The Ups And Downs Of HGTV Couple Kortney & Dave Wilson's Relationship

HGTV is no stranger to on-screen power couples. Whether it's former network stars Chip and Joanna Gaines of "Fixer Upper" fame or Ben and Erin Napier from "Home Town," spouses flipping houses is a tried-and-true formula for HGTV. So when Dave and Kortney Wilson's series "Masters of Flip" hit the channel in 2015, the show's premise was par for the course. The Nashville-based musicians-turned-house flippers were already established TV personalities before they joined the network, and they gained a whole new batch of fans when they became a part of the HGTV family. And, as is wont to happen with HGTV couples, a number of those fans became invested in their personal lives.

Kortney and Dave's relationship commenced over a decade before "Masters of Flip" premiered, and by all accounts, they seemed meant to be on "Masters of Flip." And so, their sudden split raised questions about what was going on behind the scenes and whether or not the cameras were sugarcoating their reality. Though we may never know the full story of what happened, it's fair to say Dave and Kortney's relationship has seen its share of peaks and valleys. From the start to the very end of their relationship, here are the ups and downs Dave and Kortney experienced over the years.

Before flipping homes, Dave and Kortney Wilson led somewhat similar lives. Both were born and raised in Ontario and eventually left Canada to chase their respective music careers. Their paths first crossed in Nashville. Dave was living in London at the time, but they met while he was visiting the mecca of country music, where Kortney was living. "We met 17 years ago," Kortney in a 2015 interview with the National Post. "We met through a mutual friend, and I called my parents a month later to tell them I'd fallen in love."

It was certainly love at first sight for Dave. In an episode of their 2009 CMT reality show "Meet The Wilsons," he noted how attracted he was to Kortney from the start. "I don't know, she had this 'I'm new to life' type thing, and she had this energy about her. It was in her spirit," Dave gushed. "I don't know. ... I hadn't seen that in a long time." The two hit it off immediately — so much so that Dave decided to part ways with his band across the pond. "I called my band and said I'm not coming back to London," he told the National Post. "And the rest is history."

Before becoming the stars of "Masters of Flip," Dave and Kortney Wilson pursued music careers. Both were signed acts, with Kortney on the verge of success with a debut album in the works and a collaboration with Reba McEntire. What's more, Kortney had a guest arc on the soap opera "One Life to Live" in the early 2000s. Though they seemed to be making headway in the entertainment industry, chasing their dreams left them in dire straits early on. 

In an episode of "Meet The Wilsons," Kortney noted how difficult this period of time was for them. "We struggled a bit. I signed a record deal with Lyric Street, and struggled a bit more, and had a brief stint on a soap opera, 'One Life to Live,'" she explained. "Then 9/11 hit. I was released from my record deal. Dave was signed to his record deal shortly before that. Shortly after 9/11, he was released from his record deal, and we were struggling again."

Due to their financial issues, Kortney eventually decided to leave music behind and pursue real estate instead. As she recounted on a 2024 episode of "A Woman Like You," Dave was initially against her doing so. "Money doesn't make you happy, but money gives you freedom. And I wanted that freedom. I wanted to not worry. And so, I decided to be a realtor. And I remember Dave saying, 'No, Don't do it, don't give up,'" she recalled. "I was like, 'No, I got to do it.'"

Though he was not on board with Kortney Wilson giving up her musical dreams initially, Dave Wilson eventually came around to her pursuing real estate. So much so that Dave himself quit music to get into the real estate game, as it was a more sustainable career path than recording artist. As they dove further into the field, the two made their first attempt at flipping a house in 2004. As Kortney shared in a two-part 2016 interview with This Mom Loves, they were between a house they recently bought and one they wanted to move into. They'd unsuccessfully put their house up for sale before a flooding incident depreciated its value.

