The former 'Battle on the Beach' co-host said she "expected" the network to renew the show without her
Credit: Paul Archuleta/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Alison Victoria claims that HGTV did not invite her back to Battle on the Beach because she said the show was “canceled” last year
- The former co-host said she should have said the series was “not renewed” for a fifth season to be more accurate
- HGTV announced on May 11 that the show is being revived, with Ty Pennington returning with new co-hosts in place of Victoria and Taniya Nayak
Alison Victoria believes she was not invited back to co-host Battle on the Beach because she falsely stated that the series was “canceled.”
As HGTV ended several fan-favorite shows, Victoria, 44, announced on her Pap Smear Podcast in July 2025 that the home design competition series — which she co-hosted with Taniya Nayak and Ty Pennington — had been “canceled” after four seasons.
More than 10 months later, on May 11, the network announced that it was reviving the seaside design series with Pennington, 61, back as co-host alongside newcomers Mika Kleinschmidt and Sarah Baeumler, per TV Insider. In a new interview with the Daily Mail, Victoria opened up about why she thinks she was not invited back.
The designer and former Battle on the Beach co-host claimed in the interview published Friday, May 15, that she was not invited to participate in the new season because she said it had been “canceled” instead of “not renewed,” while sharing the news with podcast guest Retta on Pap Smear last year.
Credit: Jessica McGowan/Warner Bros.
Victoria began by explaining that there is “no editing” on her podcast. “It's just conversation. I don't have notes,” she told the Daily Mail. “I should be more prepared, but I'm not and she and I were just talking about different shows and I had said that Battle on the Beach was canceled.”
“Now, that word should not have been used,” she continued. “I should've said ‘not renewed.' That's the language that I should have used.”
An HGTV spokesperson did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Saturday, May 16.
In the Daily Mail interview, Victoria went on to share that she learned of the new season through her former co-host and close friend Nayak, 53. “She was like, ‘They picked up Battle on the Beach, and neither of us are gonna be on,' and I looked at her and I just said, ‘I expected that.' "
“For me, we loved that show and we just had fun,” she continued. “We made great television, and now it's time to pass the torch and see what they've got. So only time will tell, and you know, the ratings will be the feedback, and I hope that the ratings are amazing.”
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Credit: HGTV
Victoria is currently hosting Sin City Rehab and working on Scariest House in America and Ugliest House in America, both hosted by Retta, 56. She told the Daily Mail that she hopes her busy schedule is part of the reason she was not invited back to Battle on the Beach, beyond her podcast remark.
“I'm working very hard on my show, so even let's say I did get asked to be back — which I did not, but let's say I did — I wouldn't have been able to do it because there was no way to juggle it."
She then said that "part of me hopes that maybe they didn't ask me back because they knew I didn't have time.”
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