Island of Bryan

Island of Bryan is an HGTV Canada reality television series of renovation, home life, and business activities, premiering in Spring 2019. The show is similar to House of Bryan and Bryan Inc., two previous shows starring builder Bryan Baeumler, his wife Sarah, and their children; along with Bryan's apprentice Adam. The Baeumler family is renovating and restoring a tropical island beachfront resort, to operate as their own, that the Baeumler couple has bought by leveraging everything they have, and their final safety net.

This article is about the TV show. For MRRP Bryan Island (38.819783°N 90.440118°W / 38.819783; -90.440118), see St. Louis County, Missouri.

Not to be confused with Brian Island.

"Emerald Palms" redirects here. For the tropical perennial flower, see Zamioculcas.

Island of Bryan
Created by	Bryan Baeumler
Country of origin	Canada
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2 [1]
No. of episodes	17 [1][2]
Production
Producer(s)	Bryland Entertainment
Production location(s)	Bahamas
Running time	60-minute timeslot [1][2]
Production company(s)	Si Entertainment
Distributor	Corus Studios
Release
Original network	HGTV Canada
First shown in	Canada
Original release	7 April 2019 (2019-04-07)
Chronology
Preceded by	Bryan Inc.
Related shows	Disaster DIY Leave It to Bryan House of Bryan

The show became one of the top 5 most watched shows in several Canadian media markets in its first season; and #3 of all specialty television in Canada; and the highest rated show on HGTV Canada in over a decade.

Following its success in Canada, the series was picked up by HGTV U.S. to premiere on June 7, 2020. As the Baeumlers' previous series did not air widely in the United States, the show will air under the title Renovation Island.[3]

Premise

The Baeumlers have bought Emerald Palms, a beachfront resort on South Andros island, the largest and least developed of the Bahamas islands. They have moved their entire family to the resort to live while they rebuild it, and hope to open within 6 months or lose it, without its cashflow. Emerald Palms has not operated for a decade.[4][5][6]

Production history

In 2017, the Baeumlers vacationed on South Andros in the Bahamas. They found the abandoned resort, Emerald Palms, the original half-century old 18-room hotel and clubhouse; plus 22 villas, spa and beach bar added later, on a 10 acres (4.0 hectares) property; that had been renovated a few times since. The resort had closed down in 2011. When weather socked them in, they found the resort for sale on the internet. The resort is located 20 minutes from Nassau and an hour from Fort Lauderdale. They bought the resort, and starting living on a boat initially, and then moved into one of the 500-sqft. villas while renovating it. The couple left a management team back home to manage their businesses, while they work on the resort project. They originally planned to open the resort in May 2019. They started renovation work on the resort started in March 2018.[7][8][9][10][11]

HGTV greenlit the TV series in 2017, succeeding the second season of Bryan Inc., with the same production company, Si Entertainment. Filming started in 2018 for the 2019 premiere.[2] Island of Bryan premiered on 7 April 2019, in a 60-minute timeslot on HGTV Canada, to start a season of 13 episodes.[1] The TV show marks the first time a HGTV Canada show renovated a site that was open for the public to visit.[10] The Royal Bank of Canada has integrated into the series, with custom commercials advertising its products with the series stars in the commercial breaks.[12] The series became a top 3 show in two Canadian media markets in May 2019. It was renewed for a second season.[13] The show was a top 5 show in two Canadian media markets in June 2019.[14] In May 2019, it was announced that the TV show would return in the winter, and cover the 6 months needed to complete renovations to the remaining portion of the resort, ending the series.[15] Season 2 would be 8 episodes filling a 60-minute timeslot starting Winter 2020. It was revealed that season 1 became the #3 show in Canada for specialty television programming.[16] With its #3 in Canada ratings, it became the highest rated show on HGTV Canada in over a decade.[17]

Caerula Mar Club

Caerula Mar
Former names	Emerald Palms
Alternative names	Island of Bryan
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Resort
Town or city	Drigg's Hill
Country	Bahamas
Coordinates	24.188812°N 77.590685°W / 24.188812; -77.590685
Renovated	2019
Owner	Bryan & Sarah Baeumler
Renovating team
Other designers	Sarah Baeumler
Main contractor	Bryan Baeumler
Other information
Number of rooms	18
Number of suites	22
Facilities	Main building 18 room hotel block Pool Pool bar Spa Clubhouse Shed Beach 22 villas Palm forest
Website
caerulamar.com (formerly www.emerald-palms.com)

