Wild Vacation Rentals brings D’Arcy Carden and Sherry Cola to HGTV and it’s a new kind of travel stay show

You are about to see HGTV test a different kind of wanderlust. Instead of walking you through blueprints and before‑and‑after reveals, Wild Vacation Rentals drops you into fully realized fantasy stays, with D’Arcy Carden and Sherry Cola as your guides. The series treats travel lodging as the main event rather than a backdrop, inviting you to imagine not just where you might go next, but how you might want to live while you are there.

The road trip premise that flips the HGTV formula

Wild Vacation Rentals is built around a simple but potent idea: you follow two comedians on a road trip as they hop between highly unconventional places to stay, and each stop becomes a character in its own right. Instead of watching homeowners agonize over tile choices, you watch D’Arcy Carden and Sherry Cola size up finished spaces that already lean into bold themes, from over‑the‑top luxury to unapologetically eccentric design. The focus is not on resale value or renovation budgets, it is on how a space makes you feel for a long weekend.

The network positions the show as part of a broader push to turn your screen into an escape hatch, with Wild Vacation Rentals joining a 2026 slate that leans heavily into aspirational real estate and travel fantasy. HGTV has already framed the series as a centerpiece of its upcoming lineup of Episodes of Original Content, signaling that this is not a one‑off experiment but a strategic bet on viewers like you who want to browse extraordinary rentals from the couch.

D’Arcy Carden and Sherry Cola bring “The Nobody Wants This” energy

If you already know D’Arcy Carden and Sherry Cola from The Nobody Wants This, you can expect that same quick, offbeat chemistry to anchor Wild Vacation Rentals. The two actresses are not just hosting segments, they are playing the role of stand‑in guests, reacting to each property the way you might if you walked in and found a treehouse bathroom or a neon‑lit speakeasy hidden behind a bookcase. Their banter gives you permission to laugh at the absurdity of some design choices while still appreciating the craft that went into them.

HGTV is explicit that the series is built around the duo, describing how The Nobody Wants This actresses are heading out together to explore properties with incredible designs and unique quirks. By centering performers who already have a shared comedic language, the show leans into personality‑driven travel storytelling instead of the more traditional host‑as‑expert model that has long defined HGTV’s renovation franchises.

How each episode turns one rental into a “must stay”

Structurally, Wild Vacation Rentals is designed to make you pick a favorite. In each half‑hour episode, Carden and Cola tour a curated set of standout properties, then crown one as the “must stay” choice. That format turns passive viewing into a kind of game, inviting you to weigh the pros and cons of each place right alongside them, whether you are drawn to a minimalist desert dome or a maximalist Victorian packed with curiosities.

The network has already teased that every installment will build toward that decision, with the actresses ultimately selecting a single “must stay” property per episode. For you, that means each show functions as both entertainment and a short list: if you are the type who bookmarks dream trips, you will walk away with one clear front‑runner every time, already vetted for atmosphere, amenities, and sheer story value.

Part of HGTV’s bigger 2026 content play

Wild Vacation Rentals is not arriving in a vacuum, it is the tip of a much larger programming strategy. HGTV has committed to more than thirty new installments of original series for its 2026 schedule, and the network is using that expansion to double down on formats that blur the line between real estate, travel, and pure escapism. For you, that means a lineup that feels less like a how‑to channel and more like a curated fantasy feed.

In corporate materials, HGTV explicitly Adds Over

Why HGTV thinks you want “escapist” real estate TV

HGTV has been steadily reframing its brand around the idea of escape, and Wild Vacation Rentals fits that pivot cleanly. Instead of asking you to imagine knocking down a wall in your own home, the show invites you to mentally check into a place that might be wildly impractical in everyday life but perfect for a three‑night stay. That shift taps into the same impulse that has made browsing listings on your phone a kind of low‑stakes hobby.

