HGTV stars Ben and Erin Napier knew they’d marry after just 6 days

HGTV stars Ben and Erin Napier opened up about how they realized very early in their love that they wanted to marry each other.

The couple first met in December 2004, while students at Jones County Junior College in Mississippi, when Erin, now 40, interviewed Ben, now 42, for a story in the school yearbook.

Ben and Erin had previously said that they decided to be together and get married just six days after the interview.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Erin and Ben, who will star in the upcoming 10th season of their show “Home Town,” recalled how they instantly connected and quickly agreed on the seriousness of their relationship.

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“I feel really lucky that we both know that,” Erin said. “I think people don’t take enough risks anymore as far as just saying it. Saying what you really think.”

“What if you want to date someone lukewarm forever and that person has no intention of being with you forever?” he continued. “What are we doing? What’s the point? What are we doing?”

After falling in love, the two transferred to the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. In 2007, Ben proposed to Erin, and the two were married in November 2008 at the Paris-Yates Chapel on the Ole Miss campus. The couple welcomed their daughter Helen in 2018 and their daughter Mae in 2021.

The new season of “Home Town” will premiere on Sunday, January 4 at 8pm ET/PT on HGTV.

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Speaking with Fox News Digital, Erin and Ben emphasized the importance of honesty in relationships, even when the truth hurts.

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“I guess it’s much better to tell the truth, even if you like it…” Erin said.

“…Even if it breaks your heart,” Ben interjected.

“Yeah, at least you know,” Erin remarked.

“At least you know you’re not wasting your time,” Ben added.

The couple met in December 2004 while they were college students. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)

Erin told Fox News Digital that she encourages people she knows to be upfront about their true feelings and express their intentions openly.

“I know young people in their twenties who are trying to date. And they’re like, ‘I don’t know if he likes me. I don’t know,'” Erin said. “And I said, ‘What do you think of me? Do you like me? Do you want to marry me?’ I ask.”

“‘Where do you think this is going?'” Ben added.

The couple then shared an anecdote about how a romance between a team member and his future wife turned out when they were transparent with each other from the beginning.

“He got married last year and he’s a friend of mine from primary school,” Ben said. “He already has two children; he already had one.”

“They went on a first date and he said, ‘I make this much money,'” Erin said with a laugh.

“I guess they waited until the second date,” Ben said.

“‘These are my assets. This is what I want,'” Erin continued.

‘”This is what I want for the next five years, the next ten years. If you’re not open to any of this, then let’s just stop now.” And she said, ‘Oh my God, I love you,'” Ben said.

“I think the moral of the story is that we all need to be a little more transparent,” Erin said.

WATCH: HGTV STARS BEN AND ERIN NAPIER SHARE HOW THEY KNEW THEY WERE GETTING MARRIED AFTER JUST SIX DAYS OF DATING

The Napiers’ creative collaboration also began early in their relationship. Erin, who started her career in graphic design, and Ben, who has a passion for woodworking, previously said that they started teaming up on projects shortly after they met.

After their marriage, the couple moved to Erin’s hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, where they renovated their own home and then other homes in the community. The duo later founded Laurel Mercantile, an American-made home goods store.

Their move into television came when Erin’s blog and social media posts about her projects caught the attention of an HGTV producer.

In 2016, the reality show “Home Town,” which follows the couple trying to restore historic homes with materials and vintage fabrics found in Laurel, premiered on HGTV.

Since then, the couple has also starred in “Home Town” spinoff series, including “Home Town Takeover,” “Home Town: Ben’s Workshop” and the upcoming series “Home Town: Inn This Together.”

The duo hosts the HGTV series “Home Town.” (HGTV)

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While speaking with Fox News Digital, Ben and Erin shared their thoughts on the biggest challenges and rewards of working together as a married couple.

“The only challenge is trying to surprise each other with something,” Ben said.

“It’s really hard,” Erin agreed. “We’re together 24/7, so we have almost perfect communication with each other. We know everything. We don’t have any secrets. Because you can’t have a secret when you’re with someone all the time.”

I said, “‘Why didn’t you tell me about this?’ “There is no such surprise,” he added.

“Like, if you’re acting weird today, I know it’s because your ankle is bothering you,” Erin said. “Your workout only lasted 30 minutes. You wish it was at least 45 minutes, and you’re a little grumpy about it.”

“We always have TMI,” he said. “And when you have TMI, you have no arguments.”

Ben explained that the couple’s biggest challenge in working together isn’t a relationship issue.

Ben and Erin are the parents of two daughters. (Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)

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“When you’re on TV and you face it, you’re not allowed to have a bad day,” he said.

“A famous young philosopher named Taylor Swift said, ‘I can do this with a broken heart,'” Ben added as Erin laughed.

“That’s true,” Erin said. “We have to fake it ’til we make it. No matter how hard the day is, no matter what you’re going through, we have to smile when the red light goes on the camera.”

“There are a lot of days,” Ben admitted. “Luckily, we work with an incredible group of people who know: ‘Hey, today is really tough.’ ‘I may have to wait a minute for the red light to come on.’ Because when the red light is on, you have to be on.”

“And in those days, we have to rely on each other,” he said. “And I would say maybe the biggest challenge is that neither of us can have a bad day because one of us has to pull the other through.”

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The upcoming 16-episode 10th season of “Home Town” follows the Napiers as they continue to renovate historic homes as well as homes and other properties in Laurel.

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Speaking with Fox News Digital, Ben and Erin talked about how they tackled the renovation of the delivery room and waiting room at South Central Regional Medical Center.

Erin explained that the project had a special meaning for her as it was both the hospital where she was born and the hospital where the couple welcomed their two daughters. The reality star’s father, Phil Rasberry, a physical therapist, was also a long-time employee of the hospital.

“My father worked there for 44 years,” he said. “I was born there. My babies were born there. All my friends’ babies were born there. My nieces and nephews were born there. So we have a million special and important, big moments in this delivery room, especially when a new person joins your family in your world. And they always happened in this one room.”

The duo will next be seen in the 10th season of “Home Town”. (HGTV)

“This was a sacred place to me,” Erin continued. “Think about how scared you were to have your first baby. And this is where it happened. And I felt so loved, so relieved. These nurses, these doctors, they’re so incredible, I wanted to honor them and what we did.”

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“And the CEO of the hospital wanted it to feel like a five-star hotel experience. So I was so honored, and I also had to beg HGTV to let us do it because it’s not a house, it’s not a garden, but it was so important. And I cried twice in this episode. Isn’t that ridiculous? It was ridiculous.”

“That was one of the last moments my grandmother was sane and had my little nephew in that room,” she added. “I mean, it’s as important as a grandma’s house. So it was important to make it as gorgeous as possible.”

In the series, the couple renovates the maternity ward and waiting room of the hospital where Erin and their daughter were born. (HGTV)

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The duo explained that getting the lighting right was an important aspect of the renovation.

“It has very bright, ambient warm lighting radiating from the ceiling and sconces that give it a residential feel,” Erin explained. “Lighted mirrors were placed in the toilets to make the mother feel beautiful, even if she had just heard the bell that day. Stuff like that. Lighting was very important.”

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“We had an idea of ​​what the family needed,” Ben added. “But then we talked to all our friends, ‘What was it like when you had your first child or had your baby here?’ we talked. Then we worked very closely with the nurses and doctors there. And you’ll see a lot of that.”