Caerula Mar Club is an island resort located in Andros, Bahamas; on South Andros. The resort was named "Caerula Mar" in reference to the cerulean-coloured sea (deep blue sea). Its stated philosophy is to have barefoot luxury for guests. As a luxury resort, initial pricing was between $350 and US$1100 per night. This is with the saga of seeing, acquiring, Phase 1 renovations, and Phase 1 grand opening occurring over a 2-year period.[18] The resort has been designed around eco-friendliness, fair-trading, sourcing from sustainable farming producers.[19]

The resort is located near Drigg's Hill, where the Drigg's Hill Dock, the local harbour is located. The local airport is Congo Town International Airport.[4][20][21][22]

Emerald Palms in 2007

A villa at the resort

Solar hot water supply per villa

Resort history

The resort previously called Las Palmas Hotel, then Ritz Beach, then Emerald Beach Club, then Emerald Palms.[23] It was built in the 1960s, and last operated 8 years before production on the show began. It contained a central hotel of 18 rooms and 22 villas. The oldest building, the hotel block, was completed in 1969, for the resort's original opening. Construction materials are shipped in to the local harbour, Drigg's Hill Dock.[5][4][20][21][24][25]

During the show Island of Bryan, the Baeumlers turn the abandoned resort into Caerula Mar Club, which was initially planned to be completed in mid-May 2019, and opened in June 2019.[20][8][6]

The business established by the Baeumlers by the end of the season is Caerula Mar Club resort. Its first season of business was to start in Summer 2019, originally anticipated as a mid-May opening. With the unanticipated delays and travails, opening was pushed, for a summer soft opening and a Phase I grand opening in fall 2019. The planned grand opening was November 1, 2019. It opens with a snackbar, bar, and restaurant; a spa and massage services.[20][24][8][18][19][6]

At the time of the December 2019 Phase I grand opening, there were 18 hotel suites available, and 6 villas, in operation on the property, with four dining areas, both fine and casual. The opening represented the first new resort on the island in 2 decades.[26][11][27]

In 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resort had to close down.[28]

Cast

The shows two main cast are Bryan Baeumler and Sarah Baeumler along with their family. The show also has other cast such as contractors and hotel staff.[4][20][29][30][31][32][8][25][33][34][23]

Main cast

• Bryan Baeumler – builder, Canadian owner
• Sarah Baeumler – designer, Canadian owner
• Quentyn "Q" Baeumler – eldest son
• Charlotte "Shar" Baeumler – eldest daughter
• Lincoln "Link" Baeumler – youngest son
• Josephine "JoJo" Baeumler – youngest daughter
• Adam Weir – construction supervisor, Canadian apprentice builder to Bryan; legacy Canadian from House of Bryan, Bryan Inc.

Additional cast

• Trish – interior designer; legacy Canadian from House of Bryan
• Nyguen – construction foreman; Bahamian local
• Hatchie – plumber; Bahamian local
• Poitier – electrician; Bahamian local
• Derek – electrician; Bahamian local
• Quincy – contractor; Bahamian local
• Jimbo – construction worker; Bahamian local
• Antonio – tiling; Bahamian local
• Wendell – HVAC technician; Bahamian local
• Wellington – wallpapering; from Nassau
• Lawrence – painter; Bahamian local
• Simon – mason; Bahamian local
• Mark – resort general manager
• Cate – resort general manager
• Sebastian – resort's executive chef

Guest cast

• Archie – groundskeeper; Bahamian local working on site for over a decade
• Marco – landskeeper; Bahamian local working on site for over a decade
• Ellen – operations manager, Canadian protege to Sarah
• Erica – administrative assistant
• Lea – administrative assistant
• Daniel – food service assistant manager
• Todd – facilities manager and Canadian construction crew from Bryan's company
• Kevin – only licensed exterminator on South Andros
• Scott – Canadian construction crew from Bryan's company
• Dave – Canadian construction crew from Bryan's company
• Josh – Canadian construction crew from Bryan's company
• Dean – Canadian construction
• Dave – Canadian TV decking personality
• Kate Campbell – Canadian TV decking personality
• Rob – plumber shipped in from Canada
• Paul Reinhold – Canadian electrician, regular on Bryan's other TV shows.
• Werner Baeumler – Bryan's father
• Colleen Baeumler – Bryan's mother
• Jessica – Sarah's Canadian assistant, hotel staff
• Shayla – Sarah's Canadian assistant, hotel staff

