When Home Town’s Erin and Ben Napier bought their 1925 home back in 2011, they inherited a kitchen that was “very well taken care of,” Erin says, tactfully. Napier later addressed the "black box" photos that surfaced around the internet on Blackout Tuesday. RELATED: HGTV’s Windy City Rehab Stars Have Work Permits Blocked Indefinitely, Licenses Suspended. ", She continued to express the importance of advocating for the longevity of the movement, rather than a burst of anger. A North Carolina couple filed a lawsuit in … See why nearly a quarter of a million subscribers begin their day with the Starting 5. “Fixer Upper” is the most-watched show in the history of HGTV, and most people would love to be chosen to be guests on the program. The HGTV Home Town host and stars say as their first child was surprising they hope and also expect there will be a surprise again the next time for baby number 2. According to Gregg Cunningham, a spokesman for the department of buildings, Victoria and Eckhardt are only able to go back to work on existing buildings as the orders were lifted “to correct past violations.”. I look forward to seeing their show when it is available. I don't know your situation, but I will say a prayer for you today and continue my mission of making the next right step, doing the next right thing. Before the former church minister, 36, and his graphic-designer wife, 34, shot to success on their hit series Home Town, on which they find and renovate homes for families, they were newlyweds trying to fix up their own dream house: a 1925 craftsman cottage in Laurel, Miss. Today (December 6, 2020), it was the only show that aired for most of the day. Alison Victoria and Donovan Eckhardt, Windy City Rehab, | The success that is Home Town came about in the perfect 21st century way — via Instagram. In particular, Smalley pointed to a photo of Mr. Rogers that Napier posted in the heat of American unrest. “We have 14 of these going on at the same time, so you’ve gotta keep it moving,” she said of her simultaneous projects. Anyone who regularly tunes into HGTV is familiar with the widely beloved series Love It Or List It. However, former guests Kelly and … When a Love It or List It home was maybe destroyed. She even said that she blocks those negative users as she simply doesn't want to waste energy on those trolls. Attorneys for the Morrisseys declined to comment. The day originally started as a music industry shutdown to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Instead, it can be achieved through "everyday interactions." Alison Victoria/Facebook. Credit: "I don't have to post a black square for that to be true, and virtue doesn't have to happen by demand of a mob. HGTV star Erin Napier hasn't been posting Black Lives Matter content on her social media feeds, but there's a reason. ", Napier's response included a few key points that focused on religion, and the presumption that social media can be superficial. If you would like to opt out of browser push notifications, please refer to the following instructions specific to your device and browser: HGTV's Windy City Rehab Stars Sued for Fraud Over Allegedly Faulty $1.36 Million Chicago Home. Designer Alison Victoria (real name Alison Gramenos) and contractor Donovan Eckhardt are named (alongside others) in the lawsuit filed by homeowners Anna and James Morrissey on December 30, 2019, in Cook County, Illinois. The reality show, hosted by Hilary Farr and David Visentin, focuses on a homeowner who is tired of their current situation. I'm so sorry if you've been a victim in your life because of the color of your skin. Designer Alison Gramenos (who goes by Alison Victoria) and contractor Donovan Eckhardt are among those named in a lawsuit filed by homeowners Anna and James Morrissey on Dec. 30 in Cook County, Illinois. Ben and Erin Napier are helping an old friend find her forever home. Thank you, @dlsmalley36 ♥️ (ps - my heart is racing because it’s scary to share with the whole world about the big stuff that matters), A post shared by Erin Napier (@erinapier) on Jun 3, 2020 at 12:18pm PDT, "I follow lots of HGTV host [sic] and they have all made a stand for what's right," Smalley shared. HGTV shows are all about home improvement, but from time to time the network has to do some image repair when its stars and series have caused scandals. The fifth season of HGTV's Home Town premieres on Sunday, January 3, on HGTV and streaming on Discovery + on January 4.. We caught up with the renovation gurus behind the show, Erin and Ben Napier, ahead of the season premiere. From Country Living. It later evolved into the controversial display on social media, which, which good intentioned, led some to feel as if Black voices were being shut out by a flood of blank photos. In the comments, others claimed to have similar positions, leading with prayer and tangible action rather than social media posts. Erin Napier and Ben Napier attend Build Series to discuss the new season of "Home Town" at Build Studio on January 08, 2020, in New York City. '”, She added: “Things you don’t expect are going to happen. She continued, "She reached out and asked if we'd ever thought … According to E!, the couple and their home were featured in a magazine, and the photo of their house found its way onto social media.Erin said, "An executive of development at HGTV saw the photo, and we ended up connecting." Appropriate parties are in communication with local building officials and working to resolve any outstanding issues.”