Erin and Ben Napier Reveal That Wetumpka, Alabama Will be the Destination for 'Hometown Takeover'

Late last year we brought you the news that the first couple of Laurel were headed out of Mississippi to take on their biggest project yet. Erin and Ben Napier weren't just going to renovate one home—they were going to take on an entire town. And they were looking to their fans for suggestions. Erin took to Instagram to ask her Southern neighbors for towns who could use some extra love. "If your small town needs restoration and has homes with beautiful architecture that need some love, we want to know about it," her post read.

Well, the wait is over. Just this morning the Napiers appeared on Today with Hoda and Jenna for the big reveal. Drumroll please … HGTV and the Napiers are headed to Wetumpka, Alabama for Hometown Takeover. After reviewing around 5,000 submissions, ultimately HGTV picked the small Alabama town because, "they wanted to pick a town that was going through what all small towns go through where young people are leaving and not coming back, major highways had been diverted to avoid the town to help with traffic flow," he said. Erin added that they were also drawn to Wetumpka because a powerful tornado devastated the town in January of 2019, causing severe damage to many homes as well as to much of the downtown area. This, of course, put a strain on the small businesses that provide the livelihood to the people of Wetumpka, but as Erin said, their spirit could not be dampened.

"The thing that really mattered the most, is that they have so much community spirit and they want to revitalize it."

While the Laurel lovebirds broke the news on Today, be sure to tune in tonight to HGTV at 8PM/7PM CST for a very special episode of Hometown and watch the citizens of Wetumpka get the ultimate surprise.

We absolutely cannot wait to watch and see what Erin and Ben are able to do to brighten up the Alabama town known as "The City of Natural Beauty."

Just imagine what it can become with a few fresh coats of paint and a Ben Napier original piece of woodwork or two.