Why is Billy Gardell appearing on CBS’ Secret Celebrity Renovation Season 2? Comedian is set to feature in Episode 1

CBS is all set to premiere Season 2 of Secret Celebrity Renovation this week, featuring celebrities giving home renovation surprises to friends and family.

The first celebrity to appear in Secret Celebrity Renovation Season 2, is comedian Billy Gardell. With the help of the show’s design team, he will surprise his best friend Joe O’Connell’s mother Marianne O’Connell by renovating her home.

The design team includes Survivor alum Rob "Boston Rob" Mariano, who is the home improvement contractor, and Sabrina Soto, the interior designer. They will help Billy give a makeover to the O’Connells' house in Pittsburgh.

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What does Billy Gardell have to say about CBS’ opportunity?

Comedian Billy Gardell is appearing on Secret Celebrity Renovation Season 2 to thank his BFF Joe O’Connell and his mother Marianne for their love. In an interview, Billy said:

“After thinking about it, my best friend’s mom was just the perfect candidate. It was just a really lovely opportunity to do something super-special and say, ‘Thank you.’ The O’Connells are family to me and to do something for your best friend’s mom, it’s just a gift to be offered something like that.”

Billy and Joe became friends in the early ‘90s at The Funny Bone in Monroeville, where the reality TV star had a stand-up comedy gig and his friend used to work in the kitchen. Their friendship soon turned into a partnership as Joe started setting up opening acts before Billy's stand-up comedy shows.

Speaking about Secret Celebrity Renovation, Joe said:

“I thought they were gonna use me to work on the house, but they just wanted me to drive [my mom] away and they said I didn’t have to come back. So Billy was running a jackhammer on my [old childhood] patio and my mother and sister and I were out at Sam’s Club and I was complaining how tired I was from traveling and the time change while Billy did all that work.”

Billy, on the other hand, revealed why he wanted to do something special for Joe’s mother through the CBS show. He stated:

“Nobody says hello to you like Mare does. She makes you feel like you’re the only person in the world when she says hello to you. You know how every neighborhood has a second mom? Mare falls in that category. She’s just always positive and she was always behind me and Joe heading out to California. She was a really positive force for us early on.”

Episode 1 will also feature Billy paying an emotional tribute to his late father by paying a visit to the latter’s neighborhood bar with contractor Rob "Boston Rob" Mariano. The Survivor alum will then surprise the Bob Hearts Abishola star with a surprise gift in memory of Billy’s dad.

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Secret Celebrity Renovation Season 2 cast

Billy Gardell, who recently grabbed attention for his weight loss journey, is the first celebrity to appear on Secret Celebrity Renovation Season 2. The other remaining celebrities include Tony Award winner Annaleigh Ashford, actor Utkarsh Ambudkar of Ghosts fame, NBA All-Star Devin Booker, award-winning singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson, Olympic gold medalist ice skater Nathan Chen, GRAMMY Award winner and reality TV personality Kandi Burruss, Super Bowl LVI Champion Aaron Donald, GRAMMY-nominated singer Nicole Scherzinger, and legendary NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal.

The official synopsis of Season 2 reads:

"Secret Celebrity Renovation is a series that gives celebrities in sports, music and entertainment the chance to gift a surprise home renovation to a meaningful person who helped guide them to success.”

Hosted by Nischelle Turner, the cast members also include Design Star's Sabrina Soto and Survivor alum Rob "Boston Rob" Mariano. Secret Celebrity Renovation Season 2 is all set to premiere on Friday, July 29, 2022, at 8 PM ET on CBS. The show was supposed to air last week, but got postponed due to the initial airing schedule of Big Brother.