Commentary on the 2026 lineup notes that HGTV is not just programming shows anymore, it is programming an escape, with series that feel like someone scooped up your late‑night scrolling habits and tossed them onto television. Wild Vacation Rentals slots neatly into that trend, giving you a way to indulge in fantasy travel and outrageous design without ever opening a booking app or committing to a flight.

Where Wild Vacation Rentals sits in HGTV’s expanding universe

As HGTV builds out its 2026 slate, Wild Vacation Rentals is being treated as a flagship alongside other buzzy titles. The network has ordered the series while also renewing fan‑friendly formats that lean into unusual properties, signaling that it sees a long runway in shows that treat real estate as entertainment rather than instruction. For you, that means a schedule where one hour you might be gawking at castles, and the next you are weighing which themed rental you would actually book.

Coverage of the lineup highlights how Wild Vacation Rentals and

How the show reimagines the classic travel stay format

Traditional travel shows tend to treat hotels and rentals as quick cutaways between food segments and sightseeing, but Wild Vacation Rentals inverts that hierarchy. Here, the lodging is the destination, and the surrounding city or landscape becomes supporting scenery. You are encouraged to think about what it would feel like to inhabit each space, from the morning coffee ritual to the late‑night conversation spot, rather than just checking off tourist attractions.

HGTV’s own description of Wild Vacation Rentals emphasizes that the series is about exploring incredible designs and unique quirks, which is a subtle but important distinction from the usual focus on thread counts and concierge services. By foregrounding architecture, decor, and storytelling, the show aligns more closely with the way you might actually choose a short‑term rental today, scrolling through photos and imagining which space best matches the version of yourself you want to be on that particular trip.

What it means for HGTV staples like “Home Town”

Whenever a network introduces a splashy new format, the obvious question is what happens to the legacy shows that built the brand. In HGTV’s case, the answer is that travel‑centric experiments like Wild Vacation Rentals are being layered on top of, not in place of, renovation staples. That gives you more variety without forcing you to give up the comfort of familiar formats anchored by long‑running hosts.

Reporting around Ben Napier’s franchise notes that Besides Home Town HGTV has announced a new series called Wild Vacation Rentals, which will follow actresses and comedians on the road. That framing makes clear that the network sees value in both approaches: grounded, small‑town renovations that speak to long‑term living, and high‑concept rental tours that let you flirt with a completely different lifestyle for a few days at a time.

How “Castle Impossible” and other series set the stage

Wild Vacation Rentals also benefits from the groundwork laid by other shows that celebrate unconventional living spaces. Castle Impossible, for example, has already trained viewers to appreciate the people who pour time and money into restoring or reinventing properties that defy standard suburban logic. When you tune into a rental‑focused series after that, you are primed to see each stay as part of a broader culture of creative, sometimes eccentric, home design.

Announcements about the upcoming schedule describe how Jack will meet characters who have embraced non‑traditional homes with distinctive decor and imaginative architecture, all from the comfort of their own home audience. That same spirit runs through Wild Vacation Rentals, which invites you to meet hosts who have turned their properties into experiences, then decide whether you would be brave enough, or curious enough, to book a stay.

Why Wild Vacation Rentals could reshape your travel wish list

By the time Wild Vacation Rentals settles into HGTV’s 2026 rotation, you can expect it to start influencing how you think about your next getaway. Instead of defaulting to a standard hotel chain, you may find yourself hunting for stays that tell a story, whether that means a retrofitted Airstream on a cliff or a converted schoolhouse filled with mid‑century furniture. The show normalizes the idea that the place you sleep can be the headline attraction, not just a logistical detail.

HGTV’s broader 2026 plan, which includes Wild Vacation Rentals at the center of its vacation‑rental push, suggests that the network expects you to carry that inspiration from the screen into your own planning. Whether you ever book one of the featured properties or simply borrow a design idea for your guest room, the series is poised to blur the line between fantasy and reality every time you start dreaming about where to go next.

Supporting sources: ‘Wild Vacation Rentals’ Ordered To Series At HGTV – Deadline.

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*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.