In the spring of 2025, many HGTV viewers fell in love with married couple Daphne Reckert and Ian Figueira on their freshman show “Castle Impossible,” chronicling their renovation of a 500-year-old French castle that Reckert inherited from her grandfather.
While fans have been pining for news on whether HGTV plans to renew the show for a second season, the California natives have continued to post video updates on their Wild Figs YouTube channel periodically, showcasing their progress and cool discoveries, from uncovering 400-year-old artwork to cleaning the castle’s moat with fire.
But in their most recent video, shared on October 19, 2025, Reckert and Figueira shared the sad news that one of their dear family friends, who visited the castle with his wife in a previous video, was critically injured in a tragic accident.
Dad of ‘Castle Impossible’ Star’s Best Friend Suffered ‘Life-Altering Injuries’
At the end of Reckert and Figueira’s latest video, in which they restored beautiful antique stained glass for a bathroom project, they appeared in front of the camera to offer an update and request help from their thousands of fans.
“We wanted to take a minute to share some unfortunate news about someone who is very dear to us,” Figueira began.
Reckert then said, “My best friend’s father, Kevin, slipped off a bridge into a ravine while traveling and has sustained some life-altering injuries.”
“You may recognize our friends Kevin and Debbie from a previous video when they came to visit us at the chateau,” she continued, while they shared a photo of the couple in happier times.
“Unfortunately, this incident has had a huge impact on them,” Figueira said. “Now they have medical bills, displacement, and they’re trying to figure out how they can modify their home just so Kevin can come back.”
They then shared touching footage of Kevin playing his acoustic guitar on the stairs, echoing through the castle, filmed when he and Debbie visited.
‘Castle Impossible’ Couple Asks Fans to Consider Supporting GoFundMe for Their Friend
Reckert and Figueira told fans in their video that a GoFundMe campaign has been created to help Kevin and Debbie. They asked their followers to consider donating “even just a dollar,” Figueira said, adding, “We know anything you can afford will really mean the world to them.”
According to the GoFundMe campaign, set up by Kevin’s kids, he suffered “catastrophic injuries” in a “freak accident” while he and Debbie were visiting friends in Colorado. They said he suffered “multiple fractures in his thoracic vertebrae, a burst fracture at L1 with a subdural hematoma damaging his spinal cord, seven broken ribs, a severe head laceration, a brain bleed, and a mild traumatic brain injury.”
Kevin will need to go from the hospital into a “specialized spinal rehabilitation facility for a minimum of 8 to 12 weeks,” they said, and noted that “his recovery journey will likely demand 12 to 18 months of intensive therapy and care,” with hopes he can walk again.
Fans Flood HGTV Couple With Support & Hope For Their Friend
Fans have flooded the comment section of Recker and Figueira’s latest YouTube video with well-wishes for Kevin.
“Donated what I could,” one follower wrote. “Peace and blessings to all. It is through communities that we become stronger as a people. I don’t know Kevin or for that matter anyone here but we are all human and in that humanity we can make a difference.”
Another weighed in, “I had to come back after watching the whole video to say how sorry I am to hear about your friend Kevin’s accident. I pray for his full recovery, for strength for Debbie and for funds to come into help with their needs”
Many also expressed gratitude for the couple’s periodic progress videos as they wait to hear if HGTV will renew “Castle Impossible” for a second season.
One commented, “So sad we are all praying for him !! Please keep making videos we all just love you guys”
Another shared, “Your videos are such artistry! I hope Kevin gets better soon and is able to come home!”
