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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Karen E. Laine’s first bit of fun in Wilmington, North Carolina, came on the dance floor: she learned shag dancing with Austin Aynes, a longtime member of her Good Bones renovation team, while working on a new beach bungalow. The PEOPLE exclusive, republished by AOL on August 28, 2024, captured a lighthearted moment in the middle of Laine’s work on the home.
Who did Karen Laine go dancing with?
Laine went dancing with Austin Aynes, whom the PEOPLE exclusive describes as a longtime member of her Good Bones team. The lesson connected her renovation work with a local activity as she began building a life around Wilmington.
“If I’m going to live in Wilmington, I need to do the Wilmington dance, so that’s why we’re here,” Laine said in the AOL republication. The article described the lesson as a moment of fun during visits when she had been focused on work: “When I come, I work until it’s dark.”
What is shag dancing?
The dance Laine learned was shag, a variety of swing popular along the North Carolina coast, according to the exclusive. It was a fitting choice for an outing tied to Wilmington rather than simply another renovation task.
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Laine described the lesson as a welcome change from her work routine: “I haven’t really gotten to have much fun yet. This shag dancing is the first fun I’ve had.” She also joked about making it a regular Friday-night activity: “I feel like that could be one of my Wilmington activities, is on a Friday night, show up and just find people who will tolerate dancing with me.”
What was Laine’s new Wilmington home?
The dance story centered on Laine’s work on a beach bungalow. In a later feature updated July 28, 2025, HGTV described the Wilmington house as a 525-square-foot beach house built in 1900, with two bedrooms and one bath before renovation. HGTV also reported that the project involved major structural work. Those house details come from the later feature, not from the dance lesson itself.
The available accounts establish that Laine was renovating the Wilmington property and spoke about living there; they do not verify her current residence or the home’s present ownership or status. Laine told the exclusive, “I’m not working for a paycheck anymore,” adding, “I retired in 2019, and I can do anything I want.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How did the Wilmington project fit into Good Bones?
Good Bones began as an HGTV mother-daughter renovation series following Laine and Mina Starsiak Hawk as they worked on homes in Indianapolis. In a July 17, 2024 announcement, HGTV described a limited continuation in which the two pursued projects in separate places: Starsiak Hawk worked on a lake house, while Laine took on a Wilmington bungalow. The season consisted of three episodes.
The announcement named Max and discovery+ as past-season streaming options at that time. That 2024 information does not establish where the show can be streamed now.
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- Format: Book
- Version: Treble Clef
- Category: Textbook - Jazz
- Contributors: By Alan Raph
- Pub Date: 2/2002
Sources
- AOL republication of PEOPLE’s exclusive, August 28, 2024
- HGTV feature on Laine’s Wilmington beach house, updated July 28, 2025
- HGTV / Warner Bros. Discovery announcement, July 17, 2024
- HGTV’s series launch background, February 24, 2016
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