The stars and hosts of HGTV’s Renovation Aloha, Tristyn and Kamohai Kalama, are opening up about being in major debt before getting into real estate.
The married couple purchase and renovate run-down homes in O’ahu, Hawai’i, but before they started that, they were in substantial debt.
In a new Instagram video, Tristyn and Kamohai respond to misconceptions that they come from a lot of money, and that’s why they became successful in real estate.
“We were actually in [a] dire situation when we found real estate, like $80,000 in bad debt, which is like a lot of people here in Hawaii, just because it’s so expensive,” Kamohai reveals. “And we were asking for help for rent some months.”
Tristyn joked that she would take a trust fund if offered, and Kamohai reiterated that he is, in fact, not “a trust fund baby.”
He notes that just because his father is “super successful,” everyone “automatically assumes” that he had a “silver spoon” while growing up, but that’s not the case.
“The fact of the matter is, I’ve never taken a penny from my dad to start a real estate company, nor has he invested in it at all,” Kamohai said. “They only see the second half of my dad’s life, but we grew up in Kailua Arms, which was the most ghetto apartment building in Kailua.”
“Our whole family started from nothing,” he continued. “I think a lot of people get that twisted.”
Renovation Aloha currently has three full seasons available to watch now on HBO Max.
In the latest season, the couple found themselves working out how to buy a warehouse and office space so they don’t have to work out of their home anymore.
The final episode of season three also saw them completely tearing down Tristyn‘s parents’ home, where she grew up, and building them a brand new house on the lot.
At the time of this post, HGTV has not canceled or renewed the show for a fourth season. Stay tuned!
Earlier this year, they shut down rumors that the show was canceled after a season three episode saw them discovering skeletal remains of Native ancestors on a property they were renovating. They were then faced with a civil lawsuit, according to People.
Posted To:HGTV Kamohai Kalama Renovation Aloha Tristyn Kalama