Episodes

Overview

	Season	Episodes	Premiere	Finale	Summary
	Season 1	13	7 April 2019 (2019-04-07)	30 June 2019 (2019-06-30)	Renovations begin
	Season 2	8	23 February 2020 (2020-02-23)	12 April 2020 (2020-04-12)	Phase I renovation is completed

Season 1

Season 1

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original air date	Prod. code
1	1	"Welcome to Bryland"	7 April 2019 (2019-04-07)		[4]
The Baeumlers explain the premise of the show, and show up at the resort, introducing the resort, picking a villa to live in, and bringing in their belongings and tools. Introduction to the Baeumlers, and the local keepers that upkept the resort. Sarah turns 40. It is revealed the last time the resort has been in operation is a decade ago.
2	2	"This Build is a Beach"	14 April 2019 (2019-04-14)		[20]
Start of reconstruction of main block, introduction to local building crew. Run through of the facilities, with design, with refurbishment. Reveal plan to refurb main block, hotel block, beachfront villas. Cleaning out storage reveals stuffs expired for two decades. Bryan and Adam start renovating the ocean-side hotel-block suites. The local crew start renovating the main block. Termites are discovered everywhere, in tile and concrete, in drywall and drywall paper, in wood. Bryan is shown to be freaked by scorpions. The new resort website is built.
3	3	"The Deep End"	21 April 2019 (2019-04-21)		[21]
Extermination starts, extensive termite damage revealed. Hot tub demolished, pool is rebuilt.
4	4	"Sea Change"	28 April 2019 (2019-04-28)		[35]
Renovation on the club house proceeds, focusing on the dining room. Renovation focuses on the honeymoon suite villa. Problems of importing goods to the island explained.
5	5	"Remote Control"	5 May 2019 (2019-05-05)		[36]
Renovations continue on the Honeymoon Suite and the clubhouse kitchen.
6	6	"Hit the Roof"	12 May 2019 (2019-05-12)		[37]
Renovations proceed with the exteriors. Plans to have basic exteriors done for all villas, main buildings, hotel block, clubhouse. Phase one restricted to main buildings, hotel block. clubhouse, 4 beachside vills, and two more, with possibility of cutting exterior work from other villas. Discussion of naming villas, Emerald Palms, Caerula Mar, and opening date.
7	7	"Bring in the Troops"	19 May 2019 (2019-05-19)		[29]
The Baeumlers have been working on the island for 4 months. Bryan brings in men from his Canadian construction company to speed up work through additional workers, and enjoy tropical island time while Toronto, Ontario, Canada is in winter. The opening date of the resort is pushed as work will not finish as anticipated. The eldest Baeumler child, Q, turns 14. Bryan picks up side jobs in Canada to bring in money to cover the shortfall caused by the delay in opening. Some early reservations are cancelled. The Canadian crew work on the villas where Bryan and Adam were working and all vanity rough-ins, while the Bahamians continue on the main buildings. Canadian vanity counter subcontractor company comes in with incorrectly sized quartz countertops, needing rough-in resizings. The Baeumlers are rapidly approaching their monetary limits, with the cost overruns, additional needed re/work, and delays. The family return to Canada is delayed.
8	8	"Power Struggle"	26 May 2019 (2019-05-26)		[30]
Roofing, villa decks and wallpapering continue. Clubhouse windows are installed. They discover that the power bill is not delivered, but they must pick it up at the power station, and their 25,000 bill has been unpaid, and needs to be paid immediately or be shut off.
9	9	"Setting the Bar"	2 June 2019 (2019-06-02)		[38]
Work on the main block, commercial kitchen, pool bar, pool deck.
10	10	"Out of Gas"	9 June 2019 (2019-06-09)		[31]
Clubhouse work continues. Opening date pushed, year one opening facilities downscaled, extension of length of gradual refurbishment and opening of units. A large shipment arrives at the Driggs Hill port for the resort renovation, including all doors and PVC planters. The propane-powered forklift gases out in the middle of the road, and the island gas plant has been out of supplies for a week.
11	11	"Managers on Duty"	16 June 2019 (2019-06-16)		[32]
The first unit is completed. Hospitality training and excursion offerings explored, furnishing commences. Bryan turns 45. Hotel manager's office renovated, hospitality planning examined.
12	12	"Bottoms Up"	23 June 2019 (2019-06-23)		[39]
Renovations continue, Easter is celebrated, marking the start of island summer, and the lack of a springtime.
13	13	"Almost Paradise"	30 June 2019 (2019-06-30)		[24]
The Baeumlers have spent a year on the island, renovating the resort. Bryan's choice of not building wood planter boxes, and buying online PVC planters and privacy screens, for the hotel block, gets delivered. Poolside bar cabana is finished. The hotel block is 50 years old as of 2019, and is the original resort building; and its refurbishment was a gut-job. Clubhouse kitchen is finished. The soft opening is scheduled for summer 2019, while the grand opening of phase 1 is for fall 2019. Phase I wrap-up is overviewed.

