Lisa Whelchel reunites with a 'Facts of Life' favorite on her new show
You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have — well, you know the rest.
Lisa Whelchel, who played the perennially perky and spoiled rich girl Blair Warner on The Facts of Life, is back on TV screens in season two of Collector’s Call — a look into the private pop culture memorabilia collections of everyday people and even a few celebrities.
“I travel the country meeting people with amazing collections,” Whelchel tells Yahoo Entertainment. “Many of these collections really do remind you of things, not that you’ve forgotten, but things that just aren’t in our every day and it’s so sweet to be reminded.”
Whelchel gives a preview of some of the unique assemblages she encounters this season, including a house full of Star Wars rarities, an I Love Lucy fanatic who also impersonates the legendary comedian, and the astounding musical instrument collection owned by Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton.
One collection she explores this season has a very special place in Whelchel’s heart — that of her former co-star Charlotte Rae.
Rae played Mrs. Garrett on The Facts of Life and left her son all the items she collected over her long career when she passed away in 2018.
“Her son Larry has invited us into his home and invited his daughter, Charlotte’s granddaughter,” says Whelchel, who also brought along a special guest for a mini Facts of Life reunion.
“I invited Geri Jewell, who played cousin Geri on the show,” reveals Whelchel, who says she has also kept in touch with her other co-stars over the years.
Even though Rae managed to snag a few items from the Facts of Life set, Whelchel reveals she didn’t think do to the same.
“I wish I had taken something from the set! I wasn’t thinking! I wish I had remembered to get one of the Eastland pennants. Charlotte Rae thought about that, and she has that in her collection,” laments Whelchel.
The star also shared some insight into why she thinks people feel so connected to pop culture memorabilia.
“It all goes back to their childhood,” she says. “It’s also my answer for people who ask me, ‘Why has Facts of Life been so beloved for decades now?’ And I think it’s the same thing — these are friends that we met in childhood,” she adds.
Collector’s Call airs Sunday nights at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on MeTV.
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