[This article appears in the March/April 2024 print issue of Boston Spirit magazine. Subscribe for free today.]
In January 2021, Boston Spirit shared the story of two Massachusetts natives and Boston residents—husbands Stephen and David St. Russell—two men who developed a massive social media following through their online moniker “Renovation Husbands.” The couple provided a virtual open house where followers were permitted to see them renovate their Dorchester Queen Anne home, which they bought when it was torn down to the studs. Since then, their following has grown, their houses have doubled, and they are currently one of the crafty couples featured on HGTV’s popular reality competition “Battle on the Mountain.”
“If you had told us during that [2021] interview what we would be doing in 2024, we would never have believed you. Since we spoke last, we have (mostly) finished our Boston Victorian, we left our corporate careers, we were awarded the Boston Preservation Award, we filmed a TV show and most recently closed on our next project—a 1970s cabin in mid-coast Maine.” says Stephen.
Jumping from social media to the small screen is quite a shift. Their Instagram followers now total a whopping 241K, but that pales in comparison to the millions of eyes that will be watching the couple on a weekly basis transform a cabin in Colorado into a relaxing mountain getaway.
Set at 13,000 feet above sea level, HGTV’s “Battle on the Mountain” is raising the stakes of competitive home renovation to new heights (literally). It debuted on Jan. 22 with a supersized two-hour premiere in which the Renovation Husbands won the kitchen makeover. During the six-episode series, three skilled teams total will jump from room to room—coached by home experts Rico León (“Rico to the Rescue”), Kim Myles (“Design Star: Next Gen”) and Kim Wolfe (“Why the Heck Did I Buy This House?”). They will face-off to upgrade similar mountainside homes in Breckenridge, Colorado. With an all-star roster of HGTV stars to judge the weekly challenges, each team will work to add the most property value in hopes of clinching bragging rights and a $50,000 cash prize.
(The series’ last episode will have aired on Feb. 19. This is when the grand prize is awarded. But you can still catch the show as it continues to stream on Discovery+ and Max.)
“We were initially stunned to be paired with Rico because that would mean an entirely male team—but after meeting him, it started to make more sense. Rico is a go-getter and problem solver, more so than a designer and as the most design-focused duo competing it would make sense for us to be paired together. We met Rico on camera, and during those first couple of weeks we became closer. He was invested in us doing well and really helped us feel more confident about competing on TV,“ says David.
Stephen and David are also breaking ground as the first gay couple to compete on the series. This is an important representation for LGBTQ people.
“As far as we know, we are the first gay couple to be competitors on any “Battle on the…’’ franchise. It wasn’t something we really thought about while filming, but in retrospect it’s really an honor. If we think back to watching HGTV shows with our parents as kids—seeing a married gay couple on TV would make a huge impact on how we could picture ourselves in the world. Win or lose, I hope we can be that mirror for any LGBTQ+ kids watching at home.” says Stephen.
Even though this show is a competition, it is clear that the different competitors bonded and made great positive connections. The communal experience of renovating a house in a very short period of time is extraordinary, to say the least.
“Initially we learned that we were all in the same boat and really—we were in this together. In a lot of ways this was more a competition with ourselves than it was with our competitors. We couldn’t control how well they performed—only how we performed. Seeing them throughout the competition actually became moments of relief—we weren’t going through this alone.” says David. [x]
More: renovationhusbands.com
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