Season 2

Season 2

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original air date	Prod. code
14	1	"Back to Reality"	23 February 2020 (2020-02-23)		[34][40]
Season 2 premiere. Renovations continue on the clubhouse, with the front entrance, lobby, cafe, bar, restaurant dining room. Planning continues with the restaurant patio, entrance zone, entrance drive. There are only weeks left to opening.
15	2	"Dog Days"	1 March 2020 (2020-03-01)		[23]
Work proceeds on the spa building and entranceway. The roadside sign gets facelifted. Push is on to get the first 6 villas starting from the beach and the beach done in time for guests. JoJo petitions for a pet dog, she dogsits the dog Lucy, and then Adam's pair of puppies. Encountering an unexpected empty acetylene tank that they had expected to be shipped filled from Canada, they spend $1700 to get a private flight to Nassau and back to fill the tank, so they can braze the refrigeration system piping, on the only day that the installation crew is onsite. Water problems are found with insufficient supply, with resort facilies running off a 1-1/2-inch line, but the line feeding the resort cistern being only 1-inch. The pipe needing replacement back to the original larger supply pipe from the street. JoJo borrows puppy Kaya from Qubert, the egg supplier, delivered by Herbert, Qubert's father. There are 12 weeks to opening.
16	3	"Set In Stone"	8 March 2020 (2020-03-08)		[41]
Work proceeds on villa porch decks, hotel block bathrooms tiling, clubhouse, Switcha restaurant, laundry building. JoJo discusses her 6-year-old life. Property markers are unburied to determine site boundaries. Baeumler kids are to be prepped to be sent home to Canada to go back to school, to be watched by their four grandparents. The pool is converted to salt water, with a chlorination generator. Solar powered attic powered fan vents and soffit vents are installed. There are 8 weeks to opening.
17	4	"Close to Home"	15 March 2020 (2020-03-15)		[42]
Category 5 Hurricane Dorian strikes the Bahamas, members of the local staff have their families affected, though the site is on the other end of the Bahamas from the hurricane strike. The Baeumlers and Adam were back in Canada the week before, when Dorian arrived. The Baeumlers set up a hurricane relief fund, and welcome packages for family of affected staff who are moving in with their relations at Andros; and welcome back party for returning staff. Preparations are made to secure the resort in case a hurricane were to strike. The Baeumlers decide to continue construction, instead of waiting for the hurricane aftermath to clear, to continue to employ their locals. Deliveries are affected, as government staff is concentrated in the hurricane zone, slowing clearances of others. The mahogany doors on the villas are replaced with new doors. The 4 signature villas (Emerald Palms, Someday Suite, Honeymoon Suite, Signature) must be completed to accommodate a wedding reservation. Cabinetry install at the Switcha Cafe next to reception starts. The local cement truck is a dump truck dry mix mixer, where dry concrete mix is added to the truck and the mixer mixes it, with wet mix coming out, and then the wet mix is transferred by hopper. The fetid onsite pond is renovated, adding aeration, fixing the fountain, repairing circulation. It is decided to put the Baeumler kids in school in Florida. The resort gains cats, male cat Moxey and newer female cat Katrina, named after the local mail boats, Captain Moxey and Lady Katrina; and another mother cat with kittens hiding in the "kitten villa".
