Zombie House Flipping - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Discuss all things Zombie House Flipping here!

[okerry]

Anyone else watching this? They're pretty entertaining, with a diverse group of characters. Always interesting to see what can be done even with the worst houses. There don't seem to be too many episodes yet, but I'm hoping there will be more eventually.

[magicdog]

I've seen it but to me it's not much different than other flipping shows:  the diamond in the rough, the fake drama, the unforeseen problems that pop up during the reno, and finally,  the big reveal.  The only differences are the fact it's an hour long (30 minutes would be far better for a show of this type), and the dog as part of the crew. 

[MelissaMinion]

I like their work, but each episode has someone on the team going rogue, and making solo decisions. 

[Vivigirl10]

I know all the shows do it but the fake drama that happens every episode is so embarrassing I almost have to turn it off. The female designer is such a bad actress and her overdone screaming and stupid commentary is painful!  

It always looks like every house is completely staged ahead of time to make it look bad when they first enter it. Almost like they pick a "theme" too....this one's a party house....this one is a gangs den. Ugh.

[FormerMod-a1]

I like this show despite the tropes.  I don't know why, maybe it's the cast.  

[okerry]

Hey, all, this show is coming back to FYI on June 10! I'll admit to liking it, and I'm looking forward to seeing it again.

[FormerMod-a1]

I like it, too.

[FormerMod-a1]

I think I'm the only one watching this, but I still like it and they are showing new episodes.  Anyway, I'm watching a rerun of a new ep from last month (6/17/17 - Halfway Home) and it turns out there are construction liens on the house from the previous owners that our crew now needs to take care of.  One guy insisted on cash.  That seems shady to me, even though the lien checked out as being true.  I know it's a re-enactment, but "I need cash now" just seemed odd.

[Jeeves]

I've watched, I think, pretty much all the episodes of this show so far. But the last couple of eps were just over the top on the fake story lines.

I'll spoiler tag the following in case anybody really doesn't want to ruin the surprise if they haven't watched yet.

Spoiler

First, there was the episode with the invading squirrel! Who left copious amounts of droppings in two or three different places in the newly carpeted house. Really? One little squirrel, in a day or two? Left all that? No, I don't think so. And oh gosh! They just *happened* to be shooting when the squirrel decided to run out of a room and down the hallway, and get it caught on camera. And *then,* a few scenes later, the construction guy comes rushing in holding an obviously faked up poster apparently ripped off a phone pole (nice touch, with the tape at the corners) - Reward for Lost Squirrel! Pet Squirrel! Pet WATER SKIING Squirrel!! Next up: faux scene where owners show up and discover their precious squirrel in the house and are reunited. So yeah, as the credits roll we see the team watching the squirrel water ski in their renovated pool, and they've waived the $1000 reward for finding the squirrel. 

And though not nearly as elaborate as that ^^^ squirrelly story, there was this in the next episode I saw this weekend:

Spoiler

Whosit the "contractor" (Keith?) goes up into the attic to inspect possible termite damage. Down below the rest of the crew is gathered, round-eyed at the danger, hollering up to him to "be careful!" The Realtor woman points to the ceiling and says, look, it's sagging there. And then, with cameras rolling in the attic and the room below - Keith falls through the ceiling! Gasp, shock! Oh, wait. He lands on a conveniently placed table instead of falling clear to the floor. He's also wearing a hard hat and goggles and maybe a mask, as well as long sleeves, and we don't see his face during the falling through the ceiling onto the table, and then rolling off onto the floor. Cut to the designer guy helping Keith to his feet and out the front door for air. IMO that was totally a stunt, completely scripted, and they used a stunt double (wearing padding under his clothes) for the fall scene.

 

Whatshername the real estate agent and alleged stylist/stager, really needs acting lessons. 

Actually, they all do. The only one who almost never overacts, is the dog.

Edited July 21, 2017 by Jeeves

[patty1h]

I watch this show as a comedy, and I entertain myself trying to guess how they will create the fake drama.  I agree that this show relies too much on manufactured setups.  Also, there's a lot of 'one host doing their own thing and the other three fretting over budget'.  I saw the episode described above, where the guy fell off the roof onto a table.  I shook my head at the phoniness of it all, but it also made me want to watch more, cause a show going to that level of shenanigans intrigued me.

Today had back-to-back episodes, and the first had two calamities:  the tried-and-true flood situation, with added bonus of iguanas that somehow got into the house mere minutes before the start of the Open House.  We see the female host Ashley react in horror, then squeamishly push them out with a broom.  In the second episode, a male host drives too fast and the granite countertops he's delivering fall out of the pickup truck and smash all over the sidewalk.  The scene of him speeding to the house (so phony) was just coincidentally half a block from the house and they were filming outdoors and the three other hosts just happened to be standing outside and hear the smashing granite.  This show is my Saturday crack - I watch it for laffs.

