A Sequim man and his family will soon take on one of the biggest names in home decorating reality TV.

Bristol Marunde, a 2000 Sequim High grad and mixed martial artist, and his wife Aubrey star in “Flip or Flop Vegas,” a 30-minute home improvement show running 13 episodes, airing weekly starting at 9 p.m. Thursday, April 6, on HGTV.

“It’s a huge opportunity,” Aubrey said, sitting in the Sequim Starbucks during a recent visit to Bristol’s hometown.

“There are going to be a lot of eyes on us going into that franchise.”

The pair join the network’s plan for five “Flip or Flop” spin-offs including shows based in Atlanta, Fort Worth, Nashville and Chicago.

The Marundes’ show is first to premiere and they’ve been heavily promoted on the network and other national media, but the pair said they’ve been too busy to notice.

“We’re so consumed in projects right now, we haven’t had much time to pay attention to it,” Aubrey said.

In July, their original show “High Stakes Flippers” premiered on HGTV and it got good ratings, the couple said. But it was put in limbo until the show went on to become “Flip or Flop Vegas,” which the Marundes presume may have been part of a plan for sometime.

They’ve been filming for the new series since September with five episodes set to finish soon.

Aubrey said their show presents more of the design and construction process from beginning to end on a different home each episode and they both have their hands in the entirety of each project.

“We’re not made for TV,” Bristol said. “We actually do the work. That’s unique to us. We enjoy the work and love getting our hands dirty.”

He said they’ll focus on the process and the products and how they are using them.

Construction is non-stop, Bristol said, and the pair is on their various sites daily all readying for the show with filming running four-five days a week.

“Las Vegas has a huge underlying element to the show,” Aubrey said. “We love Las Vegas and everything about it.”

Sequim ties

A few years before he ventured to Las Vegas, Bristol spent his middle and high school years in Sequim bucking hay for Cy Frick and Ric Erickson, and commercial fishing in Alaska during the summers and working at Tim’s Cabinets a few summers during college, said his mom Gigi Marunde, who still lives in Sequim.

Going into the trades industry isn’t surprising, Gigi said, because her son’s always been handy.

“I always gave him something I had broken and asked him to fix it,” Gigi said. “He’s just always loved it.”

Bristol’s dad Chuck Marunde, also a Sequim resident, said he’s enjoyed creating his whole life.

“He’s very good at figuring things out and working with his hands,” Chuck said. “He’s an entrepreneur at heart. That’s the key. He would rather work for himself even if it’s harder.”

Growing up in Sequim, Chuck said the community doesn’t believe in entitlement.

“If you want something, you have to make it happen for yourself,” he said.

Gigi said Bristol’s passion for real estate took off when he met Aubrey.

The pair met at a UFC fight where he talked to her about buying a home, which led to a coffee date.

Aubrey comes from a similarly sized small town, Milton, Pa., as Sequim where she competed in gymnastics and cheerleading and pursued a scholarship to UNLV for cheer before pursuing her real estate license.

The Marundes visit Sequim, where they bought a home in 2012, at least four times a year for MMA fights at Clearwater Casino Resort in Suquamish that Bristol coordinates and promotes through his businesses.

“We love to come here,” Bristol said.

“With the trees and mountains, it’s a such a break for us,” Aubrey said.

The couple loves taking their two boys, Kale, 6, and Kane, 3, to some of Bristol’s favorite spots like the Dungeness Spit and the Dungeness Valley Creamery when they have time.

They have flipped homes before in Sequim, Aubrey said, and it’s not out of the picture for them to do it again.

“I love this market,” she said. “It’s very consistent for flippers.”

TV time

Pursuing television was not something the Marundes had in mind when they began flipping homes.

After Bristol fought in the show “The Ultimate Fighter” he didn’t want to do reality TV again or be away from his family, he said.

But interest continued to come in from different production companies after he shared images of his projects on Instagram.

From there he did interviews that led to a deal with High Noon Entertainment, which produces other HGTV shows like “Fixer Upper.”

Bristol said he wanted more time with his family and they wanted a real show.

“We want it to come across as authentic,” he said. “We told producers we want something real without creating false drama.”

“There’s enough stuff that happens on a construction site everyday that you don’t have to create stuff,” Aubrey said.

They began the pitch process for “High Stakes Flippers” and now “Flip or Flop Vegas” in May 2015, the couple said.

“We’re not afraid to say how hard it is to get here,” Aubrey said.

“Some people think you show up and stand on camera for a few minutes.”

In some of their national interviews, they’ve been asked if they are worried about the fate of their marriage unraveling as they gain fame, but the Marundes aren’t deterred.

“We’re not worried about that,” Bristol said. “We work well together.”

“We’re not getting thrown into this after a few months or a year,” Aubrey said. “This is nine years in the making. We’ve got a strong hold on our business.”

Handling it all

The couple took solace in a quiet ride from SeaTac to Sequim on March 24 when they got to talk without interruption.

“We’re constantly coming and going,” Aubrey said. “We’re on set a lot so it’s a really cool thing we get to work together. If he wouldn’t be with me along for this ride, I would have pulled out a long time ago.”

With a tightening schedule, building projects become a place for the family to come together, too, Bristol said.

“We just juggle everything,” he said. “We’re busy all the time. We bring toys on the job site and give the boys brooms and they’ll help us. We don’t send them to a babysitter. It’s a family thing.”

Recently, the couple went out to dinner and were told soon they won’t be able to do it without being stopped by viewers.

Bristol’s parents feel he can handle it though since he’s been under the limelight before.

“That’s the easy part for Bristol,” Chuck said. “He’s been in front of tens of thousands of people watching him fight. People don’t generally understand the awesome pressure it puts on a person. He’ll be comfortable and have a lot of fun with it.”

Gigi sees Bristol as a humble husband, father and businessman.

“It’s really the grace of God (he was chosen for the show),” Gigi said.

“He didn’t set out to be on the No. 1 home renovation network. It presented itself to him for doing a good job, for his personality and for Aubrey’s business sense. She’s really a brilliant woman and a great wife and mother.”

Before the couple’s big premiere though back in Bristol’s hometown, they seemed content to sip coffees and enjoy the quiet before fame comes knocking on one of their new homes.

Flip or Flop Vegas premieres at 9 p.m. Thursday, April 6, on HGTV. Read more at www.HGTV.com. Find the couple on Instagram at @AubreyMarunde and @BristolMarunde.

For the homes seen on “Flip or Flop Vegas,” Bristol Marunde works on many elements of the project while his wife designs them. “We’re not made for TV,” Bristol said. “We actually do the work. That’s unique to us. We enjoy the work and love getting our hands dirty.”

Bristol and Aubrey Marunde’s show “Flip or Flop Vegas” originally started as “High Stakes Flippers” for HGTV but was rebranded to start the franchise for the popular home renovation show. Photo courtesy of HGTV

Aubrey and Bristol Marunde keep a home in Sequim and visit at least four times a year from Las Vegas. Bristol runs mixed martial arts fights through his Reign Promotions at Clearwater Casino Resort. Photo courtesy of HGTV