Lovers of reality shows like Dog the Bounty Hunter and Dog and Beth: On the Hunt will surely be familiar with Beth Chapman for her impressive work in the series and in others like Dog: The Family Speaks, Dog and Beth: Fight of Their Lives, and Dog’s Most Wanted.
Beth did not only appear in the shows but was also the brains behind them. The amazing woman devoted more than 30 years to the bail bond business, choosing to chronicle the adventures of her and her husband’s family-owned bounty hunting business, which brought her fame before she passed away.
Beth Chapman was the Daughter of a Bail Bondsman
Beth Chapman’s birth name was Alice Elizabeth Smith and she was born on October 29th 1967 in Denver, Colorado. She was one of the 5 children born to Gary Smith, a former professional baseball player who plied his trade with the Kansas City A’s back in the 1950s. However, he later became a bail bondsman and had a lot of influence on Beth who tagged along with him during that period.
It is also known that from an early age, Beth began fending for herself by taking menial jobs as a gymnast, waitress, night club singer, and ice skater. More so, being the daughter of a bail bondsman, Beth soon learned the rudiments of her father’s profession and would later make the Colorado State record as the youngest licensed bail bondsman at the age of 21.
She Had a Very Exciting Life as Dog the Bounty Hunter’s Partner
Beth Chapman was married to Duane “Dog” Chapman, a former bail bondsman and bounty hunter who penned down the autobiography, You Can Run But You Can Not Hide. The pair are known to have had an on and off relationship for a while but in 1995, after Beth’s divorce from her ex-husband Keith in 1993, they became business partners. It was during this period that their love blossomed and they moved in together.
The pair went on to have a relationship that resulted in them becoming husband and wife on May 20th, 2006 at a ceremony which was attended by their loved ones at a Hilton hotel in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii. On his own side, Duane Lee Chapman had previously been married four times to four different women. He has 8 children from these marriages and went on to have two more named Bonnie Joanne Chapman and Garry Chapman with Beth which brings the total number of his biological children to 10.
Besides these children, Duane also adopted Dominic Davis and Cecily, the two children Beth had when she was a teenager. This brings the count of his children to 12 but he lost one of his daughters, Babara Katy Chapman, a day before he married Beth.
Beth Chapman Recorded Tremendous Success as a Reality TV Star Alongside Her Husband
As a bail bondsman, Beth Chapman paid her dues in the lucrative business while also trying her hands in some other ventures. The blondie veered into show business becoming a producer and television personality. She began her TV career in 2003 with her husband’s reality show, Dog the Bounty Hunter, a series that covered the adventures of Duane Chapman.
Dog the Bounty Hunter ran for 9 seasons from 2003 through 2013. The popular TV show is also known to be an adaptation of the 2003 A&E series, Take This Job which showcased unusual ways some people make a living. Within that period, she went on to make guest appearances in Corner Gas and Hawaii Five-0.
With the success Dog the Bounty Hunter recorded, Beth Chapman gained recognition for her appearance as well as her talents. She was then seen in the 2013 series, Dog and Beth: On the Hunt. This time around, she did not only appear in the show but also served as a producer of the TV series.
Beth was, however, not seen on TV for a couple of years until she returned in 2017 on the show, Dog and Beth: Fight of Their Lives, which covered her battle with cancer. In 2019, she also appeared in a couple of episodes of Dog’s Most Wanted.
The Bounty Hunter Star’s Transforming Weight Loss Journey
Beth Chapman was notable for her weight. However, in 2017 she decided to change her eating lifestyle as she found out that she had cancer. The results she would later get were very outstanding as she dropped a lot of weight in just a short while.
Although it was rumored that she had gone under the knife to get a slimmer physique, the reality star maintained that it was just her healthy choices of meals and exercise that worked the magic. During that period, she ate a lot of cabbage and vegetables and swapped carbonated drinks for water.
Beth is believed to have lost around 50 pounds and for a lady in her 50s, that was very impressive. She eventually got to weigh around 82 kilograms and it is estimated that her body measurement as at then was 44 inches, 30 inches, and 38 inches for her bust, waist, and hips, respectively.
She Eventually Passed Away After a Long Battle with Cancer
Beth Chapman’s cancer diagnosis came in 2017. She was diagnosed with throat cancer and this made her stay away from the public for a while. The experience inspired her special documentary titled Dog and Beth: Fight of Their Lives, which included the recording of her 13-hour surgery where a stage 2 tumor was removed from her throat in September 2017.
However, a year later in November 2018, the reality star had a relapse that sent her back to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles for another surgical procedure. Again, on the 6th of April 2019, Beth was rushed to the hospital where an emergency medical procedure was done on her in order to evacuate the accumulated fluids in her lungs. She was discharged the following day and she chose to recuperate at her home in Oahu Island, Hawaii surrounded by her family.
Sadly, in the early hours of June 26, 2019, the iconic wife of Duane lost her battle with cancer. She was aged 51. Two memorial services were held in her honor; one on the 29th of June, 2019 according to the Hawaii tradition in Fort DeRussy Beach, Waikiki, Hawaii, and the other at Colorado at the Heritage Christian Center on the 13th of July, 2019. Her remains were subsequently cremated and scattered at sea.
