Russell J. Holmes Of Renovation Impossible Did Not Have An Easy Upbringing
Renovation Impossible is arguably HGTV’s most ambitious home renovation show yet. In the show, renovation enthusiast Russell J. Holmes and designer Paige Poupart, take on stalled home-renovation projects and use their combined experience and expertise to deliver exemplary results. The duo is also expected to develop dollar-stretching solutions to accommodate their clients’ tight budgets.
Hosting the new show should be child's play for the 49-year-old, given his impressive track record in the construction and renovation game. Before landing his own HGTV show, Holmes starred in Richard Rawling’s Garage Rehab, where he helped revive struggling mechanic shops around the country. The up-and-coming HGTV star also played the role of ‘fixer’ In Rawling’s Gas Monkey Garage empire. While Holmes might be living the dream at present, life has not always been easy for the New York native.
Russell J. Holmes Had A Tough Childhood
After 20 years in the construction game, Russell J. Holmes has finally landed his own HGTV show. With some luck, Holmes could join the ranks of HGTV heavy hitters like Jonathan and Drew Scott 9 (Property Brothers), who have an estimated combined net worth of over $200 million. Although the future shines bright for the father of two, his life has not always been a walk in the park.
“I didn’t have it easy early on,” Holmes disclosed to HGTV. “My father died at 39 from alcoholism and my mother committed suicide after multiple attempts one year on Valentine’s Day.”
Losing both his parents in such tragic ways inspired Holmes to become a first responder. “Witnessing many of those attempts propelled me to become an EMT and fueled my desire to help others,” he shared.
“I never wanted to feel helpless again when it came to assisting someone in need and these days, I’m passionate about anything that deals with suicide prevention.”
Russell J. Holmes’ Adult Life Has Not Been An Easy Ride
Holmes’ adult life also came with its own set of challenges. Presumably due to his problematic childhood, Holmes was unable to attain a high school diploma. However, after welcoming two sons with his ex-wife, Regina T. Holmes, the Garage Rehab alum thought it prudent to give his education another shot.
“I didn’t graduate from high school,” he admitted. “It was important to me to get that degree because how could I tell my kids they have to get an education when I didn’t finish mine?”
The 49-year-old also struggled with alcoholism for most of his adult life. Although Holmes is now eight years sober, attaining this goal mandated radical change and continuous self-reflection.
“During the process of becoming sober, I had to do the step work and acknowledge what was causing me to be that person,” he shared with HGTV.
“Sure, there are medical studies that show alcoholism is hereditary due to an addictive gene, but there’s the other part of it which deals with how you internalize things and the lifestyle you lead," he continued.
"Now, I go to bed every night and evaluate my day and figure out how I can do the right thing and be a better person the next day. Having that perspective in life is a great gift.”
Russell J. Holmes Uses His Experiences To Inspire His Clients
Holmes’ experiences have evolved into a source of inspiration for his clients. In a 2019 interview with MotorTrend, the Garage Rehab star revealed that he shares both his mistakes and successes with his clients in a bid to help them transform their businesses.
"We give them stuff not only based on what we've done to succeed in life, but the mistakes we've made in life,” he said, “because to me, if somebody can learn from the mistakes I've made, why not make that something that helps them? So we go in, and we use all our stuff—the good stuff and the bad stuff that's happened to us in life—and made these garages more successful because of it."
Holmes’s struggles have also nurtured his passion and dedication to helping others and solving problems. The father of four excels at problem-solving so much that, were he to choose a word that resonates with his personality, he would go with ‘fixer.’ “That word [fixer] encompasses it all,” he admitted. “A lot of that came from growing up poor and not being able to hire anyone to fix things. I love being able to problem-solve.”
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGiprqujmrmteclmn6iknZrAbrvFZqmepp%2BrrrW1zqdkoqWgpMC0tcGlnGacmZl6r7vTZp%2BarpVirq95xJqqsmWlpa%2Bztc2goKefXw%3D%3D