TLDR: Matt “Sunshine” Schuler left Insane Pools: Off the Deep End after two seasons to transition into real estate. He’s been a successful realtor with American Property Group in Florida since around 2018, leveraging customer service skills from his previous pet store business in Staten Island.
Typically, one would think that Animal Planet would air programs related to animals. However, recently, the network has deviated from its core subject matter. The camera crews have been following jockeys, ex-cons rescuing dogs, treehouse maniacs, and environmentalists over the last decade or so.
Likely for reasons to keep up with the other guys on the scene, the network is shifting its focus to human documentaries.
One such documentary is the critically acclaimed Insane Pools: Off The Deep End. Anyone that has watched an episode or two of the show can attest that it really deserves a spot in the entertainment industry.
Lucas Congdon and his team from Lucas Lagoons undoubtedly know all there is to build a stunning backyard pool. These guys don’t just remodel or construct your average square pool.
They go all the way, creating some of the most spectacular pools known to man. Fans have watched them build grand waterfalls, guitar-style pools, and other artistic and eye candy lagoons.
How was “Insane Pools” born?
Lucas says that he got inspired to get into the business when he realized that the market needed his services. Most people have the traditional square, circular, or rectangular pool in their backyard.
This is the same story in hotels, motels, and other hospitality facilities.
The award-winning pool designer, however, lives by the mantra “Go Big or Go home.” We’ve seen them transform boring pools into wild and unique water worlds.
The firm Lucas Lagoons was started over five decades ago. The family-operated business had initially been a landscaping enterprise in Florida but later turned to the business of constructing “insane” pools.
After hustling offline for about 20 years, the company turned to YouTube to create videos in a bid to get a wider audience.
This is what led them to be picked up by Animal Planet. The reality show, Insane Pools: Off the Deep End has aired for three seasons now. The fourth one is yet to be released.
Homeowners that have the privilege of working with Lucas and his team often find themselves going over the budget to get their dream pool.
One couple who planned to spend $25,000 ended up shelling out a whopping $165,000 for their remodeling project. Often, the projects take a relatively short period of time to complete, but the team leaves no stone unturned.
Watching the outcome of the project is always something to look forward to.
What Happened to Sunshine?
Lucas’s team includes his mom, Jane Werley (who is referred to as “woman” by everyone), Chris Warren, the crash expert (he’s wrecked more cars than fans can remember), Matt Schuler or “Sunshine,” and John Messner or “Old Man.”
Yes, all of them have nicknames.
Matt “Sunshine” Schuler has since left the show. So, what happened to Sunshine?
Not much is known about Matt’s whereabouts. He’s pretty silent on social media and everywhere else.
However, according to a social media update on Lucas Lagoon’s Twitter and Instagram accounts, the native Staten Islander left reality TV to do real estate. Here is what the post read:
“Everyone wants to know what really happened to Sunshine. He was with us for two seasons but left Insane Pools: Off the Deep End to sell real estate.”
Fans took to social media to express their disappointment over Matt’s departure. Many of them claimed that they would miss his accent and his sweet personality.
Understanding Sunshine’s Role and Why He Left
To fully appreciate why Schuler transitioned out of the show, it helps to understand what his job actually entailed. As the crew’s “Mud Man,” Schuler held one of the most physically demanding positions in the Lucas Lagoons operation.
Unlike traditional pool construction that relies on gunite and standardized techniques, Lucas Lagoons specializes in creating naturalistic lagoons using massive quantities of Tennessee limestone. This stone is dense, irregular, and heavy, with each cubic foot weighing around 160 pounds.
Schuler’s role required him to prepare bonding agents, mix mortar and concrete, and constantly supply materials to the master stonemasons like Jane Werley and John Messner.
The work placed him at the bottom of the status hierarchy but at the peak of physical exertion. He often worked knee-deep in water and mud while hauling heavy buckets of cement in Sarasota’s humid subtropical climate, where temperatures frequently exceed 90°F with humidity above 70%.
For a native Staten Islander, the acclimation to this environment while performing heavy manual labor represented a significant physiological challenge.
The physical toll of this work, combined with being a non-family employee in what was essentially a family business, likely contributed to his decision to pursue a career with better long-term sustainability.
