“Home Town” fans can get ready for a new spinoff of the HGTV show, but note that Erin and Ben Napier are not the hosts.
“Home Town,” which launched in 2016 and propelled the couple to fame, had several offshoots, including “Home Town Takeover,” “Home Town Kickstart,” and “Home Town: Ben’s Workshop.”
The next “Hometown Takeover” will be held in Canada, but that location is the reason these two won’t be the main hosts of the series.
“Our production company is Canadian. The people who make our shows are passionate about this Canadian acquisition,” Erin Napier told CinemaBlend. “But because we are Americans, we are not legally allowed to host the show. We can only appear on the show as guest stars.”
Ben added, “Canadian broadcast programs must be hosted by Canadian talent.”
In April 2023, Canada passed the Online Streaming Act, which aims to “increase opportunities for Canadians to see themselves through what they see and hear,” “support Canadian creators and the creative industries,” and “increase the representation of equity-seeking groups.”
The Napiers, who married in 2008 and are parents to Helen and Mae, founded Laurel Mercantile Co. to promote the revitalization of Laurel, Mississippi. Home Town focuses on renovating local historic homes and partnering with local merchants.
The show’s spinoffs have maintained its belief in revitalizing small towns. North’s new “Takeover” host has not yet been revealed, but the couple has their full support. “We know who it is, and I can tell you we really like them,” Ben told the outlet. We are also a husband and wife team.
Meanwhile, fans can watch the new season of “Home Town” on Jan. 4 (HGTV, 8 p.m. ET/PT). Sometime next year, viewers will also get to see the transformation of the Heirloom Hotel, which was severely damaged by a devastating fire over the summer.
This 30-room boutique hotel in the Napier family’s hometown of Laurel, Michigan, was part of HGTV’s “Inn This Together.” However, on August 26th, a fire broke out in the building. In an Instagram post, Erin shared that she witnessed the fire along with close friends and venue owners Mallory Nowell, Jim Raspberry and Joshua Nowell. “We hugged each other and watched the brave firefighters of Laurel FD spend hours putting out the fire. Today feels like a funeral,” Erin wrote in a post.
Earlier this month, Erin confirmed to USA TODAY that the renovations will air in 2026, although no date has been set. “They’re still figuring out the next step and finding ways to keep asking, ‘Where do we go from here?'” Erin says. “And I don’t know yet where they’re going to go, but I’m proud of them. If you want to see human perseverance and the spirit of doing difficult things, even if it doesn’t go the way we all expected and hoped and were excited about, it’s going to be that hotel series.”
