First of all, no, tonight's episode of Glee will not be swamped with blonde extensions, orange spray tans and hazes of hairspray. (Phew.) But it will have a very special—and unexpected—connection to The Real Housewives of Orange County.
Specifically, a connection with one of the most hated controversial members of the cast: Slade Smiley. But don't go throwing slushies at your television just yet. This appearance is going to be all kinds of heartwarming.
So what gives?
Simply this: before he began his quest to bed as many castmates as possible and shirk his child support duties, the Real Man-Whore of Orange County was father to 10-year-old Grayson Arroyo-Smiley, his youngest son with ex-wife Michelle Arroyo. Grayson suffers from a rare form of brain cancer known as diffuse fibrillary astrocytoma.
Grayson is a regular patient at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and, as it happens, earlier this year the producers of Glee inquired at the hospital whether there were any patients who would like to take part in an upcoming episode.
Like any 10-year-old (or 20-year-old, or, dare we say, 30-year-old?) Grayson jumped at the chance.
That brings us to tonight's episode—already on the must-watch list for its Justin Bieber tunes—which will see the cast visiting the playroom of a children's hospital and, as they are wont to do, performing a little something-something.
Neither Fox nor the hospital is revealing too many details about the storyline (a key plot point is apparently revealed during the scene), but Grayson will be one of the children present and will be among those participating in what's expected to be quite an emotional sing-a-long number.
"It was such a great experience," his mom told the Orange County Register. "He had a great time. He was mostly with Matthew [Morrison]. They all did some singing."
As for Slade, well, he's back to his deadbeat ways.
According to court documents, he still owes Michelle nearly $139,000 in back child support and was due to appear in a Los Angeles courtroom last Wednesday. However, the hearing was canceled after Arroyo informed the court that Grayson had fallen ill and it's unclear if the court date took place or was rescheduled.
Smiley no doubt wants to get things settled as quickly as possible. Due to his financial neglect, the court suspended his driver's license last month, though that hasn't stopped him from being spotted tooling around Costa Mesa in the time since. Class act, Slade. Class act.