The Big Picture
- Mina Starsiak Hawk and Karen E. Laine's relationship was strained off-camera, leading Mina to swear off returning to Good Bones.
- Bureaucratic red tape in the city of Indianapolis hindered Mina and Karen's work, contributing to the show's demise.
- The series took a toll on Mina's mental health and relationships, causing her to prioritize self-care over a return to the show.
Good Bones is arguably one of the most popular shows in HGTV’s history. The series followed stars Mina Starsiak Hawk and her mother, Karen E. Laine. One of the things viewers loved about Good Bones was the fact that it was helmed by two women rather than a male/female combo. The series came to be after HGTV became aware of Mina’s company, Two Chicks and a Hammer. The series was then created, developed, and premiered on HGTV in 2016. The premise focused on Mina and Karen as they remodeled various houses in Indianapolis that would otherwise go unnoticed.
When the announcement came out that the eighth season of Good Bones would be the final season, many were naturally sad to hear the news. Since the news broke, Mina has become more candid about her Good Bones experience and why she has no plans of ever going back to the series. There were a lot of behind-the-scenes issues viewers were unaware of, and it was a culmination of those various issues that led Mina to swear never to return to the series. The series did a lot of good for Mina, but towards the end, the hassle became more than what it was worth. Good Bones may be finished, but that does not mean HGTV fans will never see the renovator return to the network.
Good Bones
TV-G
A reality TV series featuring the dynamic mother-daughter team of Karen E. Laine and Mina Starsiak Hawk, who specialize in revitalizing old homes in Indianapolis. The show documents their journey as they purchase dilapidated properties and meticulously renovate them into beautiful, functional living spaces. With a focus on craftsmanship and design, each episode presents the obstacles they overcome and the creative strategies they employ to breathe new life into neglected homes. The series combines elements of renovation expertise, family collaboration, and the revitalization of local communities.
- Release Date
- March 22, 2016
- Cast
- Mina Starsiak , Karen E. Laine
- Main Genre
- Reality
- Seasons
- 8
Mina Starsiak Hawk's Relationship With Her Mother Is Estranged
While things appeared to be all sunshine and roses between the mother-daughter duo on Good Bones, Mina later shared during an interview with People that there was a lot more going on in the background between them than what was seen. “There were definitely some challenging [moments] because my mom and I were in some of the most challenging places I felt we've been,” Mina said of filming the final season of the show. Many reality TV networks love to embrace that kind of messy drama, but HGTV is not one of them. The only drama that is seen on any HGTV series revolves more around the dramatic moments in their remodels and not necessarily the interpersonal relationships.
Sure, there is tension shown, but based on what Mina shared, there is a lot of covering-up happening in post-production. She mentioned a big fight she and Karen had while filming the premiere episode of the final season. “I was like, ‘I wonder if anyone's going to be able to tell,’” Mina shared, adding, “Of course, you can't, because that's the idea. That's not why they're tuning in to watch Good Bones. That's not what they want.” The joy of watching Good Bones primarily stems from watching these two women handle intense home remodels, which can be uplifting for women who are looking to pursue similar dreams in this male-dominated field.
Mina and Karen’s relationship has been strained for the majority of her life, and Mina provided some insight into this on her podcast, Mina AF. She shared, “It's a cumulative situation from the time I can remember when I was 3 of things that have created the situation that we're in now.” When it comes to healing these old wounds, Mina said, “It's incredibly hard to undo, particularly with someone who's not actively in therapy or actively working on themselves." As of right now, the relationship between Mina and her mother, Karen, remains estranged.
Mina and Her Mother Dealt With Red Tape on 'Good Bones'
Another major issue both Mina and her mother faced during the series involved navigating the bureaucracy of the city of Indianapolis. As a civilian, there is very little one can do to expedite any project that requires government involvement. It’s precisely why people hate going to the DMV; they have a tendency to be slow and ineffective. Slow and ineffective does not work for an HGTV series like Good Bones, and being forced to deal with the city negatively affected Mina and Karen’s ability to work. In an interview with the Indiana Business Journal, Mina elaborated on the specific issues they faced which also contributed to the demise of Good Bones.
When working on remodels within the city of Indianapolis, property owners must follow specific rules and guidelines. They can, however, ask for exceptions that are either rejected or approved. Because of this, Mina and Karen had to ask for a lot of permission from the local government and faced a lot of pushback in return. Mina said in the IBJ interview that she felt many of their project requests were denied due to personal preferences rather than actual structural integrity. “They’ll take one thing they’re allowed to do and then bend you over a barrel for 10 other things,” she shared in the interview. She followed up, saying, “I have to go back to my architect eight or 10 or 12 times to try to meet this moving target.” The city officials provided a statement to IBJ reiterating that everyone goes through the same process, whether they’re on TV or not.
'Good Bones' Had a Negative Effect on Mina Starsiak Hawk’s Mental Health
Fans of Mina luckily don’t have to give up hope just yet. Mina has said that she is open to doing future projects with HGTV, as long as they’re not as intensely time-consuming as Good Bones. Doing the show caused a lot of stress for Mina’s family. Her relationship with her mother was already complex, and soon, her relationship with her brother, Tad Starsiak, became estranged as well. On her podcast, Mina said, "I was starting to feel the weight was all on me at that point — the financial weight, the weight to hit the deadlines.” She continued, “It was all really wearing on me. I was trying to come up with a way to move forward that was going to be more sustainable for me."
Between the money and the time away from her home and her own marriage and children, Mina was completely stressed out and exhausted. The money spent on each episode and on each project came out of Two Chicks and a Hammer’s budget, which also led to financial strain. She said, "What was going on for me was broken. My part of the puzzle was broken.” The last season’s difficulties primarily rested on Mina’s shoulders, while everyone else involved got to enjoy the remodels more. The stressors became too much for Mina and for her company, which ultimately contributed to the series' end.
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Mina Is Open to Future Opportunities With HGTV, but 'Good Bones' Will Never Come Back
While Good Bones is officially dead and gone, future HGTV projects with Mina aren’t. She said that she is absolutely open to doing other projects with the network as long as they are within reason and her personal boundaries. She said, “I just think it would be a really bad decision for me mentally and emotionally, let alone financially, to get back in that place.” Someone even pitched a series with a similar model to Good Bones, but she said any kind of reboot would be unlikely. “Trying to figure out what show could maybe be made that fits where I am at my life right now, with also what’s going to rate, with also what’s reasonably affordable to make is very up in the air,” she said.
Mina also said that no amount of money could get her to return to the series, as it became too difficult for her physical and mental health. She shared, "There's not enough money in the world that would put me in the place I was a year ago. It was that bad.” She went on to say, "There’s no realistic amount of money that I think would be worth it to struggle as hard as I was struggling. And I think that’s very hard for people to understand — how much I was in a really bad place.” Luckily, Mina is doing much better, and while her fans wait for a new project to arise, they still have her podcast.
Good Bones is available to stream on Max in the U.S.
