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When Davina Thomasula and Kristin Leitheuser bought their house in Poughkeepsie, New York, they never imagined it would one day lead to them landing their dream jobs.
As Thomasula and Leitheuser slowly renovated their home — “it was like, falling apart” — they shared their progress on social media. Eventually, Thomasula’s videos made it to someone in HGTV casting and the rest is, as they say, history.
“It kind of just snowballed,” Thomasula laughs.
“And now we have our lives on camera,” Leitheuser adds.
The two are the upcoming hosts of HGTV’s new Hudson Valley, New York-based show, “Small Town Potential.” It features Thomasula operating as both real estate agent and designer, and Leitheuser, who does the renovations.
While HGTV has other shows starring LGBTQ+ couples — Nate Berkus and his partner Jeremiah Brent have had a few stints on the network, and another show, “Bargain Block” stars Detroit couple Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas — “Small Town Potential” is the first to feature two queer women as hosts.
It’s an honor neither Thomasula nor Leitheuser take lightly.
“I’m so nervous. I feel like it’s such a big responsibility,” Thomasula tells TODAY.com in a joint interview with Leitheuser. “But we want to be visible and create awareness. I think that’s really important for our community. So we’re proud to be here, and this is what we want to do.”
“Super important, we know how much (importance) this holds,” Leitheuser adds. “We’re here for it man, what a position to be in.”
The show is also bringing more visibility to the Hudson Valley region, where Leitheuser grew up. The show features her dad, Don Leitheuser, who is a master carpenter. He helps the couple with their renovations and, naturally, provides dad jokes.
“Growing up with it, I think I first swung a hammer at like 2 years old,” Leitheuser says with a laugh. “I always watched him fix up the house… summer jobs, things like that, I worked with him.”
While she did a “corporate stint” in New York City when she was younger, she says it was “always my fate” to come back to her hometown and work with her dad.
“And then the synergies with (Thomasula) and real estate, it’s just worked out,” she says.
How did Kristin Leitheuser and Davina Thomasula meet?
The “corporate stint” Leitheuser took in New York City may not have worked out career-wise, but it did help her meet her future partner.
When they met, Thomasula was working as a bartender in the city. Leitheuser walked in, ordered a Guinness and it was meant to be, Thomasula says.
“I don’t ever think it’s just, like, cut and dry, but we’ve had 10 years together and figuring it out and navigating and growing and still figuring out things every day,” Thomasula says.
“Oh yeah, it’s been a journey,” Leitheuser adds.
Thomasula and Leitheuser have been engaged for four years, and they’re still “navigating a wedding date,” according to HGTV.
When does ‘Small Town Potential’ air?
Leitheuser and Thomasula’s show, “Small Town Potential,” premieres on Sunday, March 3, at 9 p.m. ET.
The first season has eight episodes, according to a press release from HGTV, and the stars say they don’t know if the show’s been renewed for a second season yet.
“So watch, and we hope you enjoy!” Leitheuser says.
“Watch, watch, watch, please, I want to do ‘Rock the Block!'” Thomasula jokes, referring to the network’s renovation competition show.
The two say they hope anyone who does watch the show just has fun.
“It’s lighthearted, it’s fun, it’s a time to just escape whatever’s happening in life,” Thomasula says. “We had fun doing it.”
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