18	5	"Shedding Light"	22 March 2020 (2020-03-22)		[22]
The Baeumler kids are moved to Florida for school, staying at a rented house, with the grandparents alternating time there with Sarah, the first set of grandparents being Sarah's parents. Custom cabinetry is installed. Light fixtures are installed. The local airport is Congo Town International Airport, needed for Sarah to fly back and forth to Florida. Master electrician Paul Reinhold is imported from Canada to deal with electricals. Bryan plans to buy a 32-foot twin-engine catamaran for diving and fishing charters at the resort, which is shipped to Driggs Hill Dock. Planning for staff training. The first Signature Suite is fully completed. There are 4 weeks to opening.
19	6	"Wedding Bells"	29 March 2020 (2020-03-29)		[43]
With 2 weeks left, everyone rushes to complete what is needed for the soft opening, with the wedding reservation. Chef Sebastian's family moves in, one year late. Q is now 14, and Bryan is examining him in a more adult fashion. The other Baeumler children are in Florida with their grandparents, attending school. Moulding is left out; the fitness centre is incomplete; there is no time to train staff for the Switcha cafe; finishing elements in the spa are covered up with decorations as they have not arrived; landscaping is rushed; locally sourced replacements are used for several items that could not be shipped in on time. The wedding goes off well. Several boatloads and planeloads are left for completion, with a few weeks left to the hard opening.
20	7	"Bottom Line"	5 April 2020 (2020-04-05)		[44]
There is a week and a half til opening, with the wedding reception soft open already past and successful. Tasks are prioritized to have a presentable resort when open, and leave other tasks for later. One of the cargo boats from Bimini has broken down, leaving several supplies unavailable in time. Several cargo planes are chartered. The new staff building and laundry with watersports storage, has its shell completed but yet to be fitted out. Laundry machines are ordered for the new facility. The gym in the old laundry building is assembled, but missing some wall fixtures. The first stage of the spa is completed. All the exterior doors finally arrive with a cargo boat. The Baeumlers review their finances. Bryan explores what possible duties he would have after opening. A scuba tour group visits the hotel to see it before it opens, and leaves for the blue holes.
21	8	"Open For Business"	12 April 2020 (2020-04-12)		[45]
Whatever can be done in time for opening is being done. Finishing touches are applied to the essential common areas. Staff training proceeds apace. Cleanup proceeds to clear debris from the client accessible areas. The Baeumler kids visit. With the opening of the resort, Adam goes home to Canada, in time for autumn. A walkthrough of the completed parts of the resort, 36h before opening, is shown. The Baeumler couple leave for a vacation before coming back for more work. They will regularly commute back and forth. Phase I is completed, with 2 years of work.

