Ray Romano Honors His Longtime Assistant’s Late Mother with Emotional Home Makeover: ‘She Goes Above and Beyond’ (Exclusive)

It’s Ray Roman’s renovation!

In the season 7 premiere episode Celebrity bonds on Monday, January 1 Everyone loves Raymond alum, 66, teams up with Property Brothers stars Drew and Jonathan Scott to complete a touching renovation for their longtime assistant and friend Christy.

PEOPLE got an exclusive first look at the premiere episode and talked to the brothers, 45, about what it was like helping transform Christy’s bathroom and master bedroom into a boutique hotel-style escape with a few sentimental touches.

During the build process, the actor made sure to tell the brothers that Christy “goes above and beyond” for him and has been through a lot since her mother passed away. Drew tells PEOPLE about the creative idea Romano had to incorporate his mother’s favorite bird, a crow, into Christy’s space.

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Ray Romano surprises his longtime assistant Christy by redecorating the bedroom and bathroom together with Drew and Jonathan Scott.

HGTV

“Christi was with Ray for almost 20 years,” explains Drew. “Ray actually admits he doesn’t know design. It is not his strong point, he is not agile. However, he brought up a few things that were great. The stained glass we did with the crows in the bathroom – it came from Ray.”

Originally, Romano and the brothers were only going to update Christy’s bathroom to make the most of the space she shares with her husband and sometimes teenage daughter. But the comedian wanted to take his appreciation for her to the next level and surprise her with a major bedroom upgrade as well.

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Ray Romano in ‘Celebrity IOU’ season 7 premiere episode.

HGTV

Drew and Jonathan add that while Romano is fully committed to the project and “was actually out there building with us,” he still found time to crack a few jokes along the way.

In the exclusive clip above, the actor partners with Drew to knock down a wall in Christy’s room.

Jonathan Scott and Ray Romano in the season 7 premiere of ‘Celebrity IOU’.

HGTV

“Smashing the wall with a hammer — it’s therapeutic in a way. Maybe I won’t have to see my psychiatrist today,” jokes Romano. Drew then recalls telling Brad Pitt, who was a guest on the show in 2020, that breaking down walls is a great exercise for actors to de-stress before an audition.

“Did Brad Pitt ever take a break?” – asks Romano, and after him Drew bursts into laughter.

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Drew and Jonathan Scott pose with Ray Romano during the renovation process.

HGTV

“Ray Romano is one of those people who doesn’t try to be funny — he’s just funny,” Drew tells PEOPLE. “We were laughing that we almost felt like we were three brothers. He is like a Property Brother from another mother who is a little less agile.”

Celebrity bonds season 7 will premiere with two new episodes on HGTV this Monday, January 1 at 8:00 PM ET.

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Source: HIS Education