More stars are firing up those power tools and getting dirty on a new season of Celebrity IOU. It’s all to surprise special people in their lives with jaw-dropping renovations. EPs Drew and Jonathan Scott have enjoyed helping make these projects happen alongside the celebs, who want to be fully involved in the process.
This time around the popular HGTV series includes Zach Braff, Tony Hawk, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mira Sorvino, Wanda Sykes, and Danny Trejo. The premiere sees Mandy Moore wanting to gift a backyard makeover to Celina, her friend of 15 years who has been like a surrogate mother to her children. Here the twins tell us about their time with these famous faces.
When it comes to this show, has it become increasingly more difficult to decide who you want to feature?
Jonathan Scott: So casting is a unique beast for this. A lot of times we’ll have celebrities who reach out. One of the biggest restrictions is they have to be in and around the L.A. area. We both like to be home for dinner with the families every night. I like to take my kids to school. One is finding celebrities who have schedules that align with us. The other is having them in this area. We also like to try and find a variety and stories and make sure it’s not always the same stories. I’m amazed every season we end up finding these powerhouses from Mandy Moore to Wanda Sykes. Tony Hawk was incredible. He is a dude I don’t think knows he is a celebrity. He is so down to earth and up for whatever you want. He is such a nice guy.
Drew Scott: I do find it is tough with our life. I have a two-month-old and a two-year-old. Before I used to travel all around North America. It’s so hard now with littles. So, it’s nice to be home even more. When you look at Jennifer Jason Leigh and who she is giving back to. Someone who has known her family for 40 years. It’s pretty impressive to see the history of some of these stories. Also, how hands-on everyone is. Who would have thought you would get Wanda Sykes on the roof holding what we call a flame thrower? Or Tony Hawk on a roof, although he didn’t seem intimidated by that. I thought he would, but apparently, when he is going off ramps, it’s usually higher than what the roofs are.
Jonathan: He was looking at all lthe rooftops wondering if he could skate off the rooftops. We were like, “Dude, don’t do it.”
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I always wondered with actors, for insurance reasons have you run into an instance where a studio or someone told them they can’t do certain things?
Drew: No. Safety is first, so I think they trust us. There are times when you know the insurance gangs or representation are going to be like, “No, don’t do it.” The celebrities will respond with, “Screw it. This is for someone I love. I’m doing it and hop right in.”
Jonathan: We have a medic on sight as well if there is an issue. I think to date, knock on wood, we’ve only had one injury. Anthony Anderson pinched his finger and it was bleeding. He was installing hardwood floors and when he whacked the board in, he had his finger in between the two boards. Then blood was gushing. We just heard this shriek.
Drew: You would have thought he cut an arm off the way he reacted. It was quite funny.
In Mandy Moore’s episode, one of the challenges you faced was the weather. How did that impact things?
Jonathan: I wanted to postpone.
Drew: It gave me fuel. I was trying to throw in the names of her songs or her movies or her shows. I kept trying to slide them in when I could. Like when we were outside I would say, “Guys, this is us just working in the rain. It will be a walk to remember.” I’m sure I was driving her crazy, but it was tough. We couldn’t slow down because we had to get the family back in.
Jonathan: Of course, it was an outdoor space we were doing. It never fails. Whatever could go wrong, does. The worst thing to happen this season was probably the Zach Braff episode. We came across so many problems, For the recipient, this was the first house they ever bought. It turned down that there was all this illegal work done and the city stopped us and said we had to redo all this illegal stuff before we could rebuild. The project ended up taking over twice as long. These things pop up. You have to roll with the punches and try to get through. This show is so fun though. Celebrity IOU is the show that makes everyone ugly cry. You see these celebrities in a light you haven’t seen them before. We had funny moments too.
There was a scene in the Jennifer Jason Leigh episode. One of her big roles was the film Single White Female where she started to impersonate her roommate and then tried to take over her life. I may have shown up on the construction site where exactly what Jennifer Jason Leigh was wearing, wig and all.
Drew: The worst thing you can picture is what Jonathan looked like.
Drew Scott, Jonathan Scott, and Heidi Klum for ‘Celebrity IOU’ (HGTV)
Who did you really fan out for this season?
Drew: Tony Hawk was one. I’ve watched his career my whole life. The fact he was so down-to-earth was amazing.
Jonathan: When we first started working with Danny Trejo, I said to him on the very first day that I was afraid of him. Then he is just the nicest guy. He has a big heart. He has the best laugh. You see these people on the big screen and in these scary roles, then you discover they are just the kindest, sweetest. That for me is really fulfilling.
Drew: Wanda Sykes is a comedian and hilarious. She also wouldn’t take any crap from Jonathan. When he would crack a joke she would say, “I’m sorry. Are you supposed to be the comedian? I’m the comedian. You stick to swinging a hammer.” It was so fun to see her put him in his place.
Jonathan: She put me in my place.
Did Danny use a machete at all?
Drew: He did!
Jonathan: During demolition, we had a machete. Actually, the opening scene that got cut out because there was so much good stuff we couldn’t show it all. We had a scene in the beginning where we picked him up and did our drive to the site. He was standing in a corner with an umbrella and a chainsaw. It was very ominous. There was too much good stuff. But we still have that footage.
Drew: I think I might post that on social media.
Drew and Jonathan Scott, Brian Kleinschmidt, Sarah and Bryan Baeumler, Mika Kleinschmidt, Jonathan Knight, Kristina Crestin in single/double room challenge reveal, as seen on 100 Day Hotel Challenge, Season 1. (HGTV)
In addition to this show, I wanted to get your thoughts on the 100 Day Hotel Challenge. How was it to judge the competition?
Jonathan: I’m very judgy, so I love judging. No, it was like a family reunion just seeing all the other HGTV talent.
Drew: Everyone thinks that Scott McGillivray and Jonathan are brothers and not me. It’s good to see our triplet. Also, we’ve known Brian and Mika [Kleinschmidt] for years, so it’s fun to get to judge them in this way. It’s such an epic challenge.
Jonathan: I don’t think people can really appreciate just how stressful it is. It’s a lot of work and a lot happening in a short period of time. We also have to make sure to keep our distance a lot of the time because we are friends with the guys and want to get in there and hang out. We have to stand back in order not to show bias to one of the projects.
Drew: But when you are with someone like Bryan Baeumler, who we’ve known for so long it’s like a sibling. It’s hard not to tease and rib one another. It was fun. Again, Brian and Mika are truly competitive. They love each other deeply, but they are like, “Sorry honey. This is a competition. You’re going down.
What did you think of the end result?
Drew: For me, what was mindblowing was the reaction of teh owners for each of teh properties. Hearing their stories and what it meant to them. These properties were dilapidated and falling apart or super dated. The fact they now have a thriving business that will continue to thrive, Plus, the exposure they will get off of the show as well will be amazing to them. That was cool to me. How they were set up for success.
Jonathan: It’s so hard to pick a winner for this, even the weekly challenges. There is a lot that goes into this. The aesthetic, the financials, you name it. There were some spaces where I walked in, and I was blown away. They did a great job. Some of the spaces though I don’t think was the right decision. Some will say I’m the evil brother because I’ll say it.
Drew: It’s part of the judging. We have to be honest. We give some of our points. At the end of the day, they are scrambling to get this done in short timelines. Anything that was done is better than what it was before. We just might have made different decisions. At the end of the day, these properties had more value than they did before.
Celebrity IOU premiere, August 12, 9/8c, HGTV