HGTV's 'The Cousins' File For Bankruptcy Over Bergen Renovation

The co-hosts of HGTV’s ”Kitchen Cousins” home improvement show filed for personal bankruptcy last week after an unfavorable ruling was issued against them alleging they did a shoddy renovation on a home once owned by former New York Yankee Don Mattingly.

John Colaneri, of Ramsey, and Anthony Carrino, filed separately in Newark Aug. 4 after they lost an $860,000 award in favor of homeowners Robert and Peng Avery, NorthJersey.com reported.

The Averys sued Colaneri, Carrino, and Carrino’s Brunelleschi Construction for breach of contract, fraud, and other wrongdoing related to the alleged renovation, the report states.

The couple reportedly said they paid the construction company more than $200,000 for the “botched work,” which included gaps in sheetrock, improperly installed ductwork, incomplete plumbing hookups, and other problems.

Colaneri and Carrino also allegedly lied about the house passing final inspections and abandoned the job after being paid $211,000, NJ.com reported.

Colaneri and Carrino became regular characters on the home improvement network following the success of their show “Kitchen Cousins.” Spin offs included “Cousins on Call” and “Cousins Undercover.”

David L. Stevens, a Wayne lawyer, told The Record the pair should never have been named individually as defendants in the case as it has “nothing to do with them personally.

“The Cousins’” Facebook page, which has more than 152,000 “likes” does not mention the suit or the work performed at the house.

“The Cousins are all about helping neighborhood heroes and giving back to those who give so much to others,” the pair’s Facebook states.

Colaneri owes ConnectOne Bank in Englewood Cliffs nearly $1 million on a mortgage, the report states.

“Kitchen Cousins” and HGTV were not parties in the suit and the job was not featured on “Kitchen Cousins” nor its spin-offs “Cousins On Call” and “Cousins Undercover.”

Brunelleschi Construction is headquartered in Jersey City. On its website, the company calls itself a “premier urban developer of mixed-use and adaptive re-use properties.”

According to the pair’s Facebook page, they are starring in another HGTV program called “America’s Most Desperate Kitchens,” which airs Wednesdays.

A phone call to Brunelleschi Construction for comment went unanswered.

(Photo: HGTV)