Kamohai and Tristyn Kalama, stars of HGTV’s RENOVATION ALOHA, revealed that their thriving Oahu real estate business rose out of $80,000 in debt, built by their own account with God at the center of it all.
“We didn’t come from money,” the couple said in a social media post reflecting on their journey. “We came from debt…from years of sacrifice, consistency and relentless work.”
For Movieguide® readers, that distinction matters. The Kalamas have made their faith and their family the backbone of a show built around restoring old Hawaiian homes, following a path Movieguide® has tracked before in HGTV favorites like Ben and Erin Napier of HOME TOWN and Dave and Jenny Marrs of FIXER TO FABULOUS.
Before house-flipping, Kamohai worked as a substance abuse counselor and Tristyn as a licensed mental health counselor who’d founded her own nonprofit. Money was tight enough that asking for help wasn’t unusual.
“We were actually in [a] dire situation when we found real estate, like $80,000 in bad debt,” Kamohai told TV Insider. “And we were asking for help for rent some months.”
Kamohai also pushed back on assumptions that his family bankrolled the couple’s start. “I’ve never taken a penny from my dad to start a real estate company, nor has he invested in it at all,” he said.
Related: Are HGTV Shows Driving Debt and Jealousy?
The couple launched their business in 2018 and now run several ventures together, including a flooring line under the Kalama name and a service that helps families move back home to Hawaii. Kamohai handles acquisitions and the math; Tristyn handles design.
Faith runs through how they talk about each other, not just about money. Marking their tenth wedding anniversary earlier this year, Kamohai wrote on Instagram, “God brought us together and I am the luckiest man on this earth,” adding, “with God at the center we will do it all.”
Tristyn echoed that in her own tribute: “You are who God made for me, my perfect match and my divine partner. I thank our savior for you each and everyday and the life He continues to bless us with.”
That same instinct showed up when Hawaii saw its worst flooding in two decades earlier this year. Rather than promote their show, the Kalamas asked fans to pray for their neighbors and to give to relief funds like the Stronger Hawai’i Fund.
RENOVATION ALOHA leans on family as much as faith. Kamohai’s extended clan — he counts 87 first cousins — fills out the crew, with his brother as project manager, his mother on childcare duty and a cousin running the landscaping side. At the close of every renovation, Kamohai’s father blesses the finished house with a song on his ukulele, a tradition Tristyn says “prepares a space for the new family coming in.”
The Kalamas’ story lines up with a pattern Movieguide® has seen play out across HGTV’s renovation lineup: couples who found unexpected platforms while staying rooted in faith and family first. RENOVATION ALOHA’s third season premiered March 31, with the Kalamas showing no signs of slowing their pace — or their gratitude.
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