What Your Favorite HGTV Stars Looked Like Before They Were Famous
The stars of HGTV might be recognizable faces today but it wasn't always like that. Back before they were designing, building, and demolishing their way to home renovation stardom, they were regular people like you and me. Some of them are practically unrecognizable as kids, while others are all too recognizable in their '80s and '90s trends. Check out all your favorite HGTV stars before they were famous.
David Bromstad Sure Loved Disney
The winner of HGTV Design Star's debut season didn't expect to have a career in design. In fact, all those Disney stuffed animals that he's holding might give you a clue to what his original dream was.
Bromstad wanted to be a Disney animator and even attended the Ringling College of Art and Design to do so. He ended up getting a job as a Disney illustrator but after being let go, he decided to try interior design.
That's Nicole Curtis Behind Those Curls
The star of Rehab Addict shared this adorable #TBT and gave us a little insight into life before she became an HGTV star. Curtis admitted that she was often called "the most polite little boy" because of her looks and that her diary was filled with worries about never being asked to dance.
Curtis was obviously able to get over her insecurities because it didn't take long for her to find her way in a man's world.
Tarek El Moussa Looks Exactly The Same
El Moussa, one half of Flip or Flop, shared this photo on his Instagram and people couldn't help but laugh at how much he's changed but still looks exactly the same. He guesses that this photo was from 1987 so he would have been only 6 years old!
El Moussa might have more muscles and more puffer vests in his wardrobe now but he still has the same deadpan look in his eyes. This is one of those throwback photos that you could spot from a mile away.
Erin And Ben Napier Were Married Four Days Later
We can't get over how cute (and young!) Ben and Erin Napier looked once. This photo was taken just two days after they met and four days before they got married. Yep, you read that right! The Home Town pair definitely had a whirlwind romance.
When Erin shared this photo on her Instagram, she joked at how for the first few dates there was always lipgloss (so 2000s) on Ben's shirt because she didn't know how to hug someone so tall. I'm not crying, you're crying.
Christina Anstead Is Serving Up Serious Valley Girl Vibes
The other half of Flip or Flop looks like she was always a blonde beauty. In fact, Christina Anstead almost looks like a Barbie about to jet off in her dream car. We all dreamed of being the tall, blonde girl from California who got a VW Beetle as their first car.
Anstead has been building her brand and will be premiering her new show Christina on the Coast in 2019. We hope this VW Beetle makes an appearance.
Can You Guess Which One Is Joanna Gaines?
Our favorite Magnolia designer is the one in the middle, sandwiched between her older and younger siblings. Joanna Gaines was born in Kansas and raised in Texas. Her father was half German and half Lebanese, while her mother was of Korean ancestry.
Joanna grew up working in her father's tire repair shop but it wasn't until she interned at a few boutiques in New York that she realized her passion for design.
Chip Gaines Is Looking Chipper
Chip, AKA the yin to Joanna's yang, is pictured here one graduation day for Baylor University. Chip Gaines was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and wanted to be a major league baseball player but life got in the way. While attending Baylor, he fell in love with Waco, Texas and met his future wife Joanna.
His original dream may not have worked out but it looks like Chip seems just as fun and happy back then as he is today.
Scott McGillivray
This throwback to a young Scott McGillivray shows that before he was devilishly good looking, he was also devilishly adorable. Those long blonde locks are also proof that he's always had incredibly good hair. McGillivray was born and raised in Toronto, Canada.
He didn't have much interest in real estate until university, where he had to do a school project on income properties. After developing a strategic business model around the property, McGillivray decided to get into the business for himself.
Mike Holmes Had That Look Mastered From A Young Age
This photo might be old and blurry but you can still tell from a mile away that it's Mike Holmes. He's giving us his best "that wasn't made right" look and he was still just a toddler.
It wasn't long after this photo that Holmes would begin his construction career. His father began teaching him carpentry skills when he was six and by the time he was 19, he started his first contracting company with 13 employees.
Mike Holmes Jr. Is Just As Cute
On to the next generation of the Holmes construction dynasty. Mike Jr. is the youngest of three children but he's the only one that followed his dad into the business. If you watched Holmes on Homes, then you might recall Mike Jr.'s television debut when he was 14.
