A&E Network is working on a new unscripted series, called Celebrity Garage Sale. Hosted by Illeana Douglas, the series will feature Douglas assisting various celebrities as they attempt to sell their unwanted possessions in an effort to raise money for charity. The pilot episode will focus on Tom Arnold’s garage sale, which according to The Hollywood Reporter, raised $5,000 for Camp del Corazon, a camp for kids with heart disease.
You can learn a lot about a person by the stuff they sell at their garage sale. Most garage sales are pretty similar in terms of the assortment of junk people are trying to unload. Musty old clothing, boxes full of dusty books, VHS tapes and records, mismatched tea sets and other things that may have been prized possessions at one time and have now been sorted, priced and put up for sale. So why would we need a reality show about garage sales? Because when it comes to celebrities, we cant help but love having the opportunity to peek into their lives, even if it means watching them sort, price and sell their old junk.
I recall the first season of Tori and Dean: Inn Love when Tori Spelling threw her a garage sale. A flood of fans lined up down the block waiting for a chance to enter her home and sort through her old clothes and other unwanted items. Let’s face it, people love the idea of owning something that once belonged to a famous person. And even if you don’t have the money to buy yourself something, the opportunity to poke around a celebrity’s house and see what kinds of things they’re trying to sell is pretty appealing in a strangely voyeuristic (and moderately shameful) sort of way.
