All About ‘Castle Impossible’s Daphne Reckert & Ian Figueira: Their Marriage & More

Daphne Reckert and Ian Figueira took HGTV by storm when they began renovating a 500-year-old chateau on Season 1 of Castle Impossible in 2025. Now, they’re back for Season 2, hoping to make the castle, which Reckert inherited from from her grandfather, a top-notch wedding and events space. Amid the second season, the couple also announced an exciting life update in June 2026.

While Reckert and Figueira’s chateau renovations are the focal point of the show, fans have also taken an interest in their relationship. Scroll down to learn more about the longtime lovers, including the latest on their expanding family.

How did Daphne Reckert and Ian Figueira meet?

Reckert and Figueira are high school sweethearts! They dated during their high school years in California, but ended up splitting in 2009 when their paths took them in different directions. She went to college, while he joined the U.S. Air Force. Reckert attended community college before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley when she was 21.

The couple reconnected in 2015 when they were both home in California for the holidays. At the time, Figueira was living in Arizona, and Reckert was just finishing up her UC Berkeley education.

Figueira returned to Arizona, and he and Reckert dated long-distance as he finished his studies. Finally, in 2017, he transferred to California State University Monterey Bay, and they moved in together. The following year, Reckert relocated to France so she could help her grandmother care for her ailing grandfather (Figueira studied abroad in Paris so he could be by Reckert’s side).

As Reckert worked to help her grandparents keep their chateau profitable, she and Figueira got engaged in March 2020. They tied the knot that December, and Figueira officially moved to France with his wife in August 2021.

Do Daphne Reckert and Ian Figueira have kids?

No, the couple does not have any children (at least not yet). However, they announced on June 2 (in a preview for that night’s Castle Impossible) that Reckert is pregnant! The pair shared the news by surprising Reckert’s grandmother with a note that said,”Surprise, you’re going to be a super Granny to our little baby.”

They said they did not know the baby’s sex, but Reckert gushed, “It’ll be really nice having the three generations living together,” referring to her grandmother also living on the property. “I’ve always wanted to be a mom. I think I was around 2 and a half when I started pushing around my first doll and saying that I was gonna be a mother of 10. I’m not gonna have 10 kids, but to finally have a baby of my own, that’s really exciting.”

Meanwhile, Reckert and Figueira often have family members come visit the chateau amid the renovations. “It takes a village — especially a castle in France,” Figueira told Better Homes & Gardens. “We have friends and family that want to stay for a bit, and we’re like, ‘Great, bring your work gloves!’ It helps, whether it’s construction or just regular chores—you can’t expect to do everything yourselves. We just try to find good people and keep them close by.”

What is the story behind Castle Impossible?

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All About 'Castle Impossible' Star Daphne Reckert's Family

After Reckert’s grandfather passed away in 2020, she inherited the chateau and worked hard to restore it. Putting her own career plans on hold, Reckert put everything into saving the castle by hosting weddings, building up business, and more.

In 2022, she and Figueira moved into the Hunters Lodge in the castle and started their new lives as a married couple. Castle Impossible documents their lives there and their work to keep the estate running.

“If we don’t keep up the renovations, the chateau will become a ruin,” Reckert told HGTV. “If we lose the chateau, we lose everything.”

Where is Castle Impossible located?

The castle is in Lésigny, France. It sits on 130 acres of land about 12 miles outside of Paris.

Castle Impossible, Season 2, Tuesdays, 9/8c, HGTV