From Small-Town Sweethearts to Design Superstars

THE FIXER TO FABULOUS HOSTS NEARLY WENT BROKE AND FACED HEART-WRENCHING FAMILY STRUGGLES TO BUILD THEIR DREAM LIFE ON THEIR ARKANSAS FARM

- MACKENZIE SCHMIDT

A typical day on Dave and Jenny Marrs' farm in Bentonville, Ark., starts before sunrise. Dave wakes up at 4 a.m. to feed their menagerie of animals, including cows, chickens, bunnies and an alpaca, while Jenny wrangles their five kids before school. But that's where the typical ends.

After drop-off, Dave, a contractor, and Jenny, a selftaught decorator, both 44, hit hair and makeup before heading out to check on the 12 home renovations they're juggling for their hit HGTV show Fixer to Fabulous, which drew 24 million viewers last season.

In July they added another gig to their résumés: cohosting the second season of Home Town Takeover (premiering April 23) alongside fellow network stars Ben and Erin Napier.

"This was never on our radar. It wasn't something we were pursuing," says Jenny of their blossoming stardom. Despite their growing slate of projects they also run a nonprofit, an Airbnb and a mercantile-they're learning to find a balance and leaning on each other in the process.

Six years in, "it's still challenging," says Dave. "But I'm so blessed to have her in this craziness with me."

Their life in the spotlight couldn't be further from where the pair found themselves in 2004: living in a shoddy rental with a truck they bought off eBay, both unemployed after quitting corporate jobs to try their hand at house flipping and wondering if they'd made a huge mistake.