard work and enthusiasm at bringing new life to houses in Bentonville, Jenny and Dave’s business was known all around their town for their stunning work. The word soon spread, and they were contacted by TV producers for a show, though they turned down several of these offers, or didn’t even take them seriously.
The reason behind their constant refusals wasn’t lack of confidence in their work, or shyness of TV, but logical concern regarding how stardom might possibly affect their family in a negative way: ‘We wanted to be really careful in making that decision, because it’s not just something we were doing, it would also impact our children and our family’, as Jenny told The List in 2022.
TFW Fixer to Fabulous is about to start. #OnHGTV #FixertoFab pic.twitter.com/guYwRJ5HC0
— HGTV (@hgtv) January 15, 2020
Admittedly praying and thinking deeply about it, Jenny and Dave finally gave the big step and accepted HGTV’s offer for a show in 2016 but thought it won’t go anywhere. Months later a demo was filmed and the show didn’t take long to see the light. What is more surprising for the Marrs isn’t only the success of their own show, but also being requested to appear in several other shows of the same type, collaborating with big names in the house renovation niche.
What Other Business Do They Have?
Besides their income from “Fixer To Fabulous”, the Marrs enjoy quite a good life thanks to their businesses and fame. Their company Marrs Developing is the family’s main source of income, as it apparently fixes and restores 30 houses per year in their Bentonville community.
That being said, the Marrs’ mission with their company goes beyond making money, as they’re deeply committed to improving their community by preserving the historical importance of every property: ‘Houses just aren’t built the same way now. You just hate to see all these old homes get torn down, especially if we can save them’, Jenny told AY Magazine.
Dave and Jenny also own Marrs Construction and their beloved Berry Farm on their property, which also gives shelter to several animals including sheep and cows. Through their farm, the Marrs also support The Gatehouse Project, a program in Zimbabwe which provides education and sustainable food to dozens of orphaned children at risk.
Were They Sued?
Although “Fixer To Fabulous” is commonly praised for its top-notch renovations and lack of needless drama, it wouldn’t be a successful show if it wasn’t involved in some sort of scandal.
As it happens, in early 2021 Jenny and Dave were sued by Dana and Tyler Craddock, a couple from Arkansas who are asking the “Fixer To Fabulous” stars for at least $75,000 in compensation. It all comes down to 2018, when the Craddocks were allegedly contacted by the Marrs to renovate their Benton County house, which was supposed to be featured in their TV show. According to court papers, many details about the repairs and renovation were kept in secrecy from the homeowners, on top of not being informed that the Marrs’ companies leading the project apparently lacked active contractor licenses.
By the time the Marrs revealed the renovated house, the Craddocks were disappointed to find several issues with it, including the lack of compliance of some of the local security norms. In the following two years the Marrs apparently didn’t fix the problems, pushing the Craddocks to sue them in search of financial compensation for the damages done to the property, though in March 2022 the case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
What Happened To The Show?
Given the Marrs’ recent legal problems, you’ve surely been wondering if “Fixer To Fabulous” is in any risk of getting canceled due to that. However, it’s apparently the opposite, as the show’s popularity only keeps growing and according to a statement released by Discovery in early 2022, “Fixer To Fabulous” was watched by over 30 million people during its third season.
Due to its success, not only was the show renewed, but the spin-off “Welcome Inn” was released a couple of months later, showing the process of recovering a house from the 1800s in order to establish the Marrs’ bed-and-breakfast business. On top of this, a fourth season of “Fixer To Upper” is set to premiere in late 2022, ensuring the continuity of the Marrs’ success on TV, along with their hard-working and unforgettable crew members such as Chase Looney.
