HGTV star Brian Kleinschmidt had a full circle moment with New Kids On The Block after previously performing as a backup dancer for the iconic group during their 1991 Super Bowl halftime show.
The 100 Day Dream Home star exclusively told Us Weekly the “funny story,” which he got to share with band member Jonathan Knight through his work on HGTV.
“I was actually in the Super Bowl halftime show with New Kids on The Block years ago. My brother and I were backup dancers in my elementary school,” Brian recalled while promoting his and wife Mika Kleinschmidt‘s new series, 100 Day Hotel Challenge. “So, when I reconnected with John through HGTV, I said, ‘We’ve shared a stage together. You don’t remember me. Like, I was in second grade as one of your backup dancers.’ And he’s like, ‘You were in the Super Bowl halftime show.’”
NKOTB performed during halftime at the 1991 Super Bowl, where the Giants defeated the Bills at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The band members, Jonathan, his brother, Jordan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre and Danny Wood, performed on stage with 3,500 local children and special guest Warren Moon.
Mika noted how “weird” the coincidence was, adding, “Life comes full circle.”
Brian has found an “awesome” friend in Knight, 55, who restores centuries-old New England farmhouses into modern properties on HGTV’s Farmhouse Fixer. However, the former pop star still has a lot to give on stage, and Brian says he “felt like a teenager again” attending a recent NKOTB show with “other HGTV talent.”
“There was six or seven of us in the audience rooting for John Knight and the Boys. I love it,” Brian recalled. “I felt like a teenager again. It was so cool. Our voices were gone, our hearing was gone and our feet were done. But it was well worth it.”
Brian and Mika have always bonded over music since meeting when they were just teenagers.
“We both love music,” Brian said before sharing the funny story of their meet-cute. “We actually met each other in high school girls’ chorus class. My schedule was messed up and Mika walked in and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I remember my guidance counselor said, ‘We’re going to get your schedule fixed.’ I said, ‘Take your time. I’ll sing soprano all semester.’ But we both still love to sing, and I think that’ll never change.”
Mika agreed that the couple shares a passion for “music, theater, arts, anything creative,” continuing, “So, if we’re not doing this, we’re doing something where we’re creating.”
When asked if a duet album would ever be in the works, Mika quipped, “You never know.”
The husband and wife, who have been crowned “HGTV’s winningest duo,” will be channeling their creative energy in 100 Day Hotel Challenge, a head-to-head beach renovation competition series that focuses on transforming two dated hotels in the city of Salter Path, North Carolina, in just 100 days.
As the spouses battle it out, they’ll be joined by some fan-favorite HGTV stars to help complete this massive project under a tight timeline and a budget of $225,000, while also being judged each episode by the Property Brothers, Drew and Jonathan Scott. Most notably, the weekly winning team will earn $5,000 for their chosen charity, and the spouse who claims the top hotel at the end of the competition will walk away with bragging rights and $50,000 to the charity of their choice.
100 Day Hotel Challenge premiers on HGTV Tuesday, August 13, at 8 p.m. ET.
Reporting by Christina Garibaldi
