R&B legend and Hollywood actor's son to take part in new reality TV show which will "push their limits"
A Grammy award winning R&B singer and a Hollywood actor’s son are among the famous faces who are set to take part in a brand new reality TV show.
Macy Gray, whose real name is Natalie Renée McIntyre, is joining the cast of new MTV show alongside Chet Hanks, son of legendary actor Tom Hanks.
Gray, aged 56, is best known for her international hit single “I Try” meanwhile 33-year-old Hanks has followed in his famous fathers’ footsteps in to the world of acting but he’s also a musician. They will be two of the eight celebs who are going on an “outlandish getaway” and sharing a villa together in the show, which will be called “The Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets”.
They will be joined by former Fifth Harmony member Ally Brooke, model Josie Canseco, rapper O.T. Genasis, actor Tyler Posey, Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir and former “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kim Zolciak.
The trailer for the show teases plenty of drama. A voiceover reveals that the contestants “have no idea what’s in store; every secret mission can push their limits. Every unexpected bond can change them forever. Every mystery from their past will be uncovered.”
The show, which was filmed over two weeks in Medellín, Colombia, will premire on Tuesday July 23 on MTV. The upcoming show won’t be Gray’s first appearance on TV. Back in 2009, she starred in season nine of ABC's Dancing with The Stars but was the second celebrity to be eliminated.
More recently, she took part in both the Australian and US versions of musical guessing game The Masked Singer. On the Australian show, her character was "Atlantis", but she was the sixth artist to be voted out of the show. On the American version, however, she was the "Sea Queen" and finished fourth place.
She’s also broken in to the world of film acting, though she’s only had minor roles. Her film credits include “Spider-Man”, “Training Day”, “Scary Movie 3” and “Around the World in 80 Days”.
Hanks, meanwhile has had recurring roles on television series “Empire”, “Shameless” and “Your Honor”, as well as guest roles on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Atlanta”. In fact, he played rapper Blake on hip-hop drama “Empire” from 2018 to 2019. He recorded a song called "White and Purple" during his university days under the alias Chet Haze. The song was a remix of Wiz Khalifa's single "Black and Yellow" with the lyrics changed in reference to his school colours.