Heavy New show premiering on HGTV
Social media is buzzing about comedic actor Jack McBrayer‘s new HGTV show, but the “30 Rock” alum hasn’t seen anybody’s posts. McBrayer recently told the New York Post that he’s a “tech idiot” who isn’t on social media, which turned out to be a good thing for his latest role as the star of “Zillow Gone Wild.”
McBrayer’s new series — premiering on May 3, 2024 — is inspired by the hugely popular “Zillow Gone Wild” Instagram account, which features some of the weirdest and wildest homes on the market for its nearly two million followers. McBrayer’s only task was to react to the homes and get to know the homeowners on camera. But there was one strict rule McBrayer had to follow.
“My only assignment was to not look at the Instagram page, because they wanted me to see (each house) and catch that reaction on camera,” he told the Post. “So, if someone gives you an assignment of ‘No homework,’ you say yes!”
Jack McBrayer Was Surprised by How Much He Liked the ‘Wild’ Homeowners He Met
The homes McBrayer, 50, visits on his new show have been featured on the “Zillow Gone Wild” account. Produced by its founder, Samir Mezrahi, the TV show will give viewers an in-depth look at the designs and introduce them to the people who live in them.
At each house, McBrayer told the Post, “I get a tour, and it is indeed wild. Some of these things are bonkers.”
Of the 24 homes he toured for the first season of “Zillow Gone Wild,” McBrayer told People it’s impossible to choose a favorite. But structures that did stand out for him, he said, included a house built around a huge boulder in Lake Tahoe, California, and a “huge storage house” with “thousands and thousands of shelves and cabinets.”
McBrayer told the Post his favorite thing about starring on the show is meeting the homeowners.
“It is one of those lessons you learn: there’s a lid for every pot,” he said. “It was lovely to meet the people behind these crazy houses, and hear their story, like, ‘Now I understand why you decided to deck your entire house like a pirate ship.'”
And with the house built around a boulder, he discovered there was a lot of sentimental value in that home for the woman who lives there.
“This is the house that her father built,” McBrayer marveled to Collider. “What was so unique about it is it was built on top of a mountain, and instead of blasting the boulders to create the house, they built the house around the boulders, so the boulders are inside the house. It was wild, but it was lovely to hear the story. It was quite poignant.”
In fact, he told People he thinks it’s brave for people to come forward and share their “wild” homes.
“It’s like, ‘Please bring these cameras into my house and let me tell you why I decided to decorate it like a pirate ship.’ That takes some bravery and fortitude on the side of the homeowners. I’m just grateful that they did it.”
Jack McBrayer Knows Everyone Won’t Love His Humor, But Says It’s Authentically Him
McBrayer told Collider practically everyone can relate to mindlessly scrolling through home listings on their phone, but that the new show makes the zaniest of those properties come alive.
“What’s interesting about this show is the social media that it is tied to is really based on real estate listings, which I think all of us are guilty of just perusing in our downtime just because we’re naturally curious people,” McBrayer told the outlet. “I’m a little reluctant to say voyeuristic because that sounds a little creepy, but as humans we want to see what other choices people are making and how they’ve decided to surround themselves — again, just to express themselves through their own home.”
As for McBrayer’s quirky sense of humor, which he honed as a contributor to over 80 sketches on Conan O’Brien‘s late night show from 2002 to 2004, he told Collider it’s the only way he knows how to be.
“I learned pretty early on in my comedy career, it was like, just be your authentic self,” he said, “and if my authentic self is a little bit weird, guess what? I’m gonna lean into it. The good news is there are people who subscribe to that and people who will hire you for the job.”
“Zillow Gone Wild” premieres on HGTV on May 3 at 10:30 p.m. Eastern time. In the first episode, per HGTV, McBrayer visits a newly renovated missile silo in Nebraska, a “fairy tale cottage with a connection to Hollywood history,” and an “automotive wonderland” in Las Vegas. During the season finale, HGTV said it will crown one home the “wildest” of them all.