With their insurance money, Dave and Kortney gave themselves the responsibility of renovating the house. It worked out better than they expected, causing Dave and Kortney to take on more projects afterward. "After we did that project and added on to the house, we thought, 'We can actually manage this, so maybe we should take on a flip, take another leap of faith,'" Kortney noted. "We took on one that was more cosmetic: countertops, paint, ripping up the carpet, and I think, at the time, Dave may have been working as a waiter in downtown Nashville, in between a publishing deal and a record deal, and within a few weeks, we had made something like $25,000, and we thought, 'This is way better than waiting tables!'"

Between Dave and Kortney Wilson's financial issues and growing family, the pair somehow found a way to fit a wedding amidst all the chaos in their lives. Tying the knot in 2001, Dave and Kortney wed each other well before starting their venture into real estate and television. In the first episode of "Meet The Wilsons," Kortney noted they got hitched when they weren't in the best spot with regards to their careers or finances. "What better time to get married and put that pressure on us?" she quipped. The special occasion was worth reliving for Dave and Kortney as this wouldn't be the only time they'd say "I do." Since 2001, the pair made it their personal tradition to renew their vows to each other every few years.

During a 2019 appearance on "Cityline," Dave and Kortney shared that they had four weddings in total. They agreed to this tradition to recapture the magic during their first wedding ceremony. "After we got married, we thought it was a shame that you only got married once. ... So we've decided to renew our vows every few years," she explained. "And so, we've actually been married four times." Dave and Kortney also announced that around that time, they were due for a vow renewal. However, unforeseen circumstances — which we'll get to later — would change the course of this entirely.

Although music was Dave and Kortney Wilson's first love, music would not be the thing that made them household names. However, that does not mean they closed the door on their music careers forever. In 2009 — the same year the future "Masters of Flip" stars appeared in their first TV show, "Meet The Wilsons" — when they came together as the music duo the Wilsons. They made their music debut with songs like "Stick Together" and "Mine All Mine."

The pair signed to Open Road Recordings and released their self-titled album in 2010. In 2012, their song "Marry Me Again" reached the top 40 on Canadian Country Mediabase charts. When talking about their success to Top Country that year, Kortney expressed how lucky they felt to make music again. "It is crazy exciting. Music is where it all started for us, and we feel like it has come full circle," she said. "We are so grateful that radio has been so supportive this early on. Makes us excited to record and write more music. We've been watching the charts each week, which we said we wouldn't do, but it's so much more fun when your song is doing really well." They released music throughout the early 2010s, uploading a mixture of original songs and covers on their YouTube channel, KortneyandDave.

After Dave and Kortney Wilson got married in 2001, they wasted little time becoming parents. In 2004, Dave and Kortney welcomed their firstborn, Jett Wilson, and two years later, they introduced Sullivan "Sully" Wilson. Motherhood was important for Kortney. So much so that in her 2016 interview with This Mom Loves, she recalled telling Dave that she eventually wanted to adopt a child. After Jett and Sully were born, Kortney was ready to take the necessary steps to adopt. "I remember one day nursing our second child, and he was really young, maybe two or three months, and I said, 'It's time!' And Dave said, 'Time for what?' and I said, 'Time to start the adoption process!'" she recalled. "And as any father of a second baby would say, his response was, 'Are you kidding me? Our child is two months old!'"

This didn't deter Kortney from going forward with the adoption process, and it didn't keep Dave from being by her side every step of the way. It wasn't easy for the future "Masters of Flip" stars, as their first attempt at adoption did not work out. While this left Kortney heartbroken, they eventually adopted Lennox Esmee Wilson on March 8, 2009, the same day as Dave and Kortney's wedding anniversary. "I just felt like that was something that I was always supposed to do. ... I'm certainly glad I did because Lennox was always supposed to be part of our family," Kourtney said.

The 2015 premiere of HGTV's "Masters of Flip" showcased Dave and Kortney Wilson's renovation skills as well as their loving family dynamic. After achieving television success, the two learned to separate their professional careers from their personal lives. As professionals, however, they sometimes used their skill set to spruce up their own home. This was certainly the case in 2017 when she decided to take a big swing and transform their primary bedroom into a giant closet space.