Edited December 16, 2017 by patty1h

[patty1h]

Still watching in 2018.   This episode reached a new low of fakery - the "drama" setup this week was that the team found out that the home they were working on had a lien on it.  They walk into the house to find a giant muscle-bound man sitting there, who starts demanding cash ASAP for the lien.   They obviously found some out of work wrestler for the role of collector, but the team members trying to act scared/nervous was really pathetic.

[FormerMod-a1]

2 hours ago, patty1h said:

Still watching in 2018.   This episode reached a new low of fakery - the "drama" setup this week was that the team found out that the home they were working on had a lien on it.  They walk into the house to find a giant muscle-bound man sitting there, who starts demanding cash ASAP for the lien.   They obviously found some out of work wrestler for the role of collector, but the team members trying to act scared/nervous was really pathetic.

I agree.  I said pretty much the same thing when I watched it lat year.  I still love the show though.
 

On 7/8/2017 at 10:45 AM, aquarian1 said:

I think I'm the only one watching this, but I still like it and they are showing new episodes.  Anyway, I'm watching a rerun of a new ep from last month (6/17/17 - Halfway Home) and it turns out there are construction liens on the house from the previous owners that our crew now needs to take care of.  One guy insisted on cash.  That seems shady to me, even though the lien checked out as being true.  I know it's a re-enactment, but "I need cash now" just seemed odd.

[Pepper the Cat]

New episode tonight!

[FormerMod-a1]

What???  I'm so happy!  I wish I'd seen this an hour ago, but I've set up DVR to record replay at 12m (central).

[Jeeves]

1 hour ago, aquarian1 said:

What???  I'm so happy!  I wish I'd seen this an hour ago, but I've set up DVR to record replay at 12m (central).

Oh good. I've also set my DVR for the replay. Looking forward to another dose of real estate porn, fake drama, a cool dog, and bad acting.

Well, the dog doesn't overact, but everyone else does. 😂

[Pepper the Cat]

Ok that was fun.

we had a fire, sewage back up, a “near miss” with a tree. 

The usual arguments over budget and then sell it right away and make a huge profit.

I loved it.

But just once I’d like a house flipping episode where things did not go well and they lost me new.

I know TLC had a show once about first time flippers and they were not always successful. I always like that failures were shown because house flipping is not always easy.

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

This is my favorite house-flipping show (with Desert Flippers and Flip or Flop Atlanta running a distant second and third) because it's double the length, which means they can really get into the nuts and bolts of this kind of flipping job. It's a nice blend of personalities as well. I'd love to have Duke (whose aesthetic I almost always agree with) design my eventual dream home.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Ok, I'm a city boy, so please excuse me, but aren't raccoons kind of dangerous? Also, couldn't they just close the window? 

[patty1h]

Just saw that the 3rd season has started and I tuned in to see if the show has stopped the phony disasters and other shenanigans.   I see that it's just as scripted and using the same lame antics as before.  I like to see the transformations but just roll my eyes at the silly ways they cause "drama" to pad out the hour.  That mess with the raccoon was cringey, but I give them props because those two houses did come out great.

[Pepper the Cat]

So where exactly were all these tent people going to the bathroom? Parking their cars? Cooking their food? And I am sure the neighbours were all fine with tent city.

[patty1h]

Another week of scripted nonsense, where I ask myself why I keep watching.   For example, major eyeroll at the fakery with the removal of the floor.  Keith (the builder guy) goes to walk into the house, "unaware" that the floor is gone and "falls" into the open space where the floor used to be.  Whoever set up that phony pratfall needs to go back to reality TV school.  Also, the tent city was so bad and cringe-worthy.

[Jeeves]

19 hours ago, patty1h said:

Another week of scripted nonsense, where I ask myself why I keep watching.   For example, major eyeroll at the fakery with the removal of the floor.  Keith (the builder guy) goes to walk into the house, "unaware" that the floor is gone and "falls" into the open space where the floor used to be.  Whoever set up that phony pratfall needs to go back to reality TV school.  Also, the tent city was so bad and cringe-worthy.

From your keyboard to God's ear. 

Among the other lame "surprises" which I saw in an episode the other day: the house was finished and being staged. Whatshername and the stager opened a bedroom door and there were two or three big green iguanas in there. Sreech! Panic! Scream! Then call the critter removal guy again. Yawn. Obviously planted critters. The critter guy probably brought them over and was waiting outside for the scene where he "removed" them. 

Shows like this make me wonder why I still have a TV. Watching shows like this can't be good for my brain health. Sigh. 

