Who Pays for ‘Secret Celebrity Renovation’? Do the Stars Pay?

Starring Paula Abdul, Wayne Brady, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and more, CBS’s Secret Celebrity Renovation promises hours’ worth of feel-good entertainment. Much like Celebrity IOU or My Houzz, the reality TV show sees celebs surprise their loved ones with a transformed home. So, who pays for the renovations?

So, who pays for the refurbs captured on ‘Secret Celebrity Renovation’?

CBS’s Secret Celebrity Renovation sheds light on the power of altruism. For each episode, an A-lister sets out to redecorate a home or property owned by their relatives, mentors, or people close to them.

As producer and show host Nischelle Turner revealed in an interview with CBS 8 San Diego, some stars discovered that they had a talent for construction work during the shooting. But so, who pays for the renovation works?

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Long story short: it’s unknown who pays for the refurbs. Similar debates have emerged in the past in conjunction with HGTV shows like Celebrity IOU, which sees Drew and Jonathan Scott (of Property Brothers fame) team up with stars like Brad Pitt and Kim Kardashian.

At one point, there was some talk that Brad might have paid for the home renovation gifted to his makeup artist of 30 years, Jean Ann Black. It’s uncertain how much truth there is to the theory, however. According to The Cinemaholic, Drew and Jonathan contributed toward some renovations captured on their shows in the past. It’s unknown if they were willing to do so in the case of Celebrity IOU. What’s more, HGTV and CBS likely operate with a different funding model.

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Broadly speaking, the network that puts in an order for a show likely has to allocate a budget for the production. We have some information on how much HGTV stars like Christina Haack get paid per episode. It’s unknown how each episode of Secret Celebrity Renovation was financed, however.

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It’s possible that Nischelle, the host and producer of Secret Celebrity Renovation, worked in collaboration with the executive producers, Peter Devita, Lewis Fenton, and Robert Horowitz, to figure out the financial aspects of the show.

It’s uncertain where the money exactly comes from, but one thing is for sure: Secret Celebrity Renovation puts into the focal point the relationships celebrities had with dance tutors, relatives, and the like at the beginning of their careers.

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‘Secret Celebrity Renovation’ shows stars in situations you’d never see them in otherwise.

As Nischelle told WFOR-TV, Secret Celebrity Renovation is unique because it reveals how stars act around the people they care about the most.

“It’s a renovation show with the biggest heart you will ever find,” Nischelle said. “The guilty pleasure of seeing your favorite A-list celebrities, trying their darndest in some of the episodes to help out with a renovation for their loved ones.”

“It’s a really good look at celebrities that we love that we’ve never seen before,” Nischelle added. “In this series, you’re getting them in their most vulnerable spaces. You’re getting them with their origin story in their hometowns, with their families who sometimes don’t care if they’re Wayne Brady ‘The Triple Threat.’ They know little Wayne Brady, who would run around the house.”

Catch new episodes of Secret Celebrity Renovation on Fridays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.

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