Reality television seems to encompass all manner of competitions and all forms of lifestyles these days. From the decades-old Survivor to the more recent Selling Sunset, and everything in between, we just love to watch how the other half lives, wherever they may be. Social media influencers are one subset that has yet to crack into reality TV in a major way. No longer, though, as a TikTok influencer reality show is coming to Netflix.
With a combined follower count of more than 124 million, these TikTok influencers will be showcased on the new reality show about The Hype House, a real place in Los Angeles. Although the show went into development back in August, Deadline now reports that it landed at Netflix, and the platform ordered the series for streaming. It will follow the dramas and inner workings of the actual Hype House, a mansion that houses several major “digital influencers” who make a living by creating viral content.
The original founders of The Hype House – Chase Hudson, Thomas Petrou and Nikita Dragun – will be on the new reality series. Some other big TikTok names who will be there include Kouvr Annon, Sienna Mae Gomez, Larri Merritt, Alex Warren and Jack Wright. Apparently, the episodes on Netflix will showcase the housemates’ relationships, their initiation process into the house and backstories to their Internet fame.
Thomas Petrou announced to his nearly 2 million Youtube subscribers that the Hype House show is coming to Netlix. It quickly racked up the views and likes, propelling the video to become certified trending on the video platform. Petrou said about the reality show,
We are almost done filming and I know it's not going to come out for a while, but trust me, it is going to be worth the wait.
Wheelhouse Entertainment produces the TikTok reality series, and it has a pretty big roster of executive producers that have worked in prominent reality TV before. In particular, Wheelhouse Group Chief Content Officer Eric Wattenberg hopes to parlay his experience form working on the Real Housewives franchise and translate it to the Hype House project, with the idea of creating new houses in different cities. Wattenberg sees the bigger potential for TikTok influencers, saying,
So many of these influencers don’t feel that they justify the attention that they’re getting. They put content up on YouTube or TikTok and the algorithm does its magic and they think, ‘I’ve got millions of people looking at me and all I’ve done is just be me.’ When they start to think about the long-form world and the linear world, there’s a huge demand and desire because it creates a validation for them and for their talent. It creates a longevity for their careers, as well. If you look at the average length of a social media star it’s only a few years and sort of they peak, so, by bringing them across and building their business in a more traditional way, they have a foundation that means they can have a much longer career.
The concept of a social media influencer has only come to prominence in recent years, but it is clearly appealing to a young Gen-Z demographic that has practically grown up online in the same way. At the same time, others might look at Jake Paul’s boxing match to Addison Rae’s Tonight Show drama and be a little baffled by how they’re famous in the first place. Perhaps this new reality show will be enlightening in that regard.
Who knows if the Hype House show will have the same staying power as something like Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise? I doubt these TikTok influencers have the same scathing clapback prowess as Dorinda Medley or Bethenny Frankel. But if Netflix’s successful foray into the reality space is any indication, Hype House content might just give Real Housewives a run for its money.
