College Hill: Celebrity Edition Season 3 continues the legacy of its predecessors, captivating viewers right from the start. The first episode of the show not only introduced the new cast at Xavier University of Louisiana for the season but also previewed the potential storylines to come. Among them, the antics of Saucy Santana and Karlous Miller stood out as particularly attention-grabbing.
Saucy Santana's blatant disregard for the show's premise, meant for celebrities to attend an HBCU for education, and Karlous Miller's confrontational stance on homelessness has ignited discussions on college conduct. While I am a fan of College Hill: Celebrity Edition, I'm not a fan of how these two celebrities have been acting and it seems as if this is going to be a trend throughout the entire season.
Karlous Miller’s points on homelessness became totally nonsensical
In episode 1, I agreed with Karlous's initial point that we need to elect leaders who can address issues like homelessness effectively. I disagreed that the issue was not the concern of ordinary city or state residents. We can all contribute by advocating and taking action to tackle the problem. I felt a promising discussion was taking shape in the class that would challenge the cast and also spark provocative discussions amongst the viewers of the series.
But, Karlous put a lot of extras on his stance at the start of episode 2 that I simply don’t agree with at all. Making light of addiction being a disease is low and shows that he isn’t willing to truly do what it takes to address the issue. We even saw Nick speak with Karlous later in the episode about his personal connection with homelessness which is directly correlated with his brother’s mental health struggles. Karlous still acted like he didn’t understand what was going on.
How Karlous acted this episode made me sick to my stomach. He is entitled to his own opinion, and one disagreement doesn't render him irredeemable or undeserving of grace. However, his approach to disagreeing with Dr. Frazier and his castmates was inappropriate for a college environment.
I mean really, speaking disrespectfully to Dr. Frazier when the cast returned to class the next day? Trying to fight with Nick Young, whether he was playing or for real? Then, he continued to make light of Nick's intelligence because he had a different stance on the issue. Karlous doesn't have intellectual or moral standing here. He argues that regular citizens can't combat homelessness; the onus is on those in power to effect change. Yet, his class assignment empowers him and his peers to influence policy that politicians might enact into law. The class itself flies in the face of his stance.
Karlous is getting away with things that non-celebrity college students wouldn’t be able to. If Karlous wasn't a nationally renowned comedian I'm sure Dr. Frazier would've kicked him out of his class. Karlous was being belligerent and that's the worst type of student that you engage with at any level of education. And that’s my broader issue with College Hill: Celebrity Edition.
The double edge sword of having celebrity students
I really love that College Hill has returned in this iteration. There have been very entertaining and touching moments and it’s a well-produced show that I believe has done well in showcasing the HBCU academic and social experience to folks who might not have directly interacted with it.
But, involving celebrities can help just as much as it hurts. College Hill: Celebrity Edition reinforces that you’re never too old to get an education. But, are you too famous to get your education? Why does Karlous have to find common ground on the issue of homelessness if he’s just on the show to be on the show? Why does Saucy Santana have to take this seriously and even go to class if he’ll still be Saucy Santana after the filming of the show is over?
I get that this is an entertainment product at the end of the day and they do well in drawing you in and keeping you watching. But, why would a celebrity who isn’t willing to to actually do the work to get their interdisciplinary studies certificate even sign up for this show? There are plenty of other ways to get money and notoriety. Why waste your time here?
And it is clear that Saucy Santana is wasting his time on this show.
Does Saucy Santana want to be on this show?
College Hill: Celebrity Edition has been on for three seasons up to this point. Every season is available on BET+ and the first two seasons have aired on BET's cable channel months after the season was released on streaming. This isn't a new show anymore where the celebrities don't know what to expect. This isn't a reality TV show or gaming show. This is a show about celebrities enrolling at an HBCU as non-traditional students.
I don't understand why that concept is hard to grasp for some of the cast members of this show. Yes, college is challenging and the work can seem like a lot. But, this is what you signed up for. I don't understand why celebrities like Santana don't lock in and do what needs to be done. Santana was bad in episode 1 but he hit a new level in episode 2 with his disregard for the whole process.
Claudia Jordan and Karlous Miller were wrong for hiding his toy doll. They shouldn't have touched his stuff without his permission. But, skipping school because he couldn't find a toy doll is the epitome of petulance. There's no other way to slice it. I understand that it may be entertaining to some, but not to me. It's embarrassing and, quite frankly, a waste of time.
Saucy Santana is a thriving artist, influencer, and performer who has a nationwide fandom. He doesn't need the check from being on College Hill nor does he need the relevancy. So, why is he here? And a real question that we must ask through two episodes is will he stay here? Through two seasons we've seen Ray J, Amber Rose, and Joseline Hernandez suffer real consequences for their actions on the show. Ray J didn't graduate at Texas Southern and had to return to finish the job at Alabama State. Meanwhile, Amber Rose and Joseline Hernandez were expelled for their altercation.
I don't know what happens next with Saucy Santana but there is a precedent for what could occur next if a change isn't made.
Beef Brewing?
In the next episode, it appears that Saucy Santana finds out that Claudia and Karlous are who hid his toy doll. Saucy and Claudia have already resolved their conflict in the first episode, so this situation could definitely develop further. Meanwhile, Karlous is still being belligerent and Saucy Santana completely dips from the house to go turn up at the club. I don't think that'll go over well but we'll see…
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