Ever wonder what happens to the people who get makeovers on reality TV shows after the cameras stop rolling? Do they remain fashion plates forever, or do they revert to their old schlubby ways? Menlo Park resident Belinda Hill has the behind-the-scenes story.
In 2004, Ms. Hill earned a spot on The Learning Channel’s popular makeover show, “What Not to Wear.”
Nominated by one of her three daughters, Ms. Hill was found guilty of animal print abuse, turning bulky sweatshirts and bad jeans into a daily uniform, and going for 30 years without a haircut.
This Friday, Aug. 24, at 9 p.m. Ms. Hill is back on TLC for a “What Not to Wear” reunion show. She’s one of eight viewer favorites who were brought back to New York City in April for the renewed scrutiny of the show’s hosts, fashion experts Stacey London and Clinton Kelly.
“I think I’ve been good, by their standards. I keep my animal prints to a minimum,” says Ms. Hill.
She’s still sporting the much shorter hairstyle she got on the show, something she says was the key to her transformation.
“I love that part of it,” Ms. Hill says. “I really couldn’t go forward until I dealt with (my hair).”
Keeping her shoes fashionable is a little bit tougher, she says.
“I wear pointy leopard-print shoes that I really like,” she says, but by the end of the day filming in New York, “I was taking my shoes off all the time. I’m really not used to hanging out in high heels.”
She also admits she still dresses down to walk the dog.
“Where we live, in the unincorporated areas, no one wears cashmere to go through the bushes,” she says.
As reward for mostly sticking to the fashion rules, Ms. Hill was given a $500 debit card to freshen up her wardrobe — though she still hasn’t found time to spend it, she says.
A high point of the experience was getting to meet the other women who had been on the show, Ms. Hill says. She says she also enjoyed renewing her connection with hosts Stacey and Clinton. Despite their snarky comments about fashion faux pas on camera, Ms. Hill says they are “really sweet people.”
In fact, they even wrote glowing letters of recommendation for her daughter Julia, a budding fashionista who recently applied to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Ms. Hill says.
