Successful business women-turned-reality TV stars aren’t made overnight, though.
Here is how Bennett built her success and her star power.
The reality TV star grew up surrounded by water, spending her childhood on Lake Wisconsin.
Even her wedding took place by the shore.
She got married on Lake Monona and had her wedding reception on a cruise boat.
Bennett toldLodi Enterprisethat the family tries to get back to Wisconsin as much as they can.
“We bring it back together at home.
It’s a journey we’re not holding hands the whole way, but we’re a partnership.”
It’s a lot of work, especially with the tight schedule they keep.
Bennett and her husband tackle about two new houses per month.
With such top quality work, it’s reasonable to expect that Bennett has a background in interior design.
“I don’t have design credentials,” Bennett told theDesert Sun.
“[My husband and I] are both very self-taught in what we do.
I’m very positive from being a cheerleader.”
“And I like control on the design side.
We don’t want to get stuck with the properties.”
Even HGTV doesn’t weigh in on Bennett’s projects.
They don’t put any money up towards the renovations, either.
The Bennetts are simply operating their real life business with no guidance from the data pipe.
HGTV’s only job is to film them as they run their business.
Themoney that funded that movecame from the sale of the first home they ever fixed up.
Since then, they’ve moved quite a few times, bouncing around wherever their business takes them.
“We’ve literally moved probably every six months since we met.
Our kids are pretty adaptable,” she told theWisconsin State Journal.
“It’s fun to be able to move around and fix things up a bit.
Others talk about what they want their futures to look like to get to see if they’re compatible.
Bennett and her husband spent their first date talking shop.
The couple met when Bennettwas on a job interviewat a restaurant.
Eric stopped to say hi to the person interviewing her, but became captivated by Bennett.
While she didn’t get the job, Bennett did meet her future husband.
It might not sound romantic to most, but it was the perfect first date for the couple.
They went on to work on their first house just a few weeks later.
Eric added that keeping the relationship strong is all about communication.
“I think it’s about having an open mind.
So we can speak freely and openly.”
Her faith also helped her through the jitters whenDesert Flippersfirst started filming.
And it’s made this road super enjoyable and easy.”
Since the show first started airing, Bennett and her husband have stayed true to themselves.
So where does a reality star who is killing it at work turn to for inspiration?
Bennett doesn’t have to look too far for a role model.
“I attribute my versatility and being grounded to my mother,” she toldLodi Enterprise.
It was her mom who raised Bennett to be committed to her faith.
Like Bennett herself, her mom also had three children.
A stay-at-home mom, Bennett said her mother taught all three of her kids the power of perseverance.
The Bennetts swear that what you see onDesert Flippersis all real, though.
Their dream is, truly, to fix up and flip houses not be on television.
“We’re not doing this for fame and fortune,” Bennett told theDesert Sun.
“We feel like we were called to do this.”
What would she be doing if she wasn’t following that calling?
Bennett says that she’d spend more time at home with her kids.
Eric added that even if the show didn’t exist, they would still have their business.
Bennett’s before video reveals an already sleek physique, while the after shot shows her 32 pounds trimmer.
Her husband lost even more weight, dropping 44 pounds in 18 weeks.
Eric, however, had a couple of other TV appearances under his belt.
BeforeDesert Flippers, he appeared as a competitor on two game shows:WipeoutandWheel of Fortune.
They don’t put up any of their own cash.
When we flip a house, it’s our money on the line."
Is there a feud between the two shows?
Bennett, for her part, has praised her potential rival in the past.
“We’ve been fans,” she toldPeoplea few months before her husband clapped back at theFixer Uppercouple.
She loves meeting her many fans, and is even happy to discuss their own renovation projects.
“We love to talk about it,” she toldPeople.
“It’s all we do, we live and breathe it.
That and our family and our children, it’s just our lives.”
Don’t be alarmed if she looks a little panicked, though.
For starters, it’s a deeply personal thing to have even part of your life portrayed on television.
Still, there are plenty of upsides.
Bennett likes being able to watch a season of the show unfold on TV.
“It’s a look back at the adventure,” she toldPalm Springs Life.
“It’s fun for us to do that as a family.
It’s kind of like going through a photo album.”
Not every episode is a fun walk down memory lane, though.
The pilot episode ofDesert Flippersis a source of some embarrassment for her.
“I was a little bit more shy,” she said.
“As Season 1 goes on it feels so much more natural.”
This is especially impressive considering how muchhands-on labor she doeswhen renovating a home.
She’s actually the one in charge of getting herself (and her husband) ready for filming.
Fortunately, she has experience working as a make-up artist, so getting glammed up is no problem.
