While it’s well established that some HGTV stars have become good friends off-camera, thanks to all the events they’ve attended and spin-off shows they’ve filmed together, many fans are just learning of the bond between two of the network’s longtime stars — David Bromstad and Alison Victoria.
On January 16, 2026, Victoria dove into the popular social media trend of posting throwback photos and memories from 2016. On Instagram and Facebook, she shared a series of decade-old images, including two of her with Bromstad, star of HGTV’s hit series “My Lottery Dream Home.” Victoria wrote in her caption that 2016 was “the year I fell in love and in friendship with @bromco (look at our babyyyy faces),” and fans went wild over the pics and learning of their years-long connection.
Many Fans Didn’t Realize Alison Victoria & David Bromstad Were Friends
GettyVictoria has regularly shared pics with other HGTV buddies, like her former “Battle on the Beach” co-stars Taniya Nayak and Ty Pennington, but many fans weren’t aware that she’s also such good friends with Bromstad. Her throwback post was flooded with comments from people swooning over the idea of them hanging out together.
On Instagram, one exclaimed, “Oh [expletive] I’m in love with you both!!! 🔥🔥🔥” and another wrote, “Whaaaaaat I love these two!❤️🙌”
Someone else commented, “Love you both, and yet through it all still friends and you’re both are thriving and kicking ass stronger than ever❤️❤️🙌❤️🙌❤️”
Another fan on Facebook admitted, ” I. AM. JEALOUS!! I want David to hang out with me! Actually, I want to hang with you BOTH!!”
In 2024, Victoria told Realtor.com that her friendships with fellow HGTV stars are genuine, explaining, “They’re my favorite people. When you see those connections, those are real friendships. Taniya Nayak is one of my best friends. Ty Pennington is like my brother. David Bromstad is like my other brother. Jonathan [Knight] and I, we clicked and connected. Sarah Baeumler is one of my really close friends, and Brian [Baeumler].”
“We just really love each other,” she continued, “and we really support each other, and that to me is a camaraderie that you just can’t fake.”
David Bromstad & Alison Victoria Rose to Fame on HGTV Around the Same Time
GettyBack in 2016, Victoria was the star of HGTV’s “Kitchen Crashers,” a popular show that was the precursor to her series “Windy City Rehab” and 2025’s “Sin City Rehab.” Ten years prior, in 2006, Bromstad was the first-ever winner of “HGTV Design Star” and landed his first show, “Color Splash,” which aired from 2007 to 2013.
By 2016, he’d filmed one season of “My Lottery Dream Home,” but HGTV was struggling to find lottery winners who wanted to be on the show. It wasn’t until season three that the series exploded in popularity. In 2015, he and Victoria appeared at a big HGTV event held in Nashville during the CMAs, but it wasn’t until the following year that they really clicked, according to Victoria’s post.
Victoria wrote in her caption, “2016… you probably wouldn’t have been as much if I stopped drinking back then. It was the year I fell in love and in friendship with @bromco (look at our babyyyy faces) and @guyfieri and @billycorgan, the year I went platinum blonde and all my hair broke off, the year I traveled more than a human should, but don’t regret one.single.moment of doing so, the year I had my face plastered all over the streets of New York, the year I saved A LOT of dogs, the year I shot my 9th and final season of Kitchen Crashers…and the year that I clearly didn’t stick to my resolutions. You’re welcome.”
Interestingly, both Victoria and Bromstad shared their sober journeys with fans in 2025. In June, Victoria revealed on her podcast that she’d quit drinking eight months before, and Bromstad opened up in December about his struggles with substance abuse.
I’m 1 of y’all biggest fans. I’ll never be able to afford to have you decorate a house or help me purchase one, but you both decorate my life. Love you 🥰