TLDR: Melanee Raney is Marty Raney’s eldest child and the older sister of Homestead Rescue regulars Misty and Matt, but she’s never appeared on the show herself. She turned down an offer to join the cast, choosing instead to run her own wilderness guiding business in Alaska.
Melanee Raney’s entrance into the world was dramatic enough to match everything that came after. Her mother Mollee went into breech labor at the family’s remote homestead near Haines, Alaska, 100 miles from the nearest hospital, and had to be evacuated by bush plane to Whitehorse in Canada’s Yukon Territory just to deliver her safely.
That emergency flight also made her a Canadian citizen by birth, on top of her American one. Born October 16, 1976, she’s the oldest of Marty and Mollee Raney’s four children, ahead of Misty, Matt, and her brother Miles.
She Turned Down the Show Herself
Unlike Misty and Matt, Melanee was actually asked to join Homestead Rescue when the show came together and said no. Her own guiding company’s website quotes her explaining the decision simply: “I don’t own a TV and don’t want to be on TV.”
Her brother Miles made a similar choice, building his own life away from cameras as a Denali climbing guide and record-setting long-distance cyclist. Between the two of them, half the Raney children opted out of television entirely, even with a hit show built around their own family.
Her Real Career Is Guiding People Through Alaska
Melanee spent years working as a certified ski guide in Girdwood, Alaska, and has personally climbed and skied Denali, the same mountain her father guided professionally for years. She also worked for a time as a fish biologist before turning her outdoor skills into a full business.
In 2013, she co-founded Chugach Adventures, an off-grid rafting and glacier tour company based in Girdwood that’s only reachable by the Alaska Railroad. The company runs kayaking trips, hiking excursions, and glacier tours for wilderness tourists willing to travel somewhere genuinely remote to get there.
One of her more memorable trips involved a client she didn’t recognize until the very end. She’d guided retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor down the river without realizing who she was, and was told afterward that O’Connor considered her one of the most inspiring women she’d met.
Her Husband Actually Does Appear on the Show
Melanee is married to Ari Stiassny, an Alaskan-born skier, river guide, and former commercial fisherman she met while ski touring together on a mountain nicknamed Cornbiscuit. He works alongside her as a guide at Chugach Adventures, and unlike his wife, he’s actually appeared on Homestead Rescue with her father and siblings.
The couple has three children together, Mia, Col Dov, and Taz. You can read more about the rest of the Raney family, including which siblings do and don’t appear on camera, in our full Homestead Rescue cast guide.
Melanee Raney, Frequently Asked Questions
Why isn’t Melanee Raney on Homestead Rescue?
Melanee was asked to join the show but declined, stating on her own business website that she doesn’t own a TV and doesn’t want to be on one, choosing instead to focus on her own wilderness guiding company.
What does Melanee Raney do for a living?
She co-founded and runs Chugach Adventures, an off-grid rafting and glacier tour company in Girdwood, Alaska, and previously worked for years as a certified ski guide and fish biologist.
Is Melanee Raney married?
Yes, she is married to Ari Stiassny, a fellow Alaskan guide who works alongside her at Chugach Adventures and has appeared on Homestead Rescue with her family, even though Melanee herself has not.
How many siblings does Melanee Raney have?
She has three siblings: Misty and Matt Raney, both regulars on Homestead Rescue, and Miles Raney, who like Melanee has chosen to stay off camera entirely.
