A Fifth HGTV Show Got Canceled, And Alison Victoria Finally Spoke Out

There’s been a bit of a pattern on the 2025 TV schedule, thanks to HGTV canceling a handful of shows in a bid for interior redecorating. Unfortunately faster than you can say “fireworks,” another series seems to have been clipped from the docket - making this five cancellations so far for the home reno network. Now former host Alison Victoria got real about a factor she thinks was crucial to the decision to add yet another title to the this year's list of canceled TV shows.

During her most recent episode of The Pap Smear Podcast, Victoria chatted with fellow HGTV host (and Parks and Rec icon) Retta about what goes into making some of these shows. Fan of reality shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race already know how important the edit is, and it turns out that's also the case for those in the world of reality renovations. Here’s why Alison Victoria holds that opinion in these trying times:

Much like Egypt Sherrod’s Married to Real Estate cancellation, another HGTV series was forced to close its sliding farmhouse door for the last time after its fourth season. It's not as sudden as Izzy Does It’s one-season cancellation, as that series didn’t seem to quickly find the same audience that grew to love him on Flip or Flop.

Which ties back into Alison Victoria’s overall point, in which the editing of such reality HBO Max subscription friendly reality competitions comes into question.

Using Battle on the Beach as an example, the series co-hosted by Taniya Nayak and home show icon Ty Pennington balances the usual plates any reality competition does. Cycling back and forth between challenges, establishing shots of the environs, and eventually the drama and triumph between each team, that is a lot to fit into the ad-adjusted 42 minutes of airtime.

This isn’t exactly House Hunters, which can sometimes be as simple as introducing the property, weighing minimal pros and cons, and then making the decision. That show and others can sometimes feature moments that feel like they should have been cut out, but it sounds like Battle on the Beach may have ultimately suffered for its talents having too much fun, and without the kinds of editors who could most applicably make it all work.

That’s if Alison Victoria’s theory is true, of course, though it would be difficult for fans to ever know the real deal. As our host of the moment is more intimately knowledgeable with how those renovations were conducted, Ms. Victoria would be one of the best people to talk to about what happened during the course of one season.

By extension, her view on what moments would have made good TV would differ from an editor putting it all together after the fact. As with any good piece of entertainment, that subjective reality is what helps a series like Battle on the Beach stand out from Bargain Block, or any other HGTV program.

Unfortunately, the common thread between those two shows is that they’re now part of the honored dead on the basic cable home show circuit. Could this be where the metaphorical bleeding stops for the network? One can’t really say, as that’s up to the executives in charge. For now though, you can revisit Battle on the Beach, through all four of its seasons currently streaming on HBO Max.