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Why Is ‘Good Bones’ Ending? Mina Starsiak Hawk Reveals Real Reason Behind Show’s Cancelation
When Mina Starsiak Hawk announced that Good Bones was ending after season 8, fans were left in disbelief. The HGTV series, also starring her mom, Karen E. Laine, featured a cast full of colorful characters and fascinating home design projects. Drama has continued to surround the show in recent months, leading many to question the real reason why the series was canceled.
Why Is ‘Good Bones’ Ending?
During an episode of her “Mina AF” podcast on August 7, 2023, Mina revealed that she filmed her last few scenes for Good Bones. The reasoning she provided for the show’s end was simply the fact that she “just needed to switch it up.”
In the weeks that followed, more information came to light about some of the challenges faced behind the scenes by Mina and her renovation company, Two Chicks and a Hammer. The HGTV star claimed that she “butted heads” with city planners responsible for approving construction permits in Indianapolis.
“I have done everything I could possibly do to try to work within the system,” she told the Indianapolis Business Journal in September 2023. “It’s tricky because in local government, very few people are in charge of a lot of big decisions. It seems for a long time this plan for the city to have urban density, growth and development was not actually being enacted by the people making those decisions.”
The TV personality also called out decision-makers whom she thinks use their own personal architectural preferences when it comes to signing off on permits.
“They’ll take one thing they’re allowed to do and then bend you over a barrel for 10 other things,” she continued. “I have to go back to my architect eight or 10 or 12 times to try to meet this moving target.”
In a statement to the outlet, a spokesperson for the city addressed Mina’s claims.
“We understand the benefit of showcasing the diversity of Indianapolis’ neighborhoods, housing and people, and we appreciate Two Chicks and a Hammer’s commitment to our community over the last eight years,” the statement read. “In that time, city agencies, recognizing the significance of the show for Indianapolis, often engaged with the team to guide them through the requirements and rules of our planning and permitting processes. These requirements are derived from state laws and local ordinances, and we must equitably enforce them for all Indianapolis residents and businesses.”
Renovating 13 houses per season proved to be quite a challenge for Mina and her crew, ultimately leading to the decision to end the show.
“For the last two years, I’ve known,” she said. “It was, ‘Y’all, I’m losing it. I can’t keep doing what we’re doing, in terms of the pace and the finances of it. We need to start making a plan.’ We’ve been talking about what works for [production company High Noon Entertainment] and what works for us for a long time.”
What Happened Between Mina Starsiak Hawk and Karen E. Laine?
In addition to Mina’s claims about the challenges of working in Indianapolis, she also opened up about facing a rift with her mom. During an episode of her podcast on August 28, 2023, the realtor told podcast listeners that she and Karen were not “in a great place.”
“There’s a lot more construction people don’t see,” Mina explained in an interview with People a few weeks later. “There’s a lot more contractor issues people don’t see. There’s interpersonal family dynamics that people don’t see.”
While filming the season 8 premiere, Mina and Karen were in a “challenging place.” The former restaurant server revealed that she and her mom had “a knockdown drag-out [fight] during demo.”
“I think family business is hard enough on its own,” she shared. “And from what people know from the show, my mom and I are thick as thieves, best friends and because they just don’t know anything else, they assume that’s how it’s always been. And I think a lot of people really aspire to that, so they don’t want to know other stuff, which is fine. But my mom and I have had a very rocky relationship since I have memories.”
