The Unusual Way Ty Pennington Kickstarted His Career

Ty Pennington is best known for his hosting gigs and building homes — from "Trading Spaces," to "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," to his HGTV show, "Rock the Block." It's no mystery what Pennington is up to these days, but Pennington's first foray into the spotlight came as a model... and it happened accidentally. Pennington would go on to achieve success in modeling, even landing campaigns with companies like J.Crew, Macy's, and Levi's. But Pennington's modeling career was cut short after suffering injuries in a car accident at age 27, leading him to trade in his headshot for a tool belt as he became a carpenter for the next nine years before his television fame.

Pennington never aspired to be a model, according to a 2015 IndyStar interview. Pennington's interests growing up were grounded in graphic design and construction. One day, while in college at the Art Institute of Atlanta, Pennington parents dropped him off at a gas station and unbeknownst to Pennington, an interaction there would open a door into the modeling world that he never planned on entering in the first place.

Ty Pennington thought he was having an ordinary day, waiting at a gas station, when he was handed a card by a man working for a modeling agency that would change the course of his life. Pennington recounted the chance meeting in an interview with Fox News: "This guy came up to me and handed me a card and said, 'Hey, I think I can make you some money.' In Atlanta at that time, I was like, 'I bet you can!' But I really like to make money the old-fashioned way."

Despite the initial skepticism, Pennington took the man up on his offer a few months later and visited the agency. When Pennington arrived sporting a rat-tail hairstyle, he was laughed off by all but one of the modeling scouts, who told him he had what it took to be a print model. The only catch was the scout was Japanese, and Pennington's first modeling contract would require a trip to Japan. This time it was Pennington's parents who were skeptical of the offer, but Pennington proceeded. The trip to Japan helped Pennington develop the skills he would use not only in his modeling career, but his television one, as well. "I learned to be comfortable in front of the camera," Pennington added. 

Following his return from Japan, Pennington went on to book four commercials in a row after auditioning in New York City. Pennington's one-in-a-million meeting at a gas station and trip to Japan showed him a glimpse of the life he wanted to live, one where he embraced every opportunity given, as he told TooFab in 2023. "I've always gone through whatever door of opportunity opens," he said, "because you never know what that experience is going to lead to."