Vanilla Ice and Mark Alfieri
Vanilla Ice is back with a brand new show.
The South Florida-based rapper, actor, and professional pinball machine is teaming up with BrandStar Studios to launch “The Vanilla Ice Home Show.” The real deal has learned.
The South Florida-based show is expected to be picked up by a network by the second quarter of next year. Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, said each season will have 13 episodes and the series will rely heavily on virtual and mixed reality technology.
The focus will be on renovating parts of high-end celebrity homes, including kitchens, bathrooms and closets, and show viewers how to make a renovation more accessible for average homeowners. It will be produced by Deerfield Beach-based BrandStar Studios. Van Winkle’s building partner Wes Kain is also working on the show, according to a statement.
“We’ll be showcasing some of the luxury billionaire cuisines of Palm Beach and South Florida,” said Van Winkle, who lives in Manalapan.
Mark Alfieri, CEO of BrandStar and co-executive producer of the series, said BrandStar has invested several million dollars in the studio’s in-camera production technology, which speeds up the production process. It’s the same technology Lucas Films used for the first season of “The Mandalorian,” Alfieri said.
The first episode of Vanilla Ice’s new show will focus on renovating famed restaurateur and TV host Guy Fieri’s outdoor kitchen, then show viewers how to do a similar project more affordably. To speed up the process, the show will virtually finish the project first, he said.
“We’re going to use this virtual world to speed up the building process…Instead of just sitting there and watching us hammer nails and waste time,” Van Winkle said.
The “Ice, Ice Baby” rapper has been in the home-flipping business for nearly 30 years, he said, and he starred in “The Vanilla Ice Project” on the DIY Network for 10 seasons.
Its new show will showcase cutting-edge smart home features and gadgets, like an LED backsplash that can look like marble, or a wall-mounted wallpaper TV. “You’re not going to see anything in this show from aisle 10,” he said. “It’s more informative and really takes people on a journey through the latest and greatest in home technology, home design.”
Van Winkle remodeled homes for the ultra-wealthy in South Florida, where he didn’t have to worry about sticking to a budget.
“As a builder, I love it,” he said. “It inspires me to get out there and find the funniest, coolest things I can.”
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