Chet Hanks has nothing but love for his Surreal Life costar Kim Zolciak-Biermann.
“Kim is cool as hell. We hung out in L.A. a couple weeks ago,” Hanks, 34, exclusively told Us Weekly at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday, September 11. “We had dinner and caught up. She’s just really awesome.”
Hanks and Zolciak-Biermann, 46, previously sparked speculation about their relationship after they were seen getting in bed together in a trailer for Season 8 of the MTV reality series. However, both parties have maintained that they are strictly platonic friends.
“She’s really supportive of my country music that I’m doing, and she’s been introducing me to people,” Hanks added. “So yeah, Kim’s dope. [She’s] my homegirl.”
The musician also told Us that he “had a blast” shooting the reality show, which also stars Macy Gray, Ally Brooke, O.T. Genasis, Josie Canseco, Johnny Weir and Tyler Posey.
“It was honestly one of the best times of my life,” he said. “It was so much fun. I made a bunch of great friends. There was not one bad thing about it. I loved every second of it. I had a great time doing it, and I would absolutely keep it going and do it again.”
A source previously told Us that Hanks and Zolciak-Biermann – who is in the middle of a contentious divorce with estranged husband Kroy Biermann – got cozy while filming the series in October last year.
“They were flirting. They didn’t hook up, but there was definitely an attraction between them,” the insider dished. “She thinks he’s good looking.”
While speaking to Us in July, Zolciak-Biermann opened up about her sweet connection with Hanks and explained how it wasn’t rooted in physical attraction.
“I’m actually not physical at all, which is funny,” the Real Housewives of Atlanta alum told Us at the time. “I’m not. I know nobody believes that with Kroy’s body, but you could be very attractive and if you’re stupid, I’m not interested.”
She added, “Yes, he has a nice body, but it’s just kind of his vibe and what he puts off and his energy. He had made me a protein shake right away. I adore him. I’ve gotten to know him throughout The Surreal Life and even more recently and he’s great.”
The Surreal Life follows the hilarity that ensues when a group of celebrities live in the same house for two weeks. The original series ran on VH1 for six seasons from 2003 to 2006 and was rebooted by MTV in 2022.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi