New HGTV Couple Stars in ‘Betting on Paradise’: All About Luke Shantz & Steph Sitt

Following in the footsteps of “Fixer Upper” stars Chip and Joanna Gaines, multiple couples have risen to stardom on HGTV over the last decade including Ben and Erin Napier of “Home Town,” Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson on “Married to Real Estate,” Evan Thomas and Keith Bynum from “Bargain Block,” and “100 Day Dream Home” stars Mika and Brian Kleinschmidt.

With the debut of “Betting on Paradise” on January 7, 2025 — right after the “Fixer to Fabulous” season premiere with another beloved couple, Dave and Jenny Marrs — HGTV viewers will meet the latest couple hoping their renovation adventures translate into big ratings. As the series premieres, Luke Shantz and Steph Sitt will host a watch party at Hotel Amavi, the boutique Costa Rican hotel they transformed in 2024 with a camera crew capturing the chaos.

Luke Shantz & Steph Sitt Moved With Their Daughters From Canada to Costa Rica

Shantz and Sitt have been together for close to two decades, but didn’t marry until January 31, 2024, according to their wedding website on The Knot. They met while “teaching ESL in Taiwan in our adventurous 20s,” they wrote on the site, and returned to their native Canada after four years.

The couple spent over a decade working in Toronto, per HGTV, where Sitt worked in the hotel industry, including serving as the Centralized Operations Manager for the Four Seasons Toronto, per LinkedIn.

But everything changed during the pandemic. With hotels suffering and much of the world shut down, the couple decided to sell their home and move with their daughters — Mia, now 10, and Luna, 8 — to Jacó, Costa Rica.

Shantz, whose background is in construction and landscaping, told HGTV, “We felt the universe was giving us a nudge” to change things up and start a new adventure.

With financial help from friends and family, Shantz and Sitt eventually decided to purchase a run-down hotel with the vision of turning into a high-end, boutique respite for travelers. When a neighbor heard about their plans, she informed a friend who worked in TV production, thinking their remodeling project sounded like a show in the making, per TV Insider. The friend’s company, Cineflix Productions, wound up reaching out and HGTV greenlit the show in early 2023, before filming began.

Nearly two years later, the show is finally ready to air, the hotel is up and running, and the pressure is on, Shantz told TV Insider.

“You have the whole world watching and want to make sure you make this look as good as possible,” he said.

‘Betting on Paradise’ Star Says He Was Inspired by Chip Gaines When the Going Got Tough

After a year of renovations that will be showcased on the six-episode season of “Betting on Paradise,” Shantz and Sitt opened Hotel Amavi in May 2024.

In a “get to know you” video posted on their Instagram account, they laughingly agreed that the year they spent getting the hotel up and running was “hell,” but totally worth the blood, sweat and tears. Shantz told HGTV that he looked to Chip Gaines for inspiration when the going got tough.

“There were days when nothing could go right when it came to the hotel and I would listen to Chip on his podcast talking about how hard it was at the beginning of his journey,” he said. “Not a lot of people have been in our shoes, who can relate to what we’re going through like Chip and Joanna. I would walk the beach and listen to their story and the hell they went through to get where they are and it gave me the drive to keep moving forward.”

Curious viewers and future travelers can get a sneak peek at the property, including its colorful guest rooms and pool area, on the hotel’s website.