Cristy Lee Garage Squad
When Cristy Lee got a phone call telling her that Drew and Jonathan Scott were looking for hosts for a new car-inspired spin off of one of their hit HGTV shows, she was instantly all-in.
Lee, an automotive expert known for roles in Motor Trend's All Girls Garage and Garage Squad, was a shoe-in to star alongside fellow motor head and TV host Ant Anstead, 42, on the new Discovery+ series, Celebrity IOU: Joyride. In the show, which premiered last Monday and drops new episodes for streaming each week, the two gurus help A-listers surprise deserving friends and family members with the cars of their dreams.
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"It was an absolute no-brainer for me," Lee, 37, tells PEOPLE of her decision to take part in the series. "I've known and worked with Ant for many years, so, of course, that was a great part of it too, getting a chance to work with a fellow auto enthusiast and a friend of mine."
She adds of Drew and Jonathan, whose production company Scott Brothers Global is behind the show: "You can't really say no to those guys. They're the nicest people on the planet." The twins also star in and produce Celebrity IOU, in which they help stars from Brad Pitt to Kevin Hart surprise loved ones with home makeovers.
Cristy Lee
Credit: Cristy Lee/instagram
Working with Anstead has been wonderful, Lee says, because they already had a great relationship prior to filming. "We've worked for the same network before, and been in the same programs before. So we've had chances to work together on TV and then behind the scenes as well. So I think we had a natural on-camera chemistry in place."
"We completely skipped the getting to know each other type of phase," she adds, explaining, "We're garage buddies."
Their bond shines through in the premiere, as the co-hosts restore two cars with Anstead's now-girlfriend Renée Zellweger, 52. The trio are surprising Jerome and Jerald, two brothers who acted as 24-hour caregivers to Zellweger's late publicist Nanci Ryder during her battle with ALS.
In the second episode, which dropped today, James Marsden surprises his brother-in-law with a dream car. And in the weeks to come, Octavia Spencer, Danny Trejo, Tony Hawk, and Mary J. Blige will also get their hands dirty in the pair's garage.
Cristy Lee
Despite their guests' celebrity status, Lee says there was no getting starstruck on set, and that even the A-listers felt like "friends hanging out in the garage" by the end of each episode.
"The celebs were honestly just so excited for this project — as excited as we were," she says.
"We had the celebs come in and tell us these really touching stories, roll up their sleeves, and get in there and start welding and grinding and blowing out the sides of vehicles and pulling hoods off and pulling a transmission and engine out," she adds. "So we really got to see a different side of them."
Though she says she can't pick a favorite star to work with, Lee says she was the most "all-in" during Spencer's episode, where they helped create a mobile hair salon for elderly clients. And when it comes to the craziest build, she says Marsden came to them with quite the challenge.
But another celeb who clearly left a big impression on both Lee and Anstead was Zellweger.
"Renée was awesome," Lee says of the Judy star, who is now dating Anstead after meeting on set.
Ant Anstead - Renee Zellweger
Credit: Ant Anstead/Instagram
"It was obvious she was a car person just talking to her, and then she showed us that very quickly," Lee says. "So she and I definitely had that connection right away, just talking about women that love cars and know about cars. It was so great to have someone that was so enthusiastic about these projects working with us."
While a second season has not been yet announced, Lee does have a pick for her dream guest, should she get the chance: "Let's be honest, everybody loves the Rock," she says with a laugh of former PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive Dwayne Johnson.
"I just like envisioning being like, 'Hey, Rock, we need to take this engine out. Can you just grab that for us?' and him just lifting it off the vehicle without an exit hoist," she says with a laugh.
RELATED VIDEO: Renée Zellweger Supports Ant Anstead During 'Supercar' Gala for First Public Event as a Couple
Jokes aside, Lee says she hopes that they can continue to work with more people to get the message across that giving back is infinitely important.
"There are so many amazing celebs that I'm sure also have some really epic stories that we would love to team up with, and get in there and put some tools in their hands and get them working," she says.
Celebrity IOU: Joyride Trailer
"The show isn't about building cars for celebrities," she adds. "It's truly an IOU. This is for someone that was incredibly influential, impactful, important to this person's life. And sometimes everybody needs a little help in order to find the ways to pay it forward. And that's what we're doing."
Celebrity IOU: Joyride began streaming on Discovery+ on Monday, August 23. New episodes will drop on Mondays.
Source: https://people.com/home/cristy-lee-on-her-new-tv-show-working-with-ant-anstead-and-who-she-fell-in-love-with-on-set/
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