'Home Town' stars Erin and Ben Napier on their favorite episode: 'Our love story'
“Home Town” sweet home.
HGTV’s renovation series, set in hosts Erin and Ben Napier’s quaint town of Laurel, Mississippi, returns with the second half of Season 7 Sunday (8 EST/PST).
“These are some of our best episodes ever,” Erin, 38, says excitedly, beside her husband and renovation partner Ben, 40. For their 100th episode, airing Feb. 4, the couple lent their design expertise to what Erin calls their biggest renovation to date, a 5,000-square-foot downtown loft.
“But our favorite episode (airing Jan. 21) is the one (that’s) our origin story, our love story, where we met" at Jones College, Erin says. The couple, who wed in 2008, knew they’d marry after about a week hanging out at the community college in Ellisville, Mississippi.
On Dec. 8, 2004, they ate Sonic cheese sticks in Erin’s Volkswagen Beetle, which to Ben seemed like something special. “It just felt like, OK, this is important,” he says. Just five days later, he confessed his devotion. “I told her that I was in love with her, and I wanted to marry her.”
“I had been in love with Ben for a solid year before he ever spoke to me,” Erin says. “So I was easy (laughs). I was just, like, ‘I love you, too!’”
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Back at Jones College, they give the Old President's House a makeover. “And that's super-special, and there's a surprise at the end of the episode that's overwhelming,” Erin says, cautioning, “We're not having a baby. That is not the surprise.”
The “Home Town” stars reveal the famous fan that shocked them, what people should know before starting a home project, and their thoughts on leaving TV behind. (Edited for length and clarity.)
Question: Is there a celebrity fan who has surprised you?
Erin Napier: Drew Barrymore. She texts me frequently to show me that she is watching “Home Town,” and she loves this or that. It's so hard to believe that, because when I was 15 years old, I just wanted to be her. I wanted to be her in “Mad Love.”
Ben Napier: When we started dating, she had short hair because of Drew Barrymore.
What advice do you have for people designing or renovating their homes?
Erin: Make it personal, and always hire the electrician and the plumber. Don't burn or flood your house.
Ben: Figure out ways that you can do it yourself, and then when you hit a roadblock, bring in a professional.
Is there a design trend that you’re loving?
Ben: Color’s back. We love color.
Erin: People are painting their walls dramatic color again. I love that, maybe it's because I just loved the '90s, and it was a colorful time.
Do you ever think about how much longer you’d like to continue your TV shows (“Home Town,” “Home Town Takeover”)?
Ben: We quit making plans.
Erin: We used to make plans, but none of it turned out, not one single thing we planned. I was going to design magazines and books, and I wasn't worried about ever having kids, and he was going to be an attorney.
Ben: And a politician.
Erin: How horrible.
Ben: I was going to fix things. I was going to save things, and gosh, I'm glad that didn't work out.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Home Town' Season 7: Erin Napier on 'overwhelming' surprise to come
