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Fresh off his search for the “blingiest house in America” on HGTV, entertainer Todrick Hall will star in MTV’s new reality series, “The Real Friends of WeHo,” alongside five other successful, influential LGBTQ+ entertainers and entrepreneurs in West Hollywood. The choreographer and singer, who co-hosted “Battle of the Bling” with designer Kim Myles in December 2022, will continue gracing TV screens with his vibrant personality and style on the new show, debuting January 20, 2023. Here’s what you need to know:
Todrick Hall Joins Cast of MTV’s “The Real Friends of WeHo”
MTV calls the new reality series “an unfiltered and honest look” at a group of famous, influential LGBTQ+ friends “living, loving and pursuing their passions in the West Hollywood community.” Hall will be joined by celebrity stylist Brad Goreski, actor Curtis Hamilton, Buttah Skincare CEO Dorión Renaud, TV host and business owner Jaymes Vaughan, and digital entrepreneur Joey Zauzig.
Hall has shared the news about “The Real Friends of WeHo” on Instagram, writing, “So excited to be a part of this incredible cast.”
The show is set to premiere on January 20 at 9 pm Eastern, right after season 15 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” In a trailer for the show released on January 5, a clip shows several recent, dramatic headlines about Hall as he talks.
“I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘scandalous,’ he says coyly. “Yeah, I’ve been involved in a few of those. I’m just gonna let people know my truth.”
In February 2022, Hall received flak for his run on CBS’ reality competition show “Celebrity Big Brother,” coming in second place but receiving intense backlash from fans and his fellow contestants for the way he played the game. Despite the firestorm of criticism, Hall went on to nearly sell out his 61-city concert tour later in the year.
Will ‘Battle of the Bling’ Be Back?
HGTVTodrick Hall and Kim Myles pose in the French Luxury Mansion on HGTV’s “Battle of the Bling”
After touring 15 over-the-top homes and narrowing them down to their top five, Hall and Myles recruited HGTV hosts Keith Bynum of “Bargain Block” and Alison Victoria of “Windy City Rehab,” as well as Jackie Siegel of the Discovery+ show “Queen of Versailles Reigns Again,” to help them choose a winner during the series finale. In the end, homeowner Jamie’s “pink 70s dream home” earned the title of “blingiest house in America,” which will appear in a future issue of HGTV magazine.
Whether or not another HGTV will order another season of “Battle of the Bling” is up in the air. The six-episode series aired over three weeks in December, starting with 676,000 viewers but dipping in the ratings to 529,000 for the December 23 season finale, according to USTVDB.
By comparison, “Ugliest House in America,” which HGTV considers a hit, just completed its third season, airing all six episodes during the first week of January, and didn’t have fewer than 813,000 viewers during its first four nights (ratings for the final two episodes were not yet available at the time of publication).
HGTV doesn’t typically announce show renewals until several months after a first season airs, and it has multiple new shows premiering during the first quarter of the year.
For now, Hall likely has his hands full with the new reality show, as well as a commitment to release 13 albums in 2023. He released the first one, a collection of workout tunes called “Jim,” via Spotify on January 6.