David Hasselhoff, Gene Simmons featured on 'Celebrity Home Raiders'

By By David A. Keeps

Mar 05, 2014 | 7:30 AM

For those who have always wanted to see David Hasselhoff's house, Lifetime has a series for you. In conjunction with Beverly Hills-based Julien's Auctions, the network will debut "Celebrity Home Raiders" on Thursday at 10 p.m.

The premise couldn’t be simpler: Stars put personal belongings up for sale, with proceeds going to the charity of their choosing. Here’s the twist: While the host, Kit Hoover from "Access Hollywood," gets the celebrities to put a dollar value on their memorabilia, Julien’s co-owners Darren Julien and Martin Nolan roam through the residence looking for goodies.

Closets and the drawers in the bedroom furniture are always interesting,” said Julien, who found a gold record behind a sofa and "Baywatch" dolls in the cupboards of David Hasselhoff’s Malibu rental. (That episode airs March 13.) "If a celebrity has Stickley furniture, we will sell it, but the iconic and personal items bring the highest bids. And seeing the celebrity on TV with the item that’s going to auction is the best form of authenticity."

VIDEO: Preview of "Celebrity Home Raiders"

At the end of each show, one of the Julien's co-owners determines the auction estimates for the items. "Martin and I can be the bad guys that give them the reality check," Julien said. "Some of the celebrities are not happy with the evaluations, and it shows."

"Darren is a cool guy," said Hasselhoff, with a laugh. "It gave me a chance to tell all the amazing stories, but he undercut me on my 'Baywatch' pinball machine." The actor also donated items from "Knight Rider" and his appearance in the "Spongebob Squarepants" movie.

"They built a 12-foot replica of me," he added. "I was either going to turn it into a mailbox or a headstone, but I kept it in my screening room to scare people." Bidding for the "Hoff" effigy will begin at $500 during the April 11-12 Hollywood Legends auction in Beverly Hills, which features items from Hasselhoff and "Celebrity Home Raiders" guest stars Fran Drescher and Ice-T and Coco.

Julien got a serious fright at Gene Simmons' Beverly Hills mega-mansion, which is featured in the series premiere. While scouring the house for collectibles, he opened a door, only to come face to face with the tongue-wagging Kiss bassist. "Gene wasn't too happy that his personal space was invaded," Julien said. "That look on my face was not acting."

Simmons' memorabilia — including items from his wife, actress Shannon Tweed — will be auctioned alongside items from the series ’ other pop star participants: Debbie Gibson, David Cassidy and 'N Sync’s Lance Bass at the May 17 Music Icons auction at the Hard Rock in Times Square.