References

1. Greg David (21 February 2019). "Island of Bryan Premieres April 7 on HGTV Canada". TV-Eh?.
2. Bree Rody-Mantha (6 December 2017). "HGTV Canada greenlights new Bryan Baeumler series". Playback.
3. HGTV (press release) (7 May 2020). "Husband-Wife Team Bryan and Sarah Baeumler Build a Tropical Paradise in New HGTV Series "Renovation Island"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
4. "Welcome to Bryland". Island of Bryan. Season 1. Episode 1. 7 April 2019. HGTV Canada.
5. "Emerald Palms". Emerald Palms. 2011.
6. "Caerula Mar Club". 2019.
7. "Ooh, I wanna take you ... to Island of Bryan". The Western Star. Postmedia News Service. 10 April 2019.
8. Claudia Kwan (9 February 2019). "Island time with Bryan Baeumler". Vancouver Sun.
9. Laura Severs (17 January 2019). "Leave it to Bryan: Baeumler slated to headline 2019 Edmonton Renovation Show". Edmonton Journal.
10. Laura Severs (22 January 2018). "Island life of Bryan: Baeumlers taking television show to the Bahamas". Edmonton Journal.
11. "The Bahamas Is Getting a New Boutique Hotel". Caribbean Journal. 4 August 2019.
12. Bree Rody-Mantha (16 January 2018). "RBC enters into three-year Corus partnership". Media in Canada.
13. Kristyn Anthony (6 June 2019). "Raptors fever draws viewers nationwide: Numeris". Media in Canada.
14. Kristyn Anthony (12 June 2019). "Audiences tune in with Raptor furor: Numeris". Media in Canada.
15. Katie Scott (30 May 2019). "Corus specialty TV 2019-20: 'Vikings' final season, 'Top Chef Canada' and more". Global TV News.
16. Greg David (30 May 2019). "Corus Entertainment 40 outstanding Canadian series for 2019-2020". TV-Eh?.
17. Julie MacFarlane (16 May 2019). "ISLAND OF BRYAN BECOMES HGTV CANADA'S HIGHEST RATED SERIES IN OVER 10 YEARS". Corus Entertainment.
18. Dianne Daniel (10 April 2019). "Ooh, I wanna take you ... to Island of Bryan". Toronto Sun. Postmedia Network.
19. Lisa Dodson (9 June 2019). "Caerula Mar Club: HGTV's New Baeumler Family Resort". World Travelling.
20. "This Build is a Beach". Island of Bryan. Season 1. Episode 2. 14 April 2019. HGTV Canada.
21. "The Deep End". Island of Bryan. Season 1. Episode 3. 21 April 2019. HGTV Canada.
22. "Shedding Light". Island of Bryan. Season 2. Episode 5. 22 March 2020. HGTV Canada.
23. "Dog Days". Island of Bryan. Season 2. Episode 2. 1 March 2020. HGTV Canada.
24. "Almost Paradise". Island of Bryan. Season 1. Episode 13. 30 June 2019. HGTV Canada.
25. Island of Bryan on IMDb
26. Erin Florid; Betsy Blumenthal; Rebeca Misner (15 November 2019). "30 New Island Hotels to Escape to This Winter". Condé Nast Traveler.
27. Kelsey Ogletree (24 October 2019). "The 12 Best Hotels for a Caribbean Escape Right Now". Robb Report.
28. "COVID-19". Caerula Mar Club. 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
29. "Bring in the Troops". Island of Bryan. Season 1. Episode 7. 19 May 2019. HGTV Canada.
30. "Power Struggle". Island of Bryan. Season 1. Episode 8. 26 May 2019. HGTV Canada.
31. "Out of Gas". Island of Bryan. Season 1. Episode 10. 9 June 2019. HGTV Canada.
32. "Managers on Duty". Island of Bryan. Season 1. Episode 11. 16 June 2019. HGTV Canada.
33. "About Bryan and Sarah". HGTV Canada - Island of Bryan. 2019.
34. "Back to Reality". Island of Bryan. Season 2. Episode 1. 23 February 2020. HGTV Canada.
35. "Sea Change". Island of Bryan. Season 1. Episode 4. 28 April 2019. HGTV Canada.
36. "Remote Control". Island of Bryan. Season 1. Episode 5. 5 May 2019. HGTV Canada.
37. "Hit the Roof". Island of Bryan. Season 1. Episode 6. 12 May 2019. HGTV Canada.
38. "Setting the Bar". Island of Bryan. Season 1. Episode 9. 2 June 2019. HGTV Canada.
39. "Bottoms Up". Island of Bryan. Season 1. Episode 12. 23 June 2019. HGTV Canada.
40. @Bryan_Baeumler (2 February 2020). "1223999345076383755". Twitter.
41. "Set In Stone". Island of Bryan. Season 2. Episode 3. 8 March 2020. HGTV Canada.
42. "Close to Home". Island of Bryan. Season 2. Episode 4. 15 March 2020. HGTV Canada.
43. "Wedding Bells". Island of Bryan. Season 2. Episode 6. 29 March 2020. HGTV Canada.
44. "Bottom Line". Island of Bryan. Season 2. Episode 7. 5 April 2020. HGTV Canada.
45. "Open For Business". Island of Bryan. Season 2. Episode 8. 12 April 2020. HGTV Canada.

External links

• Island of Bryan on IMDb
• Island of Bryan on HGTV Canada
• Emerald Palms (defunct)
• Caerula Mar Club