In family businesses like Lucas Lagoons, the advancement ceiling for non-family employees is often limited, with family members like Lucas and Jane having vested interest in enduring the hardships for equity and legacy that an employee exchanging labor for wages doesn’t share.
Where’s Sunshine Now?
Matt “Sunshine” Schuler is now a successful realtor in Florida. The American Property Group says that the businessman who owned a pet store in New York’s Staten Island learned customer service from being in the pet business.
After running it for 15 years, he decided to change his career. He sold out, moved to Florida, and put up his real estate venture.
Fast forward, the reality TV star is now a sought-after real estate expert, helping people attain their real estate goals.
He’s been with the American Property Group for multiple years, successfully leveraging his customer service background and the name recognition from his television appearances.
Sunshine was a valuable member of the Insane Pools reality show. He was quirky, funny, and talented.
Plus, his sweet accent was loved by fans. His departure sure hurt many for one or all of the above reasons. The comforting thing is that he’s doing well as a realtor.
Unlike many reality TV personalities who cling to fame through social media, podcasts, or Cameo accounts, Schuler has chosen a quieter path. His minimal social media presence and lack of public appearances suggest a deliberate choice to prioritize privacy over celebrity.
This silence represents a successful return to private citizenship, reclaiming what might be the ultimate luxury for a former reality star: anonymity.
What Happened to Woman On Insane Pools?
Fans love watching “woman” lay stones as if her life depends on it, despite being the crew’s oldest member.
She is the master stonemason of the group and is helped by “Old Man,” the guy known for being slow but confident in his craft.
In one of the episodes, the “woman” comes face to face with a snake hiding among the stones she was using to build a waterfall.
Most people would jump, scream, or make a run for it (Lucas and Old Man jumped up and ran like little girls), but woman didn’t even flinch.
Since Insane Pools wrapped up, we’ve not seem much of Jane publicly. A look at her socials suggests that she is living a low-key life, enjoying her time traveling and enjoying the company of friends and family.
She also still refers to herself as a stone master, so she’s probably still working her magic and doing stone-laying work for Lucas Lagoons.
Talk about being passionate about your work and sticking with it!
As of 2026, Jane Werley remains prominently featured on the Lucas Lagoons website as a Master Stonemason, with her bio emphasizing both her familial link to Lucas and her exceptional skill set. She continues to be an active part of the company’s operations.
The Rest of the Lucas Lagoons Crew
The other Lucas Lagoon cast member is Chris “Crash” Warren. Crash is very hardworking. He can operate anything and knows pool construction like the back of his hand.
Unfortunately, he is an expert wrecker of anything with wheels, no wonder his nickname.
As of 2026, Chris Warren remains listed on the Lucas Lagoons crew page as a key equipment operator, confirming his continued employment with the company. John “Old Man” Messner also retains his position as a senior stonemason, maintaining the core trio that represents the “Generational Craftsmen” narrative the company has embraced.
This core group of Lucas, Jane, and the long-term crew members continues to build the elaborate natural lagoons that made the show famous, though without the television cameras that once documented their every move.
Why was Lucas Lagoons Canceled?
The Animal Planet series Insane Pools: Off the Deep End featured the pool design and landscaping company Lucas Lagoons. The series ran for three seasons over a span of three years, from 2015 to 2018.
For the longest time, there had been rumors of an upcoming season four, but that never materialized to date, leaving fans wondering what happened to Lucas Lagoons.
Neither Lucas, the Insane Pools cast, nor Animal Planet has explained why the hit series ended abruptly. One might guess that Insane Pools ended and was never renewed due to contract disputes.
Following the show’s conclusion, Lucas Lagoons pivoted its branding strategy. The company moved toward a more polished, high-end lifestyle brand, now selling “Grotto Gear” and branded merchandise through their website.
The focus shifted more intensely to the core family members, appealing to their high-net-worth clientele with a “Generational Craftsmen” narrative rather than the ensemble cast dynamic that characterized the television show.
The labor that workers like Sunshine performed continues, but it’s now likely handled by anonymous, uncredited laborers kept off-camera to maintain the sleek aesthetic the brand now projects.
The company remains successful and operational as of 2026, continuing to build custom naturalistic pools throughout Florida and beyond, just without the television spotlight that once made them household names.
