Ben & Erin Napier Say We All Want a Simpler Life

Ben and Erin Napier say they fell in love with this season’s “Hometown Takeover” location. And the reason is simple.

In an interview with Fox News, the couple talked about why the small Florida town of Sebring captured their hearts. “It was built as a resort town before the coasts of Florida were really getting developed and blown up,” said Ben.

“Before the theme parks, and that is the old Florida that our grandparents went on vacation,” Erin added. “We see all their photos. I have my grandparents’ photos from going to those parts of Florida, and we want it back.”

HGTV Stars Say Lots of Americans Crave a Simpler Life

In the interview, Ben and Erin Napier said season three of “Hometown Takeover” highlighted how much they crave a simpler life. And they think they’re not alone in that feeling. “I think there’s a lot of us who are craving slower, simpler, less is more,” Erin said. “We want a beautiful lake and a quiet town to go have a really great meal.”

Erin and Ben have been transparent about how much easier it was filming “Hometown Takeover” this season than in years past. In an interview with “TV Insider,” Erin said, “I was surprised at how less challenging this season was compared to the first two because our girls were older.” Ben agreed, saying, “Yeah, it is easier now. Our girls can swim. We’re going to Florida. Season 2, Dave and Jenny were there as much if not more than we were there to help us carry the load. Their kids were older. They are a little more adjusted. We trust them. By Season 3, our kids are a little bit older and we can take it over again.”

‘Hometown Takeover’s’ Latest Episode Features Emotional Story

The March 16th episode of “Hometown Takeover” was an emotional one for Ben and Erin.

“We worked with a couple who are helping veterans who are dealing with PTSD and suicide prevention. That was some heavy, heavy stuff,” Erin said.

“There were a couple times we had meetings where we kind of pulled back, and we’re like, ‘OK. How much of this can we tell on HGTV?’ Because it’s, you know what I mean? It’s where you go to escape. It’s escapism TV,” Ben said. “But that was a really heavy subject that we covered.”

The Napiers took on the challenge of renovating the home of Shawn and Annette. In an Instagram post, Erin describes the couple as “a veteran and his wife who work in suicide prevention and whose home is open 24/7 to veterans dealing with PTSD.” She goes on to say “This one will make your eyes water.”

But Ben and Erin saw that challenge as an opportunity to make a real difference. Erin told Fox News, “It’s important for their own mental health that that home is a place where they can at least recharge at some point. And so that was our main focus. How do we make this house that felt dark and drab feel lighter? Because the burden that they carry is already so heavy. You don’t want your house to add to that.”

“Hometown Takeover” airs Sundays on HGTV.