The Wild Way HGTV's Alison Victoria Discovered Her Former Costar's Shady Business Practices
True HGTV fans know the truth about Donovan Eckhardt from "Windy City Rehab." Eckhardt was the show's contractor, working with interior designer and host Alison Victoria. However, their professional relationship fell apart like a poorly constructed house when the two were hit with legal troubles. They had their new permit privileges suspended by the city of Chicago. Eckhardt was reportedly in trouble for working without a permit at 11 properties, each of which received a stop-work order. Since unlicensed workers also contributed to the construction of those houses, the city of Chicago said the work "poses an immediate or imminent threat to the health and safety of workers or the public" (via Chicago Sun-Times).
Four properties Eckhardt worked on didn't have final inspections either, and there were problems with a variety of the properties Eckhardt and Victoria worked on. The city was poised to suspend Eckhardt's residential real estate developer and general contractor licenses for a year. The scandals plaguing "Windy City Rehab" and its stars also include lawsuits from homeowners.
HGTV viewers saw the drama unfold on screen. A Season 2 episode of "Windy City Rehab" explored the stop-work orders and Eckhardt's suspension — which ended up being 45 days instead of a full year. In the episode, Victoria said she learned about Eckhardt's suspensions through the media and had no prior knowledge of his misdeeds.
Victoria also thought Eckhardt was involved in suspicious money-related activity
In the "Windy City Rehab" episode discussing Donovan Eckhardt's actions, Alison Victoria said, "That's a massive, massive problem." She said the deputy commissioner of Chicago "had made it very clear that [Eckhardt] hadn't gotten inspections or final inspections on 20 plus properties that he did before he even met [her]."
Season 2 of "Windy City Rehab" also included money-related drama because the house-flipping duo was turned down for a loan. Victoria didn't realize that the budget for one of their projects had been paid directly to Eckhardt's company. "I don't know what to believe anymore," Victoria said. "For so long, I was letting [Eckhardt] run all the budgets, do all the bank draws, deal with the bank accounts, and I was just designing. It's been shocking."
Eventually, the business partners were able to work again — although, at first, any work they were allowed to do was conditional. They weren't able to get permits to build anything new but could continue working on in-progress properties. "It's only to correct past violations," Gregg Cunningham from the Department of Buildings said, according to Block Club Chicago. However, the show's troubles ruined the pair's friendship, and Eckhardt didn't stay much longer on the show after everything went down.
Eckhardt later sued their production company and Discovery Inc.
In a "Windy City Rehab" episode aired in October 2020, viewers saw Alison Victoria and Donovan Eckhardt's partnership officially end. Victoria found an invoice for payment to Eckhardt's company that she believed was incorrect because he wasn't able to do the construction work described while suspended. When confronted with the invoice, Eckhardt tried to explain what it was for by bringing up things like conversations with investors. He eventually said, "I don't care anymore. Fine. Don't write the check." It was never confirmed if Victoria's accusation that the money wasn't properly earned for some other kind of work was correct.
After the drama unfolded and Eckhardt and "Windy City Rehab" parted ways, he sued Discovery Inc. and the show's production company, Big Table Media. Although Eckhardt didn't sue Alison Victoria directly, he claimed the accusations lobbed his way about mishandling finances were false. He also said the show was scripted and that it was Big Table Media's fault that they had all the construction and legal troubles due to the pressure to get things done quickly. Eckhardt sued for $2.2 million for "defamation," "intentional infliction of emotional distress," and "trade libel." His case was dismissed, and when he appealed, it was dismissed again.
Unsurprisingly, Victoria refuses to watch "Windy City Rehab" Season 2 after all the drama, and she is grateful for her fresh start on the show without Eckhardt.