. According to the complaint, the $1.36 million home has faced “leaks and water penetration” from the windows, walls and ceilings — including an upstairs shower that allegedly “drained through the kitchen ceiling whenever it was used.” A “crooked” front door, crumbling exterior mortar, issues with garage floor and roof were also cited in the legal document. "I'm not in your shoes or know what it's like to be looked at without the color of my skin being a factor. As it turns out, these "Home Town" stars hadn't ever dreamed of being on TV. Please stop advertising continuously for Home Town as this show needs to go off the air because it is such a joke. Find out what your cat is trying to tell you with a new cat app, Princess Diana died when Harry was just 12 years old, Engineer Creates App To Translate Your Cat, The Sweetest Photos of Princes Harry with Diana, Sean Connery's Cause of Death Revealed Weeks After He Dies at Age 90. television 2w How Home Town Has Changed For Season 5, According HGTV's Ben Napier Adrienne Jones television 3w Why HGTV’s Dream Home Designer Thinks The Sweepstakes Is So Popular Adrienne Jones Credit: The buyers of a home featured on HGTV‘s Windy City Rehab are suing the show’s hosts for fraud after allegedly encountering leaks and other serious construction issues. But one new resident in particular is certain to grab the attention of folks well beyond the town's city limits. The Home Town personality explained she's trying to do the work in her community rather than on a digital platform. A representative for HGTV had no comment on the suit, but confirmed season two of the show will air as planned in April 2020. How do you deal with them? Last January, Victoria — who also recently appeared on HGTV’s Rock the Block — told PEOPLE Now about her passion for home-flipping in Chicago and why she wants to bring historical elements of the city back into its homes. It feels like you are trying to force us to like the show or to increase the fan base for a certain demographic. The show first premiered on HGTV in January 2019. And the decision would be made for the HGTV Home Town couple. Photo credit: Instagram/HGTV. Erin and Ben Napier might be on TV (HGTV's Home Town, to be exact), but they're real people. A North Carolina couple is trying to pull back the curtains on a popular home renovation reality show. Napier did not immediately respond to our request for comment about what she's doing in her local community to support the movement. “And so, for me, it’s like, it’s unforeseen, but it’s also something that you kind of have to, like, say, ‘Hey, this could happen …. Buyers of a home that was featured on HGTV’s Windy City Rehab are suing the show’s hosts for fraud after allegedly finding leakages and other construction problems. They are so down to earth and it is like a young couple that seems like I've known them for years. Home Town follows married couple Erin, an artist turned designer, and Ben, a church minister turned woodworker, as they find and renovate homes for families in … Coyote Ugly Turns 20: Where Is the Cast Now? I think taking a 'bigger' stand lies in the small opportunities we meet every day. The lawsuit names HGTV co-hosts Alison Gramenos (who goes by Alison Victoria on the show "Windy City Rehab") and Donovan Eckhardt as defendants, along with Eckhardt's Greymark Development Group, Alison Victoria Interiors, and contractor Ermin Pajazetovic. Over the past several months, you are airing "Home Town" way too often for my tastes. On Monday night’s episode of HGTV’s Home Town — which airs at 9pm ET/PT — the mother-of-one, 34, finds out that she has an unexpected personal connection to … You'll get the latest updates on this topic in your browser notifications. Napier, who hosts Home Town alongside her husband, Ben Napier, explained her take on making a difference in a screenshot of direct messages. Student Debt is a Curse Upon America's Future. "When you are on TV, social media is weird," the designer posted on Instagram Stories. In an interview with Us Weekly, the HGTV personality opened up about the "rude" comments that she receives from those on social media. "I want you to know that my social media quiet is not a difference of opinion, it's just a difference of expression. Victoria and Eckhardt resumed work in November when the stop work orders were lifted, Block Club Chicago reported at the time. Home Town is my favorite program on HGTV. Property Brothers. Text us for exclusive photos and videos, royal news, and way more. Working with local craftspeople and trade workers, Ben and Erin are dedicated to restoring the historical homes of Laurel, Miss. That said, even the previous owner knew that its unlovely, ‘80s-era look had to go — and the room was at the top of Erin’s renovation to-do list for years. The story of how the Napiers acquired their 1925 Craftsman-style house in their beloved town … Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. In July 2019, Victoria and Eckhardt, faced threats of license suspensions and stop work orders on other projects in the city. The lawsuit claiming fraud is only the latest in a series of issues the duo has faced this year. You've seen Erin's designs and Ben's handiwork on Home Town, but now you can get a behind-the-scenes peek at the house the HGTV stars call home. HGTV star Erin Napier hasn't been posting Black Lives Matter content on her social media feeds, but there's a reason. At the time, HGTV told PEOPLE in a statement: “Issues related to Windy City Rehab have been carefully reviewed. A Henderson couple has settled a lawsuit against the HGTV television network and the husband-wife team behind the popular show “Flip or Flop Vegas” over the sale of a home. But last week, HGTV's Erin Napier showed us how it's done. “We’re still monitoring the work closely, watching for any attempt to file a permit using a different name. Just be strong, honestly; hire the right people, first off, and be strong when these things happen, because you can’t let it set you back — you have to just kind of learn from your mistakes and make sure they don’t happen again.”