WATCH: Darren Criss Bursts Into Song While Renovating His Manager's Home on Celebrity IOU (original) (raw)

Darren Criss can turn anything into a musical moment!

In PEOPLE's exclusive first look at Monday's episode of Celebrity IOU, the actor and singer burst into song while helping host Jonathan Scott decide on the perfect designs to transform his best friend and manager Ricky's backyard.

After watching Jonathan lay out some tile options, Criss remarks, "that makes it all pop," before jokingly adding, "What do I know? I'm an actor."

"Act like you know," the HGTV star, 43, who appears on the show with twin Drew, insists. "Convince me that you're a world-class designer and you know what direction we should go."

"John, this stone, you gotta use it," Criss, 34, forcefully remarks, getting into character, before playfully adding, "See? That is what the pros do."

Clearly impressed, Jonathan replies, "You moved me."

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Then, imagining that they were in a musical, Criss launches into an impromptu song. "You gotta use this stone, yeah / You gotta use that fixture / You gotta get yourself a counter with some white finishes / And if you're lucky have some brass," he sings.

"Is this anything this man can't do?" Jonathan adds in a confessional.

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In the episode, Criss teams up with the Property Brothers stars to transform Ricky's home as a way to thank him for the years of support. In addition to turning his garage into a much-needed home office, the team will also give his backyard a major upgrade.

"I think the dream for anybody in any profession is to be able to work with your friends," Criss says in a press release. "Ricky has devoted an unfathomable amount of time—more time than I believe I deserve—away from his wife and his kid to make my dreams come true. This is a small token of all my appreciation for everything he's done."

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"Ricky is easily one of the best things that has ever happened to me in my entire life," adds the star. "He has invested so much of himself into making my dreams come true."

Now in its second season, Celebrity IOU gives stars a chance to show their gratitude for someone who helped shape their life or career by giving their living space a complete redesign, courtesy of the Scott twins.

"It's amazing to see someone who is extremely successful be grounded enough to always remember the people who helped them get there," Jonathan, 41, previously told PEOPLE.

A number of A-list stars participated in Season 1, including Brad Pitt, Viola Davis and Melissa McCarthy. Season two has featured Kris and Kendall Jenner and Kim Kardashian; Kevin Hart; Gwyneth Paltrow; Justin Hartley; and Allison Janney in addition to Jonathan's girlfriend Zooey Deschanel.

Celebrity IOU airs on HGTV Mondays at 9PM ET/PT, and is available to stream the same day on Discovery+.