Dave and Jenny Marrs 'Were So Broke' Before Finding HGTV Fame: 'We Quit Our Jobs, We Had Nothing' (Exclusive)
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The Fixer to Fabulous hosts open up to PEOPLE about their unexpected success and the sometimes difficult years that preceded it
Dave and Jenny Marrs are the stars of one of the biggest shows on HGTV, but their life in the spotlight couldn't be farther from where the couple found themselves almost two decades ago.
In 2004, the Fixer to Fabulous hosts had just moved to Bentonville, Ark. to start their life together, after dating long-distance for 18 months. Dave, a contractor, and Jenny, a self-taught decorator, took a leap of faith, leaving their corporate jobs in Chicago and Nashville respectively, in order to try their hand at house flipping.
Soon, the couple, who next star in season 2 of Home Town Takeover (premiering April 23), were living in a rental house with a truck they bought off eBay and wondering if they'd made a huge mistake.
"We couldn't afford anything else," Dave tells PEOPLE in this week's issue. "We quit our jobs. We had nothing."
They quickly realized they needed at least one steady income to survive. With one car to share, Dave recalls, "Jenny would call me and say, 'Hey, I got an interview!' And so I'd have to leave the job site, go home, and she'd go to the interview." Eventually, she landed another office gig and "she became my sugar mama for six years," Dave jokes.
"Ten years" Jenny corrects. "Basically I kept a real job so that we had insurance, and someone to sign loans for the houses while he was building."
Dave admits there were about two years where things "got a little hairy," but says, "You learned to save in the really good times, so it can take you through those valleys."
Despite the hardships, the couple looks back on their earliest days together fondly. "We were so broke, but we had the most fun," says Jenny.
Eventually, they started working together on renovations and custom home builds and Jenny was able to leave her job to help Dave full-time.
To make it happen, they broke one of the cardinal rules of remodeling: don't live in a house while it's under construction. "We'd move into a house, [renovate it], and then if somebody wanted to buy it, Dave was like, 'Sorry, Jenny, pack back up. We're out,'" she recalls.
But as a young couple, the constant upheaval suited them just fine. "It was just always hopeful. There wasn't this extreme pressure to support a family. It was like, 'Yeah, we'll figure it out. It's just us,'" she says. "I think we have always had an approach to life of just being open-handed with everything. Whatever God has for us, that's what's going to be. Sometimes it's scary, but we have faith."
When HGTV approached them in 2016 about making a show about their business, their lives had changed dramatically, though they still had their hands full, this time with four kids under the age of 5: Twins Nathan and Ben, now 12, Sylvie, 11, and Sophie, 8. They later welcomed one more, Luke, 3.
"We said, thank you, we appreciate it. But we're good. No, thanks,' " says Dave.
A few months later, another producer reached out and they reluctantly agreed to a coffee meeting that would change their lives. They talked about the importance of a family like theirs being represented on TV — Sylvie was adopted from the Democratic Republic of Congo — and the chance to spotlight their charity work, which includes a pick-your-own blueberry farm on their Arkansas property that funds an agricultural education program in Zimbabwe.
They agreed to film a sizzle reel with low expectations. "We figured, why not? Who's going to want to watch us? Let's do it one time," says Dave. That turned into a pilot and then a full season of what would become Fixer to Fabulous.
"It was all just a whirlwind," says Jenny. Season four is currently airing on HGTV, but the couple makes a point to remain grounded. "Every time we have a big decision, we pray about it. And if we feel peace about it, then we move forward," says Jenny. "The show is a perfect example. We would never have done it had we not felt like God could use it, and he was leading us here."
It's also helped them find a sense of security even in the unpredictable world of TV. "There's going to come a time when people look at our show and they're like, 'Eh, it doesn't do it for me anymore.' And we'll go off the air. But that's okay. We have this time where we impacted people's lives and that's really powerful," says Dave. "I hope we're bringing light into people's living rooms. That we're making a good impact out there. And I think we are right now. I think we're on the right path."
Season 4 of Fixer to Fabulous is currently airing on HGTV. Home Town Takeover season 2 premieres April 23 on HGTV and discovery+.
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