Marty Raney confirmed even before Homestead Rescue had begun to air, that Discovery pays for the construction and renovation done on the show.
In the last seven years, the Homestead Rescue front man and all-round Alaskan homesteading expert, Marty Raney, and the members of his family have helped dozens of novice homesteaders who have found themselves in a tough spot living-wise.
The Raneys have been tasked with constructing and fixing everything from chicken coops and reclaimed greenhouses, to brand new cabins.
However, if you have ever been involved in a large-scale home renovation project of your own, you will know that the costs of such a project can rack up very quickly.
And the costs are likely to skyrocket even more when you are building off the grid, and as unconventionally as Marty, Misty, and Matt Raney do on their hit show, Homestead Rescue.
Who foots the bill?
And this has led Homestead Rescue fans all over the world to questioning who exactly pays for all of the creative renovations and construction that we have seen play out on the show over the years.
Fortunately though, Marty already answered this question years ago, before the premiere episode of Homestead Rescue even hit the air.
According to a 2016 interview that Marty conducted with realityblurred.com’s Andy Dehnart, Discovery actually covers the bill on these elaborate projects.
Though it is worth noting that Marty did mention that he sometimes needed to “convince them” to make the budget available when a homestead needed significant improvements.
Homestead Rescue over the years
Homestead Rescue has now been cemented as one of Discovery’s most successful reality shows, and has been on the air for over ten seasons.
Homestead Rescue and its incredible run on television (so far) can be outlined as follows:
| Detail | Description |
| Premiere episode | “Abandoned & Alone” (June 17, 2019) |
| Most recent episode | “Land of Fire and Ice” (January 14, 2024) |
| Total number of episodes | 88 |
| Total number of seasons | 11 |
How the show does it all
There is no denying that creating a functioning homestead (often almost from scratch) not only takes a large budget, but also a lot of time and energy.
In fact, this is the entire reason why the Raneys started Homestead Rescue in the first place.
But even with the budget of a large network like Discovery behind them, it is still sometimes difficult to imagine how Homestead Rescue manages to do all that they do, episode after episode.
And it turns out that the answer to this problem is simply classic Alaskan-ingenuity.
Marty has explained that in order to work around Homestead Rescue’s tight budgeting and time-constraints, the team often returns to a staple of the homesteading lifestyle – making the most of what they have.
According to Marty, Discovery has welcomed this approach and the network often encourages the team to “scour the property and to use everything that’s not nailed down”.
Does the show really do it all?
Hearing that the Homestead Rescue team always tries to keep things as authentic as possible during their renovations is a welcome comfort.
But it turns out that much of what we have seen on the show in the past 11 seasons may not be as accurate as the Raneys want everyone to believe.
Quite a few of the homesteaders featured on Homestead Rescue through the years have spoken out about their experiences with the show.
Homestead Rescue has even been sued by a couple, named Kim and Josh Zabec, who, among other things – have alleged that the show is almost completely fabricated.
Wren and Ini, another couple who enjoyed their Homestead Rescue experience for the most part, have also confirmed that the Raneys do not do all of the behind-the-scenes construction work (as the show so often implies).
Will Homestead Rescue return for another season?
The most recent, eleventh season of Homestead Rescue is slowly drawing to a close, and the show should air its final episode, titled “Mesa Meltdown” on January 21, 2024.
Unfortunately, Discovery has not put out any official word on whether or not the show will be renewed for a 12th season yet.
But judging by the show’s continued good performance, it is likely just a matter of time before the Raneys return to our television screens for yet another season of creative and innovative homestead rescuing.
Warner Bros. Discovery recently confirmed that Homestead Rescue “continues to deliver season-over-season ratings growth”, which means that there is no real concern that the show will be cancelled anytime soon.
Moreover, judging by Marty’s most recent social media posts, it seems like the team may already be hard at work filming for a brand-new season.
