HGTV / YouTube The cast of "Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge"
HGTV is getting ready for its “biggest, boldest, most Barbie-est build” ever, as the network has announced a premiere date for its new miniseries, “Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge”. The series, which follows the largest team of HGTV stars ever assembled as they work to bring the iconic Barbie Dreamhouse playset to life, will premiere on Sunday, July 16, at 8 p.m. Eastern, according to a June 8 press release by the network.
Host Ashley Graham said, “The pressure is on for the teams to unleash their creativity far beyond their usual design parameters to dream up a place that Barbie would be proud to call home.”
The four-episode series will feature teams of HGTV talent (and one Food Network star) as they race to pull off the Dreamhouse renovation, with Barbie collaborator Jonathan Adler and HGTV designer Tiffany Brooks serving as judges. The premiere episode, 90 minutes long, will include a field trip for the designers to the Mattel headquarters.
‘Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge’ Guest Judges Unveiled
In addition to the premiere date, HGTV also revealed three of the celebrity guest judges would be popping by the Dreamhouse.
Episode 2 will feature Entertainment Tonight’s Nischelle Turner, who will help determine a winner between two teams, Ty Pennington (“Rock the Block”) and Alison Victoria (“Windy City Rehab”) vs. Jonathan Knight and Kristina Crestin (“Farmhouse Fixer”), as they work on the den and primary suite, respectively.
Episode 3 will see Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas (“Bargain Block”) face off against Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt (“100 Day Dream Home”) to bring the outdoor areas to life (with Bynum and Thomas working on the front yard and the Kleinschmidts focusing on the back yard). Producer and “Black-ish” star Marsai Martin will appear as a guest judge.
The final episode will include a face-off between Christina Hall and James Bender (“Christina on the Coast”), who are working on the closet and dressing room, and Michel Smith Boyd and Anthony Elle (“Luxe for Less”), who are working on Barbie’s office. The celebrity guest judge for this round is fashion designer Christian Siriano, who has plenty of judging experience in his role as the mentor on Bravo’s “Project Runway”.
‘Barbie’ Premieres in Theaters on July 21
The “Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge” timing aligns perfectly with the July 21 release of the new “Barbie” movie, directed by Greta Gerwig (“Little Women”, “Lady Bird”), which stars Margot Robbie as the titular toy and Ryan Gosling as Barbie’s boyfriend Ken.
While not much is known about the plot of the movie, the trailer released in late May 2023 shows Robbie’s Barbie and Gosling’s Ken leaving their seemingly perfect Barbie world for an adventure in the real world, while Will Ferrell (as the CEO of Mattel) attempts to track her down and bring her back to the Barbie world.
Robbie also serves as a producer through her LuckyChap production company and told Vogue that when she first pitched the idea of a Barbie movie to the team at Mattel, she wasn’t sure what the movie would be about.
“We of course would want to honor the 60-year legacy that this brand has,” Robbie said, “But we have to acknowledge that there are a lot of people who aren’t fans of Barbie. And in fact, aren’t just indifferent to Barbie. They actively hate Barbie. And have a real issue with Barbie. We need to find a way to acknowledge that.”
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