'Celebrity IOU' fans praise Howie Mandel's friendship with Rich Thurber: 'Got me crying'

With the help of remodeling gurus Drew and Jonathan Scott, 'America's Got Talent' judge Howie Mandel surprised his closest friend of three decades, Rich Thurber, with a "cool" bachelor pad makeover in Episode 2 of Celebrity IOU. The second episode, Howie Mandel's amazing surprise, aired on HGTV at 9 pm ET/PT on April 25, 2022.

On 'Celebrity IOU,' Mandel seemed ecstatic to treat the executive producer of his documentary, 'Howie Mandel: But, Enough About Me,' with a makeover with Drew and Jonathan Scott's help. After losing his home in a divorce, he moved into the apartment. Mandel claims that his friend is responsible for everyone except himself. Now, as a thoughtful gesture, the actor has chosen to treat him with a new bachelor home where he can relax and enjoy himself once more.

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This left fans in tears. One of them shared their feelings on Twitter while tagging the comic, and wrote: "@howiemandel got me crying in 6 minutes #CelebrityIOU"

 

Mandel remarked on the remodeling for his friend, whom he considers "family, "Last year his father passed away. Life isn't always easy. This has been a hard time and nothing makes you feel better than to be a small part of doing something for somebody else."

Madel, "a bonafide germophobe," did not hesitate to get his hands dirty for his good friend during the home renovation process. He did everything he could to make his guy happy, from painting to knocking down cabinets.

This didn't go unnoticed by the viewers. Many people took it to Twitter to share how the gesture from Mr. Mandel touched them. One wrote, ".@howiemandel takes care of people. It was fun seeing his heart in this episode! #CelebIOU #OnHGTV"

Mandel's involvement throughout the project was also appreciated by the viewers. However, that was not the only highlight of the episode. With an actual comic in the house, you can't expect a single dull moment. Mandel made his presence felt with his fun sense of humor and his impromptu nature. The Property Brothers also tried to match the energy of the man. Drew Scott even went on to put paint on Mandel's head to make him look like he has hair. 

The comedian requested his pal to work from a hotel and didn't tell him about the refurbishment. Jonathan and Drew were given three and a half weeks to fully transform the house's façade. Rich was taken aback when the surprise was ultimately revealed. He was not only moved, but also honored to have been picked by Howie for this initiative.

Fans were overjoyed as they applauded Rich-Howie friendship, which defies the regular employer-employee relationship. In an episode that was largely a laugh riot due to the celebrity involved, there were also tears of appreciation and a lot of hard work from the Scott Brothers into the transformation.