The Napiers speak with TooFab about Season 10’s premiere and what’s to come, while reflecting on their 10 year legacy amid HGTV shakeups.
Erin and Ben Napier are having a strong start to 2026!
On Sunday, January 4th, HGTV premieres the tenth season of their show, Home Town. As the power couple take on their biggest projects yet in Laurel, Mississippi, Ben and Erin told TooFab’s Brianna Rose Hewitt that this is “the dramatic, difficult season.”
Season Ten’s first episode does not hold back, showcasing part one of Erin and Ben taking on the Gallagher house. The Gallaghers – who are good friends of the Napiers – requested the couple’s help in renovating the first floor of their home. The project had the biggest budget and the biggest contingencies the show has seen, initially starting with a budget of $250k before receiving an estimate of $400k.
While it was a jam-packed premiere, set in a prominent neighborhood, Ben shared with TooFab some of moments that “didn’t make it on the show.”
“It’s a very walkable neighborhood. […] There are walkers all day, every day. And they want to know, ‘What are you doing to the Gallagher house? What color are you going to paint it? Do they know that? Are they aware of that? Or is that approved? Did you meet with a historic board?’ ‘Yes, we did,” he explained.
The pressure is more intense because how tight knit Laurel is, with Erin chiming in, “Who cares about the world watching on TV? We care about the Episcopal priest who lives across the road watching. You like what we’re doing?”
The Napiers were even under the eyes of the local museum director, whose opinion Erin values a lot. “I want him so badly to think it is so cool. And he did think it was cool. So that’s good,” she added.
Working on projects like the Gallagher home will always create a little anxiety because designing for people the Napiers know is different from designing for strangers. “I’ve known them a long, long time. And so they have this expectation. But we also put expectations on ourselves,” Erin detailed. “Because we know we’re going to see them everywhere we go forever and ever and ever. These are not people who are ever leaving Laurel. We’re not ever leaving Laurel.”
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The Gallagher House is not the only close project the Napiers have for this upcoming season. The reality television stars will soon have an episode where they work with Ben’s younger brother, Jesse, and his new house. Jesse, who is 10 years younger than Ben, is described “more like an only child, and he will not ask for help,” according to Erin.
For the familial episode, Ben admitted, “We’re pretty real in that. Because they looked at that house, put an offer on it, and bought it without telling us. And then we’re planning to renovate it without asking for help. And we kept saying, ‘This is too much.'”
The saga resulted in “some tough conversations” and a “come to Jesus” moment, but it’s not the only project where emotions ran high. When asked about a favorite project, Erin became very passionate talking about renovating the local hospital’s maternity ward.
She holds the building close to her heart, as her father worked there for 44 years, she was born there, her children were born there, as well as countless family members and family friends. “We have a lot of very highly charged emotional days that happened in that postpartum room,” she shared. “I cried like an idiot at the reveal and I fully, fully didn’t intend to. I was so embarrassed.”
Her goal was that “the nurses and doctors who are so incredible towards me and towards my family, every time we’ve ever been there, feel honored.” The hospital’s CEO wanted it “to feel like a five-star hotel experience for mothers.”
As a mother herself, Erin empathized with “women who are scared. They’ve never had a baby before. I want it to be the most comforting and joyful and restful experience that it can be.”
The Napiers own children came up as they reflected on their upcoming 10-year-anniversary with HGTV. Erin reminised that, “We weren’t parents when we started. And now it’s the most important thing to us. TV is fun, but it is not the most important thing to us at all.”
Ben furthered detailed with, “It literally changes everything … The way your brain works, the way you think about things. It’s ‘How does this affect, you know, these two little girls?'”
The Napiers have seen a lot of changes over the years, but Home Town still stands strong. HGTV shocked fans in 2025 with a series of cancellations – including Bargain Block, Married to Real Estate, Farmhouse Fixer, and Christina on the Coast.
“We don’t know why our show is still on,” Ben humbly explained. “It’s probably because so many people watch it and love it and connect with it. And we are grateful for that. But at the end of the day, Erin and I feel like we are getting up every day and going to a normal job and going to work. And we love the people that we work with. We love what we get to do.”
Check out the new season of Home Town on HGTV, Sundays at 8/7c.
