By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Friday, April 3, 2015
To many Gen Xers, Vanilla Ice represents a footnote in early rap history with his absurd high-top fade, huge harem pants and that "Ice Ice Baby" song dum-dum-dum-dede-dum-dumming its way into the brain.
But he hasn't faded into the Color Me Badd woodwork. Instead, Rob Van Winkle (his real name) has found a second life as DIY Network's most popular personality, a Floridian with an eye for renovation and a knack for flipping homes on his show "The Vanilla Ice Project." It returns for a fifth season Saturday, April 4 at 10 p.m.
The 47-year-old took a break from rehabbing a beach-front Palm Beach mansion to meet with press and DIY advertisers in Atlanta earlier this week. I met him at the St. Regis in Buckhead where he was gabby and upbeat, the glow of a wealthy man who is long past the depths of depression two decades ago and enjoying life on life's terms.
Vanilla Ice still answers to that name and he relishes his past now. When I asked if he'd be willing to be roasted like Justin Bieber earlier this week, he said he would be cool as ice about it.
"I have no shame in my game," he said. "I joke about myself. Every day is a roast for me."
On his DIY show, Vanilla Ice ebulliently embraces every project with a hip-hop flair, his construction crew a bunch of friends from his dirt-biking and motocross days.
In the fifth season debut, he assesses a 15-year-old kitchen with a rhyme: "This is dated and definitely hated."
He incorporates a customized copper hood vent above the stove, dubbing it the "Supa Mac Daddy" of hood vents. And while installing a super heavy oven, he says, "this oven is so massive, we need a fourth ninja."
Vanilla Ice said he bought his first home as a teenager soon after signing with Atlanta's Ichiban Records and as the millions rolled in, he bought several other homes. He fixed up a few and sold them for huge profits. He realized this a great way to generate income long after monies from "Ice Ice Baby" faded away.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, he flipped homes and made millions. When a production company around 2008 suggested he do a reality show, he scoffed.
"I lost my ego a long time ago," he said. "I didn't have to be in the limelight. I was very content when this opportunity came along."
He was understandably skeptical even after he said yes and allowed DIY to film him: "Watching Vanilla Ice do construction? That sounded too normal to me."
But it worked. Ratings were strong. "It was way more interesting than I even thought," he said. "It's informative and inspiring."
Plus, Vanilla Ice's on camera persona is infectious. "It's an adventure to me, blood, sweat and tears," he said. "I'm not a big boss man. I show up early. I'm in the trenches."
And even when things don't go right, he doesn't get angry. He just fixes it, pays the piper and moves on.
"I've learned through time the hard way that getting upset doesn't make a problem go away," he said. "It just intensified things for no reason and doesn't eliminate the problem."
And while he gets compensated for the TV show, he purchases these homes with his money: "I'm at risk here."
Each season is a new challenge, he said. "I always say, 'How am I going to top this?' " He gets visibly excited about the latest smart home innovations, the way he can now control many aspects of a house via an app.
Vanilla Ice said he tries to avoid renovating high-end homes too gaudily. He attempts to think like a potential buyer with a family and wants to ensure it's move-in ready.
"I let the house sell itself," he said, but he admits the fact he is the renovator adds cache for some buyers. "The last owner [of his last flipped home] is a huge fan," he said. The owner even asked to meet Vanilla Ice, who gave him an explanation of the changes he made to the house and signed the wall.
Ultimately, the entire DIY experience has been a huge blessing, he said. "I'm really grateful and honored it's worked out the way it has."
He made headlines in February when he was arrested, accused of stealing furnishings from what appeared to be an abandoned home. He made a plea deal this week after my interview: 100 hours of community service with Habitat for Humanity and $1,100 to $1,300 to the owner.
"It's the biggest misunderstanding ever," Vanilla Ice said. "I was waiting for Ashton Kutcher to show up when the cops came. I can't believe that transpired. It was an abandoned house. I now have a contract on it. I had given that stuff to a needy family. I don't need furniture! It was a really strange situation that turned into a tidal wave" of bad press.
TV PREVIEW
"The Vanilla Ice Project," returns for season 5 at 10 p.m. Saturday, April 4, DIY
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