What Happened to HGTV’s Alison Victoria & Ex-Partner Donovan Eckhardt? Inside Their Drama

Alison Victoria is bringing her talents to Las Vegas on the new show Sin City Rehab, but she previously worked in Chicago for five seasons on Windy City Rehab. HGTV’s Chicago-based show was not without its shortage of drama, especially in the early seasons.

That’s because of legal drama involving Victoria and her former business partner Donovan Eckhardt, whom she no longer works with. Scroll down for a refresh on what happened, including where the two stand today.

What happened to Alison Victoria and Donovan Eckhardt?

Victoria and Eckhardt had a falling out in 2020, which was documented on Season 2 of Windy City Rehab. Victoria officially pulled the plug on her working relationship with the contractor after she found out he mishandled company finances, she revealed on an episode of the show.

At the time of the falling out, Eckhardt’s contractor’s license was suspended (more on that below), but Victoria found that he’d still issued an invoice to his own company. “What are you getting paid for?” she wondered, noting that he couldn’t have done the work due to his suspension. She feared he was also letting other invoices “slip” through for work he hadn’t actually done.

“You got the money off the top,” she ranted. “That means that’s my money too. Those are my houses. That’s my bank loan. And I received zero from those jobs. From most of them, I received zero profit.”

“This is the end with me and Donovan,” Victoria said. “He’s gone, by his own right, by his own doing. I have lost a friend and I have lost a business partner. But I do know this … this happened for a reason, and I know that I am strong, and I know that I will get through this.”

In 2021, Eckhardt sued Discovery Inc. and Big Table Media, Windy City Rehab’s production company, claiming the accusations about how he handled finances were false. While he did not sue Victoria directly, she was inadvertently brought into the lawsuit amid Eckhardt’s claims of “defamation” and “intentional infliction of emotional distress.”

Eckhardt claimed he was painted as the “villain” on Windy City Rehab, leading to “depression, sleeplessness, and loss of appetite,” according to Chicago Sun Times. He said he also lost money because of the drama. The lawsuit was dismissed, per Chicago Sun Times.

Why did Donovan Eckhardt lose his license?

Eckhardt’s contractor license was suspended for 45 days in 2019, according to the Chicago Sun Times. The outlet reported that Eckhardt “violated the law by building three garages and garage decks without permits and endangering workers and the public by removing flooring at properties without putting up safety barriers.”

In defense, Eckhardt claimed that he did not give the direction to complete this work. He said the work was done by people he authorized to work on the properties, though. The city still held him liable since he was still the company owner. Eckhardt was also accused of working at 11 properties without the proper permits.

All of this came amid a bunch of other legal issues for Victoria and Eckhardt. The two were hit with multiple stop-work orders due to building violations in 2019, and we also unable to file new permits at this time. They were also sued by some of the homeowners whose homes they renovated. One particular buyer sued for fraud in 2020, claiming their upstairs shower leaked gallons of water just one day after they closed on the house, with more problems arising from there.

Plus, Eckhardt was sued by a subcontractor, who claimed he did not receive more than $100,000 he was owed for work he did on a project.

Are Alison Victoria and Donovan Eckhardt friends now?

No, Eckhardt and Victoria no longer have a working relationship or a friendship. She told People in 2023 that they’re no longer friends, and reiterated this in another interview with the outlet in 2024.

“Donovan who?” she said. “It is so far behind me that I don’t even look back. But I know it’s so important because when people come up to me, they say, ‘I love your show, I love you and watching you go through that has helped me. Thank you for being vulnerable. Thank you for showing it.'”

Per his Instagram page, Eckhardt still appears to be doing contracting work.

Sin City Rehab, Season 1, Wednesdays, 9/8c, HGTV