. I do know that we all have a chance to stand together and help to change things. "A week from now, most of these same people will go back to posting about the best summer sangria recipes and photos of their dogs because they feel they did their part with their post on Monday, and it's sickening to me.". I do not like having a show shoved down my throat. The property’s rehabilitation was chronicled on a January 2019 episode of the show, with stand-in actors reacting to the remodel’s reveal since the Morrisseys did not want to appear on camera, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Laurel, Mississippi — the famously small-town setting for HGTV's hit series Home Town — has a population of only about 18,000, so practically no new citizen is likely to go unnoticed. As she penned in a blog post last year, the host had to quit Facebook shortly after the season 1 premiere in order to avoid negative comments which were weighing her down. Introducing ... PEOPLE's Products Worth the Hype, Alison Victoria Opens Up About Her HGTV Star Group Chat and the Challenges of. Get push notifications with news, features and more. Erin and Ben are delightful, refreshing, and creates something wonderful every time. Hilary, a home designer, works to renovate the house, while David, a real estate agent, works to find them a new house. The design is so junky and sometimes very childish. HGTV's Windy City Rehab Stars Sued for Fraud Over Allegedly Faulty $1.36 Million Chicago Home By Benjamin VanHoose January 06, 2020 03:51 PM 'Home Town' stars Ben and Erin Napier believe posting on social media will not help fight racial injustice in America. Biden Must Wipe It Out, Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness Will Make Things Worse. A Cottage from HGTV’s “Home Town” For Sale in Laurel. The city has also moved to suspend Eckhardt’s real estate developer license and general contractor license for one year, citing that he had worked without a permit at 11 different properties. To continue reading login or create an account. The "Home Town" star, 31, used her Instagram to respond to a negative email — and she did it … There is no channel searching when Home Town comes on. So when an online bully wrote hurtful words about their baby, Helen, Erin took matters into her own hands. But, that was yesterday and today, actual home improvement and reno shows are a staple on HGTV (Home & Garden Television). “We’re trying to make the neighborhood great and better, and we’re trying to bring the history back with the builds,” she said at the time, “so it’s not like we’re coming in, building crap and just trying to make a buck.”, WATCH THIS: Windy City Rehab‘s Allison Victoria Talks Flipping Homes, RELATED: Alison Victoria Opens Up About Her HGTV Star Group Chat and the Challenges of Windy City Rehab. You have 4 free articles remaining this month, Sign-up to our daily newsletter for more articles like this + access to 5 extra articles. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Homeowners who appear on the popular HGTV series "Love It Or List It" are usually offered one of two options: stay in a home newly renovated by Toronto-based interior designer Hilary Farr, or put their place on the market with Toronto-based realtor David Visentin. HGTV, | [We are] watching closely for any attempt to circumvent our process here,” Cunningham said. Ben and Erin Napier might be some of HGTV’s biggest stars, but the college sweethearts never planned on being famous. Throughout the messages that continued, the women bonded over religion. According to the Tribune, the Chicago Department of Buildings notified the co-stars that they would be unable to file new permit applications. HGTV’s Windy City Rehab Stars Sued for Fraud Over $1 Million Home The stars of the HGTV show Windy City Rehab are facing a new lawsuit over a $1 Million home… Victoria also shared insight into the home improvement business and tackling issues and setbacks as they arise in the process. Napier later revealed many have reached out to her with "outright fury" at her decision not to post publicly about the #BlackLivesMatter movement or death of Floyd. The lawsuit also calls out a leaky roof and poorly installed windows among other issues. Deena Murphy and Timothy Sullivan are suing the production company for HGTV… In PEOPLE's exclusive sneak peak of the season 5 premiere of HGTV's Home Town, airing Jan. 3, … a woman named Danielle Smalley reached out to Napier to ask why she hadn't spoken about the movement, which gained speed after the death of George Floyd. Home Town star Erin Napier has a message for all of those online trolls out there. Erin’s watercolor painting, which looks like a child’s paint set, is an embarrassment. HGTV — Home town. November when the stop work orders were lifted, Block Club Chicago reported at the time not help fight injustice! Black Lives Matter content on her social media feeds, but there 's a.. 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