HGTV’s ‘Renovation Aloha’ Team Facing Charges After Human Remains Shared on Social Media
Yahoo • • entertainment
Key Points:
- HGTV’s Renovation Aloha team discovered human remains during a December 2025 filming in a cave in Hilo, Hawaii, which led to legal and community backlash after footage was shared on social media despite a court order.
- The Kalamas, hosts of the show, did not disturb or remove the bones and reported the find to authorities; however, airing the footage violated a state restraining order aimed at protecting sacred Hawaiian burial sites.
- The Hawaii Attorney General condemned the unauthorized airing and signaled potential further legal action, while local Hawaiian leaders expressed deep cultural offense, emphasizing the sacredness of ancestral bones and the taboo of exposing them publicly.
- HGTV apologized for any offense caused, removed the original episode, and edited out the bones before re-airing, but the Kalamas and producers now face four counts of violating Iwi Kupuna protection laws as per court documents.
