Erin and Ben Napier are back with a new season of HGTV’s Home Town Takeover, and this time, they had four months to bring the charm back to Sebring, Fla. The historic town has a history of hurricane damage, so the Napiers take on more than a dozen renovation projects of homes, local businesses and public spaces.
The concept is nothing new for the home renovation experts, whose previous Home Town Takeover seasons landed them in Wetumpka, Ala., and Fort Morgan, Colo. But each season brings a new special meaning as their daughter Mae, 2, and Helen, 6, come along.
“I hope our girls see that the reason we get up and go to work every day, and the reason it matters so much, is that these small towns in America are the flavor of America,” Erin told Yahoo Entertainment ahead of Sunday’s premiere. “Whether it’s Laurel [Miss., where the Napiers live] or Fort Morgan, all of them have something very special to offer in the American experience. I hope [our daughters] don’t feel like they can only live their dream in a big city, because that’s just not the case. You can have the dream wherever you are, especially in such a connected age when you have access to the internet. You can live in any small town in America and live the life you want. And that’s what I’m excited about, that we can tell that story.”
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Ben agreed, telling Yahoo how “everybody who has children wants their children to see and understand what it is they do.”
“For Erin and I, we have a very weird job for people who live in small town Mississippi. And so getting to take them … they come to work with us every now and then, but they don’t see the big impact of it. Laurel has been great since as long as they can remember. They don’t remember the days when every building, every business was shuttered,” he said.
The Napiers brought their girls with them to Sebring, where once again, the HGTV stars met and learned inspiring stories from local residents and business owners. They commented on how everyone takes pride in their town.
“The reason that HGTV chooses these towns is because there are people there who are already trying to make it the best place ever,” Ben said. “That’s the only way that we can go in and do what we do is to find those people and work with them.”
“They’re so self-sacrificing,” Erin added. “These are not people who are ever gonna fix up houses for themselves … the people that love them put their name in the running and that’s how we find these people.”
Their daughters were in the crowd at the town’s park when they had “a huge celebration at the end of the season.”
“We don’t call attention to it, but our family is there and they see how excited everyone is and how big this is,” Ben continued. “That, I think, for any parent would be a part of a pride.”
Although the Napiers have made a successful career being on TV, at home they are trying to limit as much screen time as possible. Their organization Osprey (Old School Parents Raising Engaged Youth) aims to help “kids achieve social media-free childhoods until they graduate high school.”
“We totally understand the irony here that Erin and I have a career [on TV],” Ben said.
“But we’re old people! We got [social media] when we were old,” Erin interjected.
“It’s not that we’re saying no to social media [forever],” Ben said. “We’re saying no to social media for now — “
“So that we can say yes to learning skills and building confidence,” Erin added. “And I think once that foundation is built of skills and confidence, then you’re ready to have social media.”
Ben told a story about how their family had a wonderful day recently in Jasper County, Miss., as their girls hunted for seashells with their older cousins. It made him realize “it would’ve ruined the day” if their cousins were on their phones.
“Because instead of being [in the moment,] she would’ve been wanting to post pictures, talk with her friends on social media and be totally disconnected from what was happening,” Ben said. “So in that way, we get to preserve childhood a little bit longer. We get to preserve that curiosity with the world for a little bit longer.”
The Napiers are raising their girls in Laurel, which is the hometown of another famous name: White Lotus star Parker Posey.
“We know Parker!” Erin said.
“We are very connected to White Lotus and have never seen it,” Ben said with a laugh, adding that they know star Leslie Bibb as well.
“Never seen it. We know all of Parker’s whole family. There’s definitely a lot of talk about her accent. What is going on?” Erin said.
Well, social media has hotly debated whether Parker’s Southern accent on the show is over the top.
“It is correct, y’all just think it’s not,” Erin said.
“It’s a Laurel girl accent,” Ben added.
Home Town Takeover premieres March 9 at 8 p.m. ET on HGTV.