In a 2017 interview with Streets of Toronto, Kortney shared that Dave wasn't fond of the idea early on. "When I told Dave that I had the idea of turning our master bedroom into my walk-in closet and the office next to our bedroom into our new sleep space, it was a bit of a head scratcher. So much so that I moved the bedroom one day when he wasn't home to help him visualize it," she said. "Then, we began the process." 

Apparently, Dave came around to the idea as Kortney renovated the bedroom to suit her artistic vision. This resulted in a spacious boutique-like area that Kortney described as her dream closet at the cost of her and Dave's former bedroom. "It's not one of those necessities, like, say, your kitchen, but I'm proud of the space. ... It has been a joy to start my morning off in a space that reflects me," she told the outlet. 

Whether it was making music, starring on television shows, getting into real estate, or even writing a book, Dave and Kortney Wilson worked closely for years. Given their success, their partnership sure seemed to be fruitful from the outside looking in. However, behind closed doors, Dave and Kortney faced a number of marital issues while trying to balance their professional and personal lives. 

On a 2024 episode of the "A Woman Like You" podcast, Kortney noted how stressful it had become navigating their relationship on and off TV. Their markedly different personalities was one of the things that made "Masters of Flip" work, but it put a strain on their marriage behind the scenes. So much so that by the end of the fourth season, Kortney knew the show couldn't go on. "I was fighting for my marriage at that point," she said. "I was fighting to make it easier on us. ... The show was tough to make; it was hard. Working together is hard."

2019 also marked the release of their book, "Live Happy: The Best Ways to Make Your House a Home." Kortney pointed to an argument she had with Dave on the way to a book signing as an example of how tense their personal relationship was. "I remember that moment of us having to look at each other and say, 'Okay, now this is our professional life. We've got to get through this. We've got to go do this thing,'" she recalled.

In 2019, "Masters of Flip" ended. That same year, Dave and Kortney Wilson's relationship woes boiled over. Whether it be a book signing event where the two argued beforehand or Dave quipping that they were "due for divorce" during their appearance on Cityline, it was clear they were in a rough patch. 

That same year, Kortney took to Instagram to release a joint statement from her and Dave announcing their divorce, as their relationship had run its course. "It is with a very heavy heart that we share with all of you that after nearly 18 years of marriage, we have decided to separate," the statement read. "As most of you know, there is so much more to every story, and ours is no different. What we want you to know, most of all, is that we have the utmost love and respect for one another. We ask for kindness and understanding during this very difficult and private time."

This took fans by surprise, as many were unsure what their divorce meant for the show. The former couple had to navigate the final moments of their marriage while filming Season 1 of "Making It Home."Dave and Kortney got through the first season of the "Masters of Flip" spinoff and separated shortly thereafter. In Season 2, contractor Kenny Brain replaced Dave.

Dave and Kortney Wilson split right before COVID-19, and the complications and challenges that came with the pandemic certainly did not make their divorce easier. Nonetheless, they remained committed to putting their kids' well-being first. Though Dave left their shared household, he stayed close enough to see his family whenever he could.

With Kortney dating again while pursuing more television opportunities and Dave shifting his focus to music, it's clear the two have moved on with their lives. Although their romantic relationship is long behind them, their split was amicable enough that they could reconnect as a family unit any time. This was evident in December 2020 when Kortney took to Facebook to share a selfie of her and Dave during a family holiday getaway at Boyne Mountain in Michigan. "Yes, we are divorced. But we both love and respect each other, and we want to be there for our kids. It's not always easy, and we don't intend to make it look that way, but it works for us. Our kids come first, and we are enjoying hanging as a family for a few days @boyne.mountain during the holidays," she wrote. "Cheers to all of you out there trying to navigate different types of family situations. Our hearts are with you!"

In 2023, Kortney remarried. She wed entrepreneur Ryan Vella, who she began dating following her split from Dave.