BET is reviving its early 200s reality show College Hill, but this time celebrities will be the ones hitting the books. According to TVLine, College Hill: Celebrity Edition will feature NeNe Leakes, Ray J, Lamar Odom, Big Freedia, Stacey Dash, DreamDoll, India Love and Slim Thug living together and going to Texas Southern University. The network is hoping to premiere the eight episode series this summer.
Originally airing from 2004-2009, College Hill showed young Black students living together and attending HBCUs like Southern, Langston, Virginia State, Clark Atlanta, Morehouse and Georgia State.
“We’re excited College Hill will be returning with a new celebrity edition of the franchise that will bring more awareness to the significance of HBCUs, which has a rich legacy and continued tradition of bolstering excellence through education for some of the brightest minds in the Black community,” BET reality EVP Tiffany Lea Williams said in a statement. “Furthermore, we couldn’t be more thrilled about filming on the campus of the illustrious Texas Southern University.”
The series was meant to be BET’s answer to MTV’s The Real World, and started with big ratings. Of course, like most reality shows, viewership dwindled over time, as the seasons became repetitive.
“As the original creator and executive producer of College Hill, I am so elated to partner with Texas Southern University and be able to bring back this cherished franchise with an exciting new twist that I am sure will entertain and inspire new and old fans across the board,” Tracey Edmonds, CEO and President of Edmonds Entertainment added. “We intend to provide a fun but sometimes challenging journey that will show viewers it’s never too late to go back to school.”
Let’s be honest: Was anyone asking for a College Hill redo? Of those who said yes, did they want one with “celebrities?” And are we supposed to care about how Stacey Dash is doing in her fake studies? The only people who will make this slightly interesting are Nene and Big Freedia, because they’ve done enough of these shows to know how to make it watchable.
Come on guys, Stacey Dash!? Really!?