White refrigerators, carpeting, ivy stencils; The 1990s design trends that modern homeowners go to great lengths to cover up are back in the spotlight thanks to HGTV’s new competition series “Totally ’90s House.”
Hosted by Jaleel White– the actor, whose birth year begins with “19”, he knows as Steve Urkel from “Family Matters” – the six-part adventure follows two celebrity teams as they search the country for houses stuck in a time before artificial intelligence.
Once the nostalgic dwellings are tracked down, the celebs will compete to modernize the spaces without completely losing the ’90s charm.
Fans of retro sitcoms will have a hard time choosing which team to join, as both sides are filled with actors who defined the era.
Melissa Joan Hart from “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch”; Brian Austin Green from “Beverly Hills, 90210;” Jodie Sweetin from “Full House”; Beverly Mitchell from the “7th Heaven”; Matthew Lawrence from “Boy Meets World”; Keshia Knight Pulliam from “The Cosby Show”; And Joey Lawrence from “Blossom” everyone takes part in the competition.
Each team of familiar faces gets help from HGTV design experts. Carter Oosterhouse And Sabrina Sotoas they compete to create the perfect ’90s-style home and win $25,000 for the charity of their choice.
“Everyone is loving the ’90s again,” Jaleel said in a press release from HGTV. “The seizures are back, the playlists are on repeat, and kids who aren’t even born yet are watching the shows we made famous.”
“But while some things from the ’90s are timeless, some of you never got the reminder that the decade was ending,” he continued.
“We asked America to show us the homes that still live in the past and the response was incredible. Now it’s time for the ultimate retro transformation. Get ready for the biggest ’90s house battle of all time.”
Some of the cast bring more than just nostalgia; Beverly told Parade magazine that she renovated her own home, while Domino reported that Melissa’s husband works in construction and she often helps him with projects.
Jaleel took a trip down memory lane in an interview with People magazine to shed some light on how closely this cast has worked together for decades.
“I know every member of both teams pretty well just because I’ve crossed paths over the years,” the host said, recalling the time he spent crashing the “Full House” set as a child star. “So for us, it’s almost like a high school reunion come to life.”
“What’s really special about us all being a part of this is that we have a shared life experience that no one else understands,” Beverly shared in a trailer for the series.
This special bond will come in handy when the competitors get to work.
“I think this unspoken bond that we naturally have breeds respect for each other’s opinions and the way we communicate,” Joey said. “That seamless transition from friends to partners to teammates… To me, that’s what makes us a good team.”
Jodie is excited for longtime fans to see a new side of the cast as they roll up their sleeves and put in the hard work.
“It’s fun to see us as ourselves, as real people having fun doing something we don’t normally do,” the “Full House” alum told People magazine. “I think the fans are really going to love this because they get a little insight into ourselves and our friendships with each other.”
Keshia echoed Jodie’s sentiments and expressed her excitement to show the world who she is, aside from a role as memorable as Rudy Huxtable from “The Cosby Show.”
“People know the characters we’ve played, but they’re not always privy to the people we are behind the scenes,” she said. “I think this gives people a chance to see our personalities a little better and build on the memories they have of the characters that were part of many people’s childhoods.”
Don’t worry, the show won’t go too far beyond the good old days. To add to the ’90s vibe, the trailer also revealed that the stars will have to put down their smartphones and use retro technology to capture footage of the renovation projects.
“Totally ’90s House” premieres Wednesday, August 26th on 9/8 Central on HGTV.
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