When asked about growing up in front of the camera, Mike Jr. said he "found the cameras EXTREMELY intimidating." Well in this photo he looks like a natural.
Genevieve Gorder Had Some Seriously '70s Vibes
The host of Dear Genevieve looks like a natural in front of the camera, even way back in the 1970s. Genevieve Gorder is now an interior design star but she started out her career as an MTV host. When she was 20, she landed a job at MTV as a commentator for the show Sex in the '90s.
Eventually, she became famous for being a designer on the TLC show Trading Spaces and the rest is interior design history.
Can You Guess Which Scott Brother This Is?
If you knew that was Drew Scott then you must be a serious Property Brothers fan. Drew was a surprise to his parents. They didn't expect to have twins so when Drew arrived four minutes after his brother Jonathan (four minutes later to be exact) it was definitely a shock.
Drew originally wanted to play professional basketball but turned to real estate when he was struggling to find work. Throughout all of this, Drew says his father pictured here was the twins' biggest supporter.
And This Must Be Jonathan
Drew's twin brother Jonathan was equally as adorable when he was a child. Jonathan was the one who pushed for his brother to go into real estate with him. He was the one who first tried his hand at construction but he tried a bunch of other jobs first.
Before he turned to real estate, Jonathan Scott worked as a clown, a flight attendant, a mall cop, and website designer, and a store manager.
Chip And Joanna Finally Together
We've seen Chip and Joanna in their separate throwback photos but we can't get enough of this adorable snap of them together. This photo was taken on October 16, 2003, on the opening day of their Magnolia market store.
When she posted the photo, Joanna shared a touching story of why they named their store Magnolia. Chip would pick Joanna magnolia flowers from trees all around Waco and they wanted to name their blossoming business after their blossoming love. I'm not crying, you're crying.
Mina Starsiak Has Always Looked Pretty In Pink
The star of Good Bones got her start in real estate and now runs a home renovation company with her mother. On the show, Starsiak is known for wearing her pink construction overalls that stand out when she's surrounded by her crew of men.
In this throwback photo, she proves that she's always looked good in pink, even in a different setting. Here she served as a bridesmaid in her step-mother's wedding.
Sabrina Soto Isn't Proud Of Her '90s Bangs
In this adorable throwback photo, the star of The High/Low Project called out her totally '90s bangs. In the caption, she said, "it was either window that day or someone cut off half of my bangs." We've all been there, just be happy you made it past the '80s trend of teased bangs.
As a young child, Soto learned her love of design from her Cuban mother who ran a decorating and home staging business.
Carter Oosterhouse Has Always Been Dreamy
This photo of our favorite hunky carpenter proves that he's always been easy on the eyes. Carter Oosterhouse rose to fame as a carpenter on the TLC series Trading Spaces, but he had been honing his craft for years beforehand.
When Oosterhouse was only 12 years old he began learning carpentry from his neighbor and eventually worked as their apprentice. He was following in his older brothers' footsteps, Todd and Tyler, who are also carpenters.
Egypt Sherrod Was Glowing At Her Graduation
When this photo of Egypt Sherrod was taken, she probably had no idea she'd go on to be a real estate mogul. This throwback is from her graduation from Temple University, where she obtained a degree in broadcasting and telecommunications.
Sherrod planned to be a radio personality but was low on cash. In a pinch, she decided to go into real estate as a "fallback" for radio and as a way to earn retirement money.
Hilary Farr And David Visentin Were So Young In Their First Season
This throwback promotional photo of Hilary Farr and David Visentin from they first season of Love It or List It is absolutely priceless. Just look at Farr's ill-fitting suit jacket and totally 2000s chapped hair-do.
If you look extra close, you might notice that Visentin is holding a Blackberry. Yes, he's on a phone made by a company that no longer exists. 15 seasons later and their show with its trademark friendly banter is still going strong!
Leave It To Bryan Baeumler To Have The Sweetest Smile
You'd hardly recognize all-around handyman Bryan Baeumler with all that hair! The Disaster DIY host hardly looks like he could build a home from the ground up in this photo, but it wouldn't be long before he turned to construction.
Baeumler began learning carpentry tricks from his father who was an aircraft engineer. By the time Baeumler was 14, he had already started his own handyman business by doing odd jobs for neighbors.