[FormerMod-a1]

I don't mind them (this show, or any other reno show) staging things like that.  I'm sure thing like that actually do happen, and quite often.  It may have even happened on that project, just not when the cameras were rolling.  

[Zoe]

Marley seems to be getting up there in age in the newest episode 😞

[CruiseDiva]

The pranks are getting to be a bit old. Grow up, guys. Marley is the only sensible one.

[Pepper the Cat]

Yes, the newest episode with the ‘pranks’ of barrels of water being dumped on Keith was tiresome

[Mr. Sparkle]

Plus, Keith is the worst "actor" on the show. He always sounds like he's reading lines, which he probably is. 

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

So they find hidden treasure instructions in the back that lead to Duke DIGGING A HOLE IN THE FLOOR? I like the show, but why must it continue to insult my intelligence?

"We're making the kitchen cabinets blue in a nod to the previous green decor!" Wrong color, geniuses. Plus the new homeowners will have no idea what it looked like before, so your "nod" will be lost on anyone who could possibly appreciate it.

Also, that fake clover wall in the breakfast nook was just hideous. If another team of house-flippers does this house 20 years from now, no doubt they'll endlessly mock it.

Edited April 18, 2019 by Sir RaiderDuck OMS

[Mr. Sparkle]

I can overlook the fake treasure hunt, but ick - that "clover" wall. That would be the first thing I'd remove from an otherwise nice house. I don't know why they would spend money on that. 

[Pepper the Cat]

That treasure hunt was just plain stupid. 

And also did not like the clover wall

[mojito]

I've watched every episode, I believe. Can't seem to stop despite thinking that it's the phoniest of all the house flipping shows I watch. As soon as someone does a talking head about something, they telegraph the next disaster. You hope the rain holds off? It won't. You bought the paint at a great price? It's the wrong color. So transparent.

The pranks are juvenile. Show more work being done and less "comedy". 

I'm usually the last person in the world to notice bad acting, but it's so easy to spot on this show. Keith and Duke are the worst. 

I give Keith credit for one thing: he's awfully agile for a guy who is as old as he looks. The man can scramble and climb!

[patty1h]

The antics are getting ridiculous.   The episode with the skunk and a snapping turtle was a new low in silly.  Added onto all that was the foolishness with the two bozos in the lake.  Is this show now geared toward people who can't get to their local comedy club or something?  It seems that way more and more.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Keith slipping in the water was the most obvious to me. The 15' python seemed staged also. 

[Quilt Fairy]

On 4/18/2019 at 9:20 AM, Sir RaiderDuck OMS said:

Also, that fake clover wall in the breakfast nook was just hideous. If another team of house-flippers does this house 20 years from now, no doubt they'll endlessly mock it.

That was a joke. It was just supposed to be plastic clover, right?  How is that a classy design choice?  It was like a project for 3rd graders. It's going to do nothing except trap dust.

55 minutes ago, patty1h said:

The episode with the skunk and a snapping turtle was a new low in silly.

I don't understand why the first thing they did wasn't to find out where the animals had access and block it off.  And the second thing I would have like to see was them sanitizing all those walls and spaces that were covered in animal urine and feces.  And the third thing would have been, the skunk sprayed in the house, you have to deodorize it as well as Keith and the dog.  (And hey, skunks can have rabies, you don't go after them yourself with a tennis racket and a golf club.  Wonder what the camera man was wearing?)  I also disliked the privacy fence they installed that IMO ruined the view for not only that house but both of its neighbors.  I wondered if there wasn't a covenant by a HOA that would forbid a fence like that.

I hate 90% of their design choices, hate open floor plans with grey interior walls and white everywhere else. They occasionally pick nice tile for the bathroom, but that's about it.

And yet I still watch this show, not avidly but whenever it's on.  I guess at this point I consider it more of a fictional show with characters on it.   I'm interested to see their renovating budget and the prices of houses around the Orlando area, which I can't believe are that high. 

[patty1h]

Does Keith have a second career as a stand-up comic, or had one and failed at it?  That is the only reason I can see for why he is involved in so many of the dumb hijinks that they think up for this show.  Last episode he:  did a pratfall/slipped on some water escaping from a pipe, and lost control of a small bobcat loader and broke windows out of Duke's SUV.  Then, they had Duke and Keith racing in pickup trucks and a bunch of wood flies out. 

So annoying... yet I keep watching.

Edited May 11, 2019 by patty1h

[Jeeves]

My DVR caught what appears to be a new episode this morning: S3:E9, "The Clinical Disaster." I've just watched it. The team tackles a large mid-century style lakefront home.

