Is Tad Starsiak the Best Little Brother on HGTV?
Mina and Karen are obviously the brains and the muscle of the Good Bones operation, but Tad is perhaps equally important as the eternally positive comic relief.
Lauren is a contributing writer to HGTV.com. A former magazine research chief and lifelong maximalist, she's covered everything from design history and lifestyle trends to health and space travel for two decades. She packs an extra carry-on bag for books and decor, and she once won a purse for freehanding an embroidered portrait of David Bowie.
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Mina’s half-brother Tad Starsiak is a familiar face for Good Bones fans, as he’s been making his presence known on demo day, sledgehammer a-swinging, since Season One. Shenanigans always abound when Tad appears — Twitter has even named him Tadmanian Devil — and we love him more for it.
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Now he’s sticking around after demo to learn the ropes as an assistant project manager, and we are here for it — the kooky energy he brings to Mina and Karen’s projects is more than a bit addictive. Join us for a casual, 21st-century Ode to Tad, if you will.
His pleasures are simple
In a world where so many people run themselves ragged trying to Have It All, Tad has the perspective to step back and appreciate elementary pleasures. Like a really, really massive piece of construction equipment.
Find someone who looks at you the way Tad looks at an excavator.
He’s a proud dog dad
Alternatively, find someone who looks at you the way Tad looks at his giant dog, Sirius. Can we also talk about that teeny-tiny little Christmas sweater in the photo on the left?
... And a proud dog uncle
Keep your eyes peeled for a bigger version of Mina’s dog Frank on job sites this season: She’s bringing him along to get him used to the sounds of the family business. Back to the ode, though: Tad, we salute you and your dog photos. Please keep them coming.
He lives life out loud
When Tad and Mina found a piece of mystery equipment in the crawl space and needed Karen to provide an expert ID, he had no problem asking for a helping hand. Speaking of,
His unconventional-family love gives us all the feels
Though Tad and Karen aren’t blood-relatives, it’s obvious to anyone who lays eyes on them that they’re family. Tad's mom passed away when he was young, and he ended up living with Karen for a bit. Now that he's working with Two Chicks and a Hammer, he gets even more quality family time with Karen.
"When I was going through that rough time, every day I woke up and she was there for me," Tad said. "It's great having her as a teacher and as another mom."
He has ... unique talents
Like sweating. A lot. His perspiration was even inspiration for Mina, who challenged him to hit a tiny target with beard sweat from one floor up. “It didn’t take that long!” she said with, yes, a note of sisterly appreciation in her voice.
His chaos is (mostly) controlled
OK, yes, Tad has a bit of a history when it comes to demo day shenanigans: roof parkour and wrestling with the crew for his Vine videos (RIP), smashing windows he's not supposed to, throwing clawfoot tubs from the second story of a house ... all of that said, there’s vicarious satisfaction in watching him punch walls and break things.
(And regarding the tub throwing: It should be noted that Karen eventually forgave Tad (and Austin) for unintentionally exploding a perfectly intact tub. She conceded that they had chucked them successfully in the past.)
He appreciates Karen's Craft Cabin
Mina doesn’t always share her mom’s enthusiasm for preservation or DIY projects. Tad? Tad shares everyone’s enthusiasm for everything. Tad is a ray of sunshine.
He wants to fly
Spread your wings, Baby Bird Tad. We’ll tune in for it.
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