Childhood dreams are coming true at HGTV. Fifteen of the network’s star designers are coming together for a new show that will challenge them to transform a Southern California home into a real-life Barbie Dreamhouse. Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge will premiere in the summer of 2023.
Ashley Graham hosts ‘Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge’
Model Ashley Graham will host the new, four-episode HGTV competition series, which is inspired by Mattel’s iconic doll and the upcoming release of Warner Bros.’ Barbie movie. Eight teams of the network’s stars will come together to turn an ordinary home into a true Barbie Dreamhouse. They’ll overhaul different areas of the home in era-specific styles, such as a 1950s kitchen, ‘70s disco den for Ken, and a glam ‘80s bedroom. Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge will also feature celebrity guests, pop culture history, and plenty of Barbie surprises. In the end, one Barbie fan will get the chance to win a stay in the home.
“I cannot wait to see Barbie’s signature style get the life-sized treatment in an actual home,” Graham said in a statement. “She holds such a special place in my heart, especially since Mattel created a one-of-a-kind doll of me back in 2016. It feels like such a full circle moment now that I have a hand in the creation of her real-life Dreamhouse.”
Christina Hall, Ty Pennington are among the HGTV personalities who will star in the show
Fifteen HGTV design and renovation experts – plus one Food Network chef – will compete on Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge. They are:
- Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson from Married to Real Estate
- Jasmine Roth from Help! I Wrecked My House and Antonia Lofaso from Food Network’s Beachside Brawl
- Ty Pennington from Rock the Block and Alison Victoria from Windy City Rehab
- Jonathan Knight and Kristina Crestin from Farmhouse Fixer
- Christina Hall and James Bender from Christina on the Coast
- Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas from Bargain Block
- Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt from 100 Day Dream Home
- Michel Smith Boyd and Anthony Elle Williams from Luxe for Less
“This one’s special,” Smith Boyd wrote on Instagram. “From childhood memories to career manifestation, #BarbieDreamhouseChallenge is a surreal experience for me. It’s an honor to design for an icon that has been on the forefront of representation and inspired by example. Icons only.”
The ‘Barbie’ movie with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling releases in July 2023
Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge is part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s promotional efforts for Greta Gerwig’s new live-action Barbie movie, which stars Margot Robbie in the title role. Ryan Gosling plays Ken. It opens in theaters on July 21.
So far, not much has been revealed about the Barbie movie. But in a conversation with Carey Mulligan for Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series (via YouTube), Robbie promised that it would definitely feature Barbie’s house.
“The Dreamhouses? You’ll see some Dreamhouses,” she said. “And it will be everything you ever dreamed of.”
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