What To Know About Hot Mess House HGTV Star Wendell Holland
Wendell Holland's journey to having his own HGTV show is filled with twists and turns. Home improvement wasn't on his radar for most of his life, but rather, it was a passion he found while pursuing a law degree. He enjoyed building, but never imagined a career in it. He was set on following in his father's footsteps.
His father, who was an attorney when Holland was growing up, introduced Holland to building. "He would come home and we'd frame out the basement, we'd drywall the basement," Holland said on "Rob Has a Podcast." He continued, "At a young age — I'm talking second, third, fourth grade — I'm helping him out, I'm learning how to use a hammer and nails and screws and a drill. I started building little things on my own even way back then."
Building became a creative outlet for him but, as he got older, he built less and less. Holland attended the University of Pennsylvania immediately after undergrad and, after graduating from there, he took a job as a law clerk. During his time as a law clerk, he needed a new bed. He couldn't afford to buy one, so he built one. This rekindled his passion for building and was spurred when others began asking him to build items for them.
From furniture to reality TV
Building became a side job for Wendell Holland. He was making custom items for friends and family who then encouraged others to invest in his furniture. He grew more confident in his ability so much so that, when the lawyer he worked under retired, he decided to start his own furniture business and leave the field completely. "At that point, I'd been building a lot on the side and I thought that it would be a good chance to try to really do this thing," he told HGTV. "So I started my company: Beve Unlimited."
Beve Unlimited, named after his childhood nickname, was a success. It garnered numerous opportunities for Holland to take on. With that being said, he did take a break from the world of furniture to participate as a contestant on Season 36 of the show "Survivor," which he won. He had applied to be on the show for seven years before finally being accepted. "I think I was on at the right time because I'd lived a little bit," he told HGTV. "I was on when I'd turned 33, and I had had enough successes and failures in life to ... do pretty well on a show like that."
Working with HGTV
After winning "Survivor," Wendell Holland returned for the show's special season, "Winners at War," and has since returned to his furniture business. He's also made appearances on HGTV's "Beach Cabana Royale" and "Home Town Takeover." In 2020, Holland became the co-host of his own HGTV show, "Hot Mess House," which features him and Cas Aarssen helping clients organize their homes. "Getting on HGTV, my goodness, as a builder, as someone that builds and designs furniture, of course that's what I wanted to do," Holland said on "Rob has a Podcast."
Holland hopes to continue working with HGTV and appear on more shows. Holland's life is one full of adventure and various endeavors. He's ultimately grateful for it all. "I have quite the story. My life has been a rambling path to get to where I am today but I'm appreciative of every stop along the way," Holland told HGTV.