Why Pamela Anderson Wasn't Happy With The First Season Of Her HGTV Series

In November 2022, HGTV launched "Pamela's Garden of Eden," an original renovation show following the stunningly transformed Pamela Anderson as she restores her family's property on Vancouver Island. The show has since seen subsequent seasons, with the second series of episodes premiering in September 2023.

Even though the series is continuing, the Canadian actor and model has opened up about her unhappiness with the program's first season, explaining that she had different expectations for the series. "Before, I was thinking it was a little HGTV Canada show and that it was going to just be about sustainable design," Anderson told People. "I was wrong, unfortunately, and once again I felt slightly exploited."

The model also mentioned that she had a lot going on at the time of filming, adding, "I was a bit of a mess." Despite her negative feelings surrounding the first season of "Pamela's Garden of Eden," the renovation host has expressed positive feelings about the show's second season, seemingly determined to make the most out of her HGTV opportunity.

Though HGTV's "Pamela's Garden of Eden" aired with notable success, host Pamela Anderson has revealed that she felt exploited by some aspects of the show's first season. "I was allowing others to make decisions," the "Barb Wire" actor told People. "I had no idea they'd use old photos or ex-husbands, or any of my celebrity life. It always is shocking that that part of me seems interesting at all when I felt my weakest and my worst."

While the series primarily features information about the Ladysmith property that Anderson is renovating, including how it originally belonged to her grandmother, some episodes do include tidbits about the model's celebrity life. For example, her connection to photographer David LaChapelle is mentioned in Episode 3 when the team is searching for a specific piece of artwork. While Anderson explains that she worked frequently with LaChapelle, risqué pictures of their collaborations are featured on screen.

The show's original intro sequence also featured footage from the fashion icon's high-profile days, including a short red carpet video of her and ex-husband Tommy Lee, a detail that was notably changed for the second season. These feelings of exploitation were amplified by what Anderson explains was a vulnerable period in her life. "I was in survival mode while writing my memoir [Love, Pamela]," she shared. "The documentary [Pamela: A Love Story] was being made, and I was an open wound when it was being shot."

Pamela Anderson expressed some dissatisfaction with the first season of "Pamela's Garden of Eden," but the model and actor wasted no time taking the show's second season in a new direction. "I'm taking my power back, instead of giving it up," she told People. "I took control of the show and figured out a way to keep to my vision and turn it into a positive experience. I kept it real."

Whereas the first season of the HGTV show featured Anderson working closely alongside professional designers, the second run of the series sees the host taking on the bulk of creative decision-making. The series also expands to include the LA renovation project of Anderson's all-grown-up sons, Brian and Dylan, whom she works alongside for the duration of the season.

"This is the fun part for me," Anderson told Today about bringing her kids onto the show. "I didn't realize I'd be raising kids and doing these kind of things together." The HGTV star emphasized that she and her family weren't working with a team of designers behind the scenes, admiring how her sons are both creative and business-minded. With Anderson's updated take on the second season of her HGTV show in mind, we can't wait to see what projects the model has in store for future installments.