Good grief. In this episode the product placement is out of control. They can't just say, the HVAC system is going in, but instead, it's the guys from X company are installing the air conditioning. I swear, they can't mention an item or feature without rattling off a brand name or the name of their supplier. I admit, I was doing other things while the episode was running and probably missed their usual lame antics. I was mostly interested to see the before and after. Overall I liked what they did with the property, but I'd hate to watch this live vs. being able to use the FF key to get to the good stuff.

Edited August 25, 2019 by Jeeves

[sadtvjunkie]

I like watching this show because I live in Orlando and used to live in Conway where a lot of the flips are near. I just watched the clinical disaster one and what a bold faced lie the episode was. It is located at 2530 Bayfront Parkway on Little Lake Conway. They bought it for $580,000 not $560,000 in November of 2018. It has NOT sold according to the Orange County property appraiser's website. So no sell for $865,000 or whatever price they want to claim. Buyers in November 2018 were Ashley and Gregory Greenberg so is that the Ashley that's on the show? I guess so, I just looked it up so I guess her and her husband are on the hook until this one sells. Comps in neighborhood don't seem to go above $490,000 right now.

[Quilt Fairy]

Have they ever shown a flip where they lost money?  I can't recall any, in fact they usually up the sale price at the last minute, or get offers above what they asked.  Or so they say. 

Edited August 31, 2019 by Quilt Fairy

[Pepper the Cat]

I would love to see one where they lost money.

there was a house flipping show on TLC years ago and there were more failures than successes. House flipping is not the guaranteed thing that this show makes it out to be

[Pepper the Cat]

Got  new episode today, full of shenanigans!!

OMG! There’s a drone over head. That is terrible. Rather then just giving it a friendly wave and ignoring it, they escalate it into a huge thing. Keith falls into the pool, then they shoot it with paint guns, causing damage to the house and they finally get it in the end. 

[FormerMod-a1]

I actually liked the drone shenanigans.  It seemed they really leaned into the ridiculousness of the staged craziness and had fun with it  I loved them going full camo gear for the paint guns.  

[CouchTater]

3 hours ago, Pepper the Cat said:

Got  new episode today, full of shenanigans!!

OMG! There’s a drone over head. That is terrible. Rather then just giving it a friendly wave and ignoring it, they escalate it into a huge thing. Keith falls into the pool, then they shoot it with paint guns, causing damage to the house and they finally get it in the end. 

And the way he said "WOAH! WOAH!! WOAH!!!" before he fell was just too much.  Dumb.

[Mr. Sparkle]

My DVR didn't pick it up for some reason, and it's not OnDemand. 😭

[Jeeves]

9 hours ago, Pepper the Cat said:

Got  new episode today, full of shenanigans!!

OMG! There’s a drone over head. That is terrible. Rather then just giving it a friendly wave and ignoring it, they escalate it into a huge thing. Keith falls into the pool, then they shoot it with paint guns, causing damage to the house and they finally get it in the end. 

7 hours ago, aquarian1 said:

I actually liked the drone shenanigans.  It seemed they really leaned into the ridiculousness of the staged craziness and had fun with it  I loved them going full camo gear for the paint guns.  

My DVR caught this one and I watched it today. I noticed that for once they cleaned up the backyard pool at the very start of the project. So gosh there was a nice clean pool for Keith to fall into when he was fending off the drone. And later when they were shooting paintballs at the drone and it flew into the house? The window they broke was one of the old windows which was going to be replaced. I noticed that during the open house it was pointed out that all the windows were new energy efficient ones. The drone shenanigans were a bit above average for this show. The scene where Keith “happened” to put his foot through the old roof was obviously so scripted. But shot from a clever angle from the ground and nicely edited with the footage shot on the roof, I will give them credit for that. 

[Homily]

The drone thing sounds better than the time they had that dancing squirrel (or whatever tricks it could do) supposedly running amok through the house!  The fakery was beyond bearable in that one!

[CruiseDiva]

It was funny at the end when the troublemaker young girl and her innocent dad showed up at the house asking if they'd seen her "missing" drone. It looked to be in pretty good shape when they gave it back to her, although I thought the guys stomped on it after they removed the battery.

[DevBen]

Absolutely the worst show on A&E. Do they really think we are that stupid?  So completely staged and phoney. I can predict what is going happen each show - it is so scripted.  I only watch when there is NOTHING else on. 

[Pepper the Cat]

New episode this am.

Keith’s fall off the ladder was so fake it was funny. And Jason’s “hammer through the window” was such a product placement ad it too was funny!

i thought Ashley was dressed pretty casually for her open house but then again, she looks like she is about to pop so maybe her wardrobe is limited. 

Love the master bedroom with the loft!

[Mr. Sparkle]

I got this one on DVR!