- HGTV's new show "Zillow Gone Wild" premieres May 3rd.
- The founder of the popular Instagram account says the show brings listings to life in a new way.
- One featured homeowner tells BI,"It's up to every owner to create their own magic."
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If you're prone to late night scrolls on home-buying website Zillow, lusting after drool-worthy mega-mansions or eye-popping geometric structures, you are not alone.
HGTV's new show "Zillow Gone Wild," — premiering tonight at 10:30 p.m. (EST), and also available to stream on Max — is here to unite all aspirational scrollers and take them behind the scenes of the most out-there houses. The show is based off the popular Instagram account of the same name that posts stunning, one-of-a-kind homes currently on the market.
Led by host Jack McBrayer, famous for playing the NBC page Kenneth on "30 Rock," the show takes viewers on-site to walk through the mind-boggling listings and meet the owners who made the structures feel like home.
Viewers have the added chance to win $25,000 by guessing online which home will be crowned the "wildest" after 8 weeks of episodes.
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One man's hobby sparks a community of almost 2 million followers
Zillow Gone Wild first began as an Instagram account, started in December 2020 by content creator Samir Mezrahi. Initially, Mezrahi found himself perusing Zillow listings to entertain himself through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and had a hunch others were doing the same.
"It felt like there was nowhere to talk about these wild, newsworthy, interesting homes," he told Business Insider.
Mezrahi collected postings of homes with outrageous amenities like go-kart tracks and nightclubs or places that doubled down on aesthetics like futuristic desert dwellings or fantasy-like castles.
The account blew up almost "instantly," Mezrahi says. Within a few weeks, "Saturday Night Live" featured a skit on Zillow scrolling, which Mezrahi saw as confirmation that he pierced the zeitgeist.
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Four years later, Zillow Gone Wild boasts nearly 2 million followers on Instagram, where user submissions drive most of the posts, along with community-led traditions like "Castle Fridays" and "Mid-Century Modern Wednesdays."
Mezrahi is proud of the range of homes displayed, rather than just a singular focus on luxury. The account has shown off everything from a $210,000 60's-inspired trailer in North Carolina to a $36.5 million, 7-bedroom estate in California.
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His hope is that the show brings the "wild" listings to life, allowing viewers to connect and dream further about the homes.
"Pictures don't always give you a sense of scale, or really do the property justice," he told BI.
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A Pink Palace in Palm Springs preserves Hollywood history
One featured home on the new HGTV show is a desert oasis of Hollywood Regency design, an era in the early 20th century defined by the glamorous, over-the-top homes of newly minted movie stars.
Dubbed the "Pink Palace," the 3-bedroom, 4-bathroom Palm Springs home is wrapped in a bubblegum pink color on the outside and the inside features leopard-print walls, 1960's chandeliers, and an explosion of intricate mid-century patterns.
Homeowner and professional interior designer Tracy Turco said the opulence is intentional.
"I go for the gusto. I spark a lot of fun and joy in my decorating," she told Business Insider. The episode featuring her home will run next week, on May 10th.
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The home once belonged to Magda Gabor, one of a trio of actress sisters some have compared to a 1950's socialite version of the Kardashians. Turco, a Hollywood Regency enthusiast, intended to keep Gabor's spirit alive from decor like a preserved portrait of Gabor hanging in the foyer to the lifestyle the home allowed.
"At our pool parties, we had people dancing in tuxedos and champagne flowing," she said.
On the show, host McBrayer points out that what makes the home "wild" is its fanatic attention to detail.
"There is not a square inch of this home that doesn't spell glamor," McBrayer said in Turco's episode.
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Turco ultimately sold the property to be closer to family in Florida, but is resting easy as she found a set of buyers who are enthusiastic about keeping the home's aesthetic alive. She says she won't be upset if they paint over the pink.
"It's up to every owner to create their own magic," she told BI.
"Zillow Gone Wild" airs 10:30 p.m. on Fridays on HGTV and is streaming on Max.
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