When you think of a chaotic duo, your brain probably doesn’t immediately jump to a former Real Housewife from Atlanta and the "White Boy Summer" son of Tom Hanks. But reality TV has a weird way of forcing the universe into alignments we never asked for. In the fall of 2023, while filming The Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets in Medellín, Colombia, Kim Zolciak and Chet Hanks became the pair no one saw coming.
Honestly, the chemistry was palpable. Or maybe it was just the altitude of the Colombian Andes.
Kim was right in the thick of a messy, public, and frankly exhausting divorce from Kroy Biermann. She needed an out. She needed to not be in that Georgia mansion where she and her estranged husband were literally timing their trips to the walk-in closet to avoid each other. Enter Chet Hanks: 34, sober, eccentric, and apparently exactly the kind of "distraction" Kim needed.
The Pimple Cream and the MILF Comment
If you watched the show—which aired on MTV throughout the summer of 2024—you saw the flirting. It wasn’t subtle. At one point, Kim is literally lurking outside Chet’s bedroom door. They end up talking about, of all things, pimple cream and toothpaste. It’s the kind of mundane, late-night chatter that happens when you’re stuck in a house with seven other strangers and a camera crew.
Chet, never one to mince words, was pretty blunt in his confessionals. He flat-out called Kim a "MILF." He said he was "into that."
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He also acknowledged the elephant in the room. "She's still married," he told the cameras. He seemed skeptical about whether she was actually taking their flirtation seriously or if he was just a pawn in her "get away from my ex" strategy. Kim, for her part, mostly just giggled and pursed her lips when the producers grilled her about it. She called him "adorable" and "a great guy."
Did They Actually Hook Up?
This is the question that kept the tabloids running for months. TMZ reported early on that despite the "steamy" trailer showing them together in a dark bedroom, nothing physical actually happened. The sources were pretty adamant: they never left the friend zone.
But "friend zone" is a loose term in reality land. They were seen cuddling. They were seen sharing deep, late-night conversations. Kim even admitted that she had no idea who Chet was before the show. She had to call her daughter, Brielle Biermann, to ask.
"Mom, there's only one Chet in the world," Brielle reportedly told her. "Hanks."
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It’s kind of hilarious to imagine Kim Zolciak, a woman who has lived her entire adult life in front of a camera, being totally oblivious to the offspring of Hollywood royalty. But that’s Kim. She’s in her own world.
Where They Stand in 2026
Fast forward to now. It’s January 2026. People are still asking if the "Zolciak-Hanks" romance was ever a real thing.
The short answer? Not really.
The long answer? They actually stayed friends. Just last year, in February 2025, Chet was still talking about her. During the premiere of his Netflix series Running Point, he told reporters he had literally just texted Kim in the car on the way over. He even joked that she should be his Valentine.
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They’ve been spotted at Jelly Roll concerts together with Bunnie XO. They’ve done the Hollywood dinner thing. But whenever the "dating" question comes up, Chet shuts it down. He calls her a friend. He’s been focused on his sobriety and his acting career, while Kim is still navigating the seemingly endless legal and financial fallout of her marriage.
The Reality of the "Surreal" Connection
What most people get wrong about this situation is thinking it was a failed romance. It wasn't. For Kim, Chet was a lifeline. She’s gone on record saying The Surreal Life was therapeutic. It allowed her to be "Kim" again instead of just a defendant in a divorce case or a mother of six dealing with foreclosure rumors.
Chet provided a safe, albeit slightly wild, space for her to remember she was still attractive and fun. For Chet, Kim was a savvy, "smart-mouthed" woman who could keep up with his banter.
Why This Matters for Fans
- The Divorce Context: Kim was filming during one of the most volatile periods of her life. Her "distraction" by Chet was a survival mechanism.
- The Sobriety Factor: Chet has been very vocal about his sobriety. His interactions with Kim were filtered through a much more grounded lens than his past "Chet Haze" persona.
- The Friendship remains: Unlike most reality show "showmances," these two didn't ghost each other the second the cameras stopped.
What You Can Do Next
If you’re following the ongoing saga of Kim’s divorce or Chet’s career, the best move is to keep an eye on their social media interactions rather than the tabloids. They often post snippets of their "friendship" that give a much clearer picture than a 30-second MTV teaser.
You might also want to check out Chet’s performance in Running Point on Netflix. It’s arguably the most "normal" he’s ever been on screen, and it shows the growth he’s been talking about since his time in the villa. For Kim, the Georgia court records are, unfortunately, still the most reliable source for what’s actually happening in her "real" life.