6 Times Erin And Ben Napier Revealed Secrets About HGTV's Home Town
Ben and Erin Napier are one of HGTV's most iconic power couples. As the hosts of "Home Town," they restore old homes in Laurel, Mississippi, putting a modern spin on them while making sure to maintain their original character. With Erin's design skills and Ben's woodworking expertise, they're able to give new life to the town they've known and loved for years, bringing viewers from across America along for the ride.
After eight seasons (and counting), viewers might feel like they know Ben and Erin inside and out — but there's so much more that goes on behind the scenes. From wacky cast antics to scary moments on set, there's plenty of content that the cameras don't show. Luckily Ben and Erin have been kind enough to let us in on some of their "Home Town" secrets via interviews and social media. Read on for all the intel you don't get on television.
Ben and Erin Napier receive hate mail
You wouldn't think that a TV program as mild as "Home Town" would stir up much rage — but believe it or not, Erin and Ben Napier have been at the receiving end of some ire from viewers. In a 2018 interview with Mississippi newspaper the Clarion Ledger, the Napiers revealed that they've gotten hate mail about their show — and offered an example.
In the first episode of Season Two, Erin and Ben showcased a house that cost $180,000 after renovation. This low price surprised one viewer, who wrote them an angry letter doubting their claim. "A lady in Florida said that those numbers are not realistic at all," Erin shared. Little did she know, the housing market in Mississippi really is that good. "In Laurel, the most expensive house in the last five years was $450,000, and it was just unheard of, [like] 'I can't believe that house went for that,'" Ben explained. As the saying goes, "haters gonna hate" — but even so, Erin and Ben gonna renovate.
Erin Napier's first pregnancy altered the timeline of filming
In the same interview with the Clarion Ledger, Erin Napier revealed that she threw the "Home Town" crew for a loop when she discovered that she was pregnant with the Napiers' first child — on Mother's Day, serendipitously. Erin knew that the schedule the producers had established for the second season of shooting just wouldn't work with her pregnancy — so she gave them a call before even passing along the news to her parents.
Ben and Erin had to hustle to get everything done while Erin had the energy to work. "We crammed six months of filming into four months," Ben told the Ledger.
"It was 12- to 14- hour days, five or six days a week," Erin added. "I was just beyond tired." You wouldn't know it from the show — Erin and Ben seem like their usual camera-ready selves in every episode of Season Two.
Ben and Erin Napier don't renovate homes by themselves
The Clarion Ledger article broke down just how busy Erin and Ben Napier are during each 10-episode season of "Home Town." Although you don't see how often they run around in the show, they're typically working on five houses at a time, bouncing between three different houses each day of shooting. How do they get it all done without losing their minds? It turns out that they have plenty of helpers on deck. Although the Napiers are hard workers, they're not superhuman. Speaking to the press, they're upfront about hiring teams to assist with each home makeover off-camera. Erin and Ben recruit locally to support the community in Laurel, the titular "hometown" they love so much. It sounds like a pretty sweet gig if you live in Mississippi and have a knack for home reno projects.
Sometimes Erin and Ben Napier get emotional behind the scenes
Between all the renovation scenes, "Home Town" features plenty of emotional moments — such as a flag ceremony featured in a 2024 episode. One user on X, formerly Twitter, user reached out to the Napiers after watching the poignant scene, wondering how they remained composed on camera: "How were you all not sobbing during the flag ceremony? You had to have cut and gotten yourselves together and started filming again."
In his response, Ben revealed that the scene was just as moving to be a part of as it was to watch. "I've never tried so hard in my life to hold it together. I didn't want to cry and take away from the focus of that moment," he shared. "Glad we got to show that on national television."
In an interview with HGTV, Erin spoke about another moment on set that rattled the couple emotionally — albeit for a much different reason. "My scariest moment was getting a call, that Helen, our 3-year-old daughter at the time, had broken her leg playing at Gold Star Park while we were filming the Rose house reveal on 'Home Town Takeover' in Wetumpka. We had never left in the middle of a scene, much less a reveal," she said. Although Erin and Ben got to step away from the cameras on this occasion, the anecdote goes to show that the couple has to be capable of saving face on set, even when dealing with difficult life events.
Erin Napier doesn't personally love every design choice she makes on the show
On some home renovation shows, it can be hard to tell if the designers are abiding by clients' wishes or simply letting their own decorative desires run wild. During Q&A on X with Erin and Ben Napier, one fan was curious to know where the "Home Town" stars fell on this spectrum. "Have you ever had to design something or paint something in a house that you personally really dislike?" she asked.
Erin responded honestly. "Oh heck yeah... I'll never tell which designs I did not love on #hgtvhometown, but I always do it if I think the homeowner will," she revealed. One can't help but wonder which episodes she's referring to, but that's beside the point — it's admirable that she can put her personal taste aside when a client's home renovation dreams diverge from her own.
Ben Napier is known for his on-set pranks
Shooting a TV show — especially a home renovation show, especially for a network as major as HGTV — is hard work. But Ben and Erin Napier always have a blast on set. Ben, in particular, is great at finding ways to keep things lighthearted. Onscreen, his sense of humor is evident through his infamous dad jokes — as chronicled in this compilation posted by Discovery Plus — but not everybody knows about his off-camera antics.
In an article for HGTV Magazine, Ben and Erin Napier broke down a day in their lives, from renovating homes to spending time with the family. Speaking to the magazine, Erin revealed that Ben has a habit of pranking his friend and business partner Jim Rasberry every time they're in the same scene — and he has a go-to trick he's especially fond of. "Ben sneaks in fake snakes every chance he gets," Erin said. One would think Rasberry would learn after a few repeat incidents, but it seems Ben is a crafty guy in more ways than one.