After HGTV’s cancelation spree last month, several cast and crew members from popular shows found themselves out of work – but the recent Emmy nominations may be enough to make the network second-guess the decision to axe one popular program in particular.
Married to Real Estate was one of the shows that didn’t get renewed.
It became a surprise nominee at the 2025 Daytime Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Instructional/How-To-Program category – an unexpected honor for both the show and the network.
What’s more, the show has enjoyed a groundswell of support from thousands of fans who have taken to social media to bemoan the cancellation.
‘That’s one of those things that keeps us up at night,’ a senior source at HGTV tells the Daily Mail. ‘We canceled the show, gave them walking papers, and now that’s one that’s nominated? It makes us wonder what the hell we just did.’
The source adds that the nomination has made them reconsider the show’s future.
Married to Real Estate was cancelled last month, before the Emmy nominations were announced. Pictured: Egypt Sherrod (left) and her husband, Mike Jackson (right)
Farmhouse Fixer, starting Jonathan Knight (left), was also cancelled last month and is not expected to return
Izzy Does it, starring Israel ‘Izzy’ Battres (pictured), was not given a second season
‘Of course we have to take [the nomination] into account,’ says the insider. ‘Having an Emmy nomination or even an award will give some prestige. And prestige matters to us. So we have to decide whether there’s a way to move forward with this show.’
‘No final decision has been made, but there have been talks – a few of them.’
Host Egypt Sherrod, who previously divulged that HGTV canceled their show while they were on vacation, posted news of the Emmy nomination on her Instagram with the caption ‘Be still… and watch the fireworks.’
The inner turmoil at HGTV began last month, when the network abruptly pulled the plug on Farmhouse Fixer, Bargain Block, Married to Real Estate and Izzy Does It. The sudden cancellations sent shockwaves through the network’s fandom, and left employees of several other shows fearing for their jobs.
The biggest shock was Farmhouse Fixer, which starred New Kids on the Block member Jonathan Knight – one of the network’s marquee names.
‘We were hemorrhaging money,’ the senior source said at the time. ‘So in order to stop the bleeding, we had to have a bloodbath. It was calculated cuts to make things make sense, financially.’
With the money they’re saving, HGTV has turned to a wrestling superstar to help flip their financial woes.
John Cena (pictured) is executive producing a new show for HGTV to replace the canceled shows
Bobby Berk (pictured) will host the new show, with the working title Junk or Jackpot
John Cena is now executive producing a new series for the network: Junk or Jackpot. It will follow collectors who have filled their houses with unusual collectibles – miniature sets, action figures, antique dolls – and after assessing the value of the items, the show will help the collector decide whether to keep them or sell them in order to afford much-needed renovations.
Queer Eye alum Bobby Berk will host the new show.
‘It’s not that we don’t want to produce new shows,’ the senior source explains. ‘We’re willing to put money into shows that have unique concepts and bigger names attached. We just had to part ways with some shows that weren’t working for us.’
And if Married to Real Estate doesn’t end up on HGTV’s fall roster, the source says that it could come back in another form in the future.
‘Obviously, these are people we want to work with, and people who can bring quality television program to the network. So if we don’t bring back this show, maybe we can give them something better. Time will tell.’
Representatives for HGTV did not return the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
