Who hasn’t dreamed of packing it all up and moving to a tropical paradise? That’s exactly what Luke Shantz and Steph Sitt did when they relocated from Canada to Costa Rica, without ever stepping foot in the Central American country. Luke, Steph and their two kids (Mia, 10 and Luna, 8) decided it was time for a reset after spending the pandemic cooped up in their home in Canada. So, they headed to Jacó (pronounced Ha-Co), Costa Rica where they purchased a dilapidated hotel to refurbish.

“We felt the universe was giving us a nudge,” says Luke, who has a construction and landscaping background. Steph worked in the hospitality industry for years. It took a lot of sweat and tears and surviving construction during the country’s intense rainy season. Betting on Paradise, which follows their journey, premiered on HGTV Tuesday, January 7. Ahead, learn more about this daring duo — who took Costa Rica by storm (literally!).

Get to Know Steph and Luke

They’re Canadian

The couple lived in Toronto for 10 years before moving to Costa Rica in November 2020 with their daughters. “I’m a city girl who grew up in Toronto,” says Steph, while Luke was raised in Grand Bend, a town located two hours outside of Toronto. “I was raised in a small-town on the shores of Lake Huron,” shares Luke.

They Have Lots of Siblings

Luke has four siblings — Ryan, Aaron, Jordan and Bethany. “I fall in the middle between Aaron and Jordan,” he says, while Steph has two older brothers, Andrew and Brian. Luke’s parents (Phil and Anne) and Steph’s mom and dad (Wendy and Patrick) make cameos on the show with Luke’s mom proudly announcing, “You took a dream and made it a reality.”

They Have Different Personalities

Growing up, Steph describes herself as a rebel and an introvert. “I was definitely a 90s grunge girl,” she says — while Luke was known for being extremely sociable. “I’m a very positive person,” he says. “Steph likes to say I’m all sunshine and rainbows. In high school, I loved everybody and everybody loved me!”

They Were Both Teachers in Taiwan

Although they’re from Canada, Luke and Steph’s paths didn’t cross until they met in Taiwan, where they were teaching English at a private school. “We taught everyone from kindergarteners to junior high to older folks,” shares Steph.

They Had an Interesting First Date

“Back then, I was a meat and potatoes type of guy. I never had a mango let alone sushi, which is what Steph wanted to eat on our first date,” shares Luke. “Problem was, the night market we went to in Taiwan had run out of rice, so we had to settle for sashimi. I didn’t want to eat it but I had this pretty girl in front of me so I put the raw tuna in my mouth yet ended up spitting it out!”

They Got Married After Being Together for 18 Years

Steph explains they were set to marry in Mexico in November of 2020 when the pandemic hit. “Everything was cancelled,” she says. “We always wanted a destination wedding so once we moved to Costa Rica and bought the hotel, we thought it would make the perfect spot for our wedding in addition to being a great way to start off our new business.” The couple held their ceremony on the beach, with their daughters as flower girls. “We had talked about getting married for so long," says Luke. "Mia and Luna were just so happy it was finally happening and that their grandparents and cousins would be coming down from Canada."

They Own Two Rescue Dogs

The family adopted two-year-old Sunny and one-year-old Stormy from a local Costa Rican shelter. “Our daughters named them,” shares Luke. “We call them our Tico mutts. Tico is a colloquial term for native, a reference to a mixed breed dog from Costa Rica.”

They’re Inspired by Steph’s Mom

“My mom moved to Canada from Hong Kong when she was eighteen not knowing a word of English, yet she built a life for herself,” says Steph. “Now, as a foreigner and mother moving to a country where I don’t speak the language, I realize how hard it must have been for her. Because the truth is, it’s easier for women in my era to make a move like this.”

They Live by This Mantra

Says Luke, “Years ago, Jim Carrey was the commencement speaker at a graduation and said, ‘You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.’ I’ve always lived my life by those words.”

They Define Themselves in Three Words

Luke: Super Duper Optimistic!

Steph: Present, Engaged, Empathetic

They Have a Crier in the Family

“Being an introvert, I need to decompress a lot and sometimes it's hard for me to show emotion,” says Steph. “I turn inward when I’m stressed while Luke has to talk everything out. He’s very spirited and sensitive and has no problem crying.” Agrees Luke, “I’m a big crybaby! A lot of people see me as a jokester but I have a deep spiritual side to me.”

They’re Inspired by Chip and Joanna Gaines

“There were days when nothing could go right when it came to the hotel and I would listen to Chip on his podcast talking about how hard it was at the beginning of his journey,” says Luke. “Not a lot of people have been in our shoes, who can relate to what we’re going through like Chip and Joanna. I would walk the beach and listen to their story and the hell they went through to get where they are and it gave me the drive to keep moving forward.”

They Have a Favorite Tattoo

“I have the word ‘Kakaram’ tattooed on my wrist,” says Steph. “A shaman from South America once told me it relates to moving forth without fear.” For Luke, it’s a large blue hibiscus flower on his arm. A local artist drew it when he first moved to Costa Rica.

Their Unique Car is Part of the Family

“While traveling in India, I fell in love with their taxi cabs known as tuk-tuks," says Luke. "It snows in Canada so a three-wheel vehicle wasn’t going to work out, but the weather is nice in Costa Rica and the cars are expensive so I found a tuk-tuk for sale on Facebook Marketplace. We named her Rosie the tuk-tuk. She makes a lot of appearances on the show!”

They’re Self-Starters

Ask the couple what they’ve always dreamed of becoming and they’ll both respond with the same word: entrepreneur. “Although I once had a dream of being an actor,” says Luke.

Their Neighbor Got the Show Rolling

“Our neighbor in Costa Rica had a relationship with someone at Cineflix, our production company,” says Luke. “One day she popped over and said I think your story is really cool, I’m going to share it. The rest is history.”

They Were Excited When BOP Was Greenlit

“We told family and friends about the possibility of our show getting produced after shooting the sizzle reel and later thought, ‘What if we don’t get it and we just told everybody!’ Then one day we were sitting by our pool and our executive producer called and told us the great news,” says Luke. “And although we were always going to do it, reality hit that we were going to go through with the hotel renovation. Getting the show was a good motivator!”

They Found Support in Each Other

The couple hit a ton of roadblocks during construction of the hotel. “It was the hardest year of my life,” says Luke. “At times, I didn’t know if we were going to make it. It was a whole other level of difficulty. One thing I love about my relationship with Steph is we take turns on who is going to be the stronger one. When Steph struggled, I would step up and when I had a meltdown, she would take over. The fact we made it to the end after having 8,000 pounds of pressure on our backs every day was a big deal. But we’ve had a lot of ups and downs over our 18 years together and knew if this didn’t work out, we’d find something else.” Agrees Steph, “We leaned on each other to get through it. And cried pretty much every day.”

They Found Appreciation for Each Other’s Skills

Having never worked together, the couple saw strengths in each other they’d never seen before. “Luke was great at keeping up the energy, defusing situations and dealing with different personalities,” notes Steph. Luke was blown away by Steph’s design expertise. “I knew she was an amazing designer but to see what she came up with was next level,” he says. “Watching how everyone saw and appreciated her vision and fell in line behind her ... I was so proud.”

They’re Always Up for a New Adventure

“We’re always looking at opportunities, always trying to figure out how we can turn a dream into a reality,” says Luke. “Steph is an amazing cook and in January 2025, we’re opening an Asian street food inspired restaurant called The Tuk Shop where she can show off her famous cheeseburger dumpling recipe!”

How to Watch Betting on Paradise

Betting on Paradise airs on HGTV Tuesdays at 12p|11c. For more Betting on Paradise content, stay connected on HGTV’s digital platforms by following @HGTV and #BettingonParadise on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and Threads. Follow Luke and Steph on Instagram at @steph.and.luke.