Flip Or Flop - General Discussion

[silverspoons]

Of course they had to show up at the seminar, not only is it a HUGE moneymaker for them, they have very air tight contracts about this one event. The free events  under their name, they do not show up at , they also don't go to the $1500 3 day seminars. After "students" fork over the big bucks usually 40-50k then they get to meet the couple which is a few photo ops and listening to a speech. All the coaching is done by a call center in Utah. Most of the big real estate seminars have their call centers in Utah(remember Armondo, his call center is in the same place)  and have the same structure of free and paid services. I have talked to people who have worked at the call centers and they are not real estate specialists. Most are returned LDS missionaries trying to afford a growing family and a home on one income. I have 0 respect Tarek and Christina, forgetting about faking it for the show, how can they sleep knowing they are taking 40-50k from fans that want to flip homes that are getting nowhere. There are tons of compliants with the attorney general and BBB but the way they make you sign up, it is air tight so Christina and Tarek and a few investors in Utah rake in millions while , the people buying the programs are out thousands and the coaches barely make a living and have the guilt of milking many out of their life's savings.

[Gam2]

I've read the same thing about Armando whathisname and wasn't he put out of business over these same kind of seminars? I have no doubt that the same fate will befall T&C. Good riddance to bad rubbish. 

[mojito]

Quote

There are tons of compliants with the attorney general and BBB but the way they make you sign up, it is air tight so Christina and Tarek and a few investors in Utah rake in millions while , the people buying the programs are out thousands and the coaches barely make a living and have the guilt of milking many out of their life's savings.

I can't believe that anyone stupid enough to fork over that kind of money just to be in the presence of HGTV "stars" is smart enough to have that kind of money to begin with. 

[Rylee]

On 2/19/2017 at 9:26 AM, DallasGypsy said:

Damage Control Alert!!  Christina will be on Good Morning America on Tuesday, February 21.  

And Tarek will be on the Today show.

[doodlebug]

Quote

10 minutes ago, Rylee said:

And Tarek will be on the Today show.

 

Tarek appeared in a taped interview around 8:20 or so and is supposed to be live after 9.  Only surprising news is that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer just a few weeks after his thyroid surgery.  He's going public in order to bring awareness (and improve his image) because his stepfather was recently diagnosed with the same thing.  That's a lot of pressure on a marriage and probably explains why they needed to go the in vitro route with their second child.

Otherwise, it was pure damage control.  They love the show, they love the crew, they don't want to stop. He discussed the gun incident briefly, stumbled around explaining that there are all sorts of wild animals out there waiting to attack hikers; but, to me, he appeared anxious, unsettled, clearly trying to paint a brighter picture for the public.  Didn't sound like the whole truth to me.  He also asserted he was 'never, never, never' suicidal.

Edited February 21, 2017 by doodlebug
punctuation

[LizBug]

Christina was just on GMA, wearing a dress that would look better on a 13 year old.  A LOT less make-up and hair.  The vocal fry was pronounced but where did her lisp go?  And a lot of mugging for the camera.  You'd think she'd never been on TV before.

Of course, it was mostly sunshine and roses ... Tarek and I met at work; we'll continue working together ... the family is the most important thing ... the kids are doing well.  

[Hpmec]

I suspect they are in NYC together on a damage control tour. Christina was live on Good Morning America and Tarek was live around an hour and a half later on Today. These are people who clearly do not want to lose their cash cow -divorce be damned. They have their well rehearsed talking points down pat. He was fending off bobcats with his gun while out on a hike. They are both committed to co-parenting the kids. Family comes first. They've always worked together and see no problem with continuing. Blah. Blah. Blah. They smeared considerable lipstick on the pig. Tarek, however, did manage to sneak in a comment that he's now going it alone -presumably as a realtor apart from the show. Given that Flip or Flop has become a shades of gray cliche, and T & C are moving on with others, I think their attempt to keep it going beyond the season now filming is sort of like trying to keep the Titanic afloat after it hit the iceberg. Valiant effort, perhaps, but ultimately doomed to fail. 

Edited February 23, 2017 by Hpmec

[iMonrey]

It all boils down to ratings - probably. The show is still a ratings winner for HGTV despite the backstage drama. So does the cable network try to keep the show going, just to keep getting the ratings? Maybe. It's also possible they don't see much point in continuing the show without its original hook. Just depends who's in charge and what their priorities are. 

[ByaNose]

It's a he said/she said game. Whomever you want to believe you'll believe. Of course, they want to continue with the cashcow. I guess it could go on a year or two more. Right now, they are making money for HGTV and I'm sure they want them for the foreseeable future. I think they will both try and branch out with their own products. Something like Lowes for Tarek & Homegoods for Christina. They might even get their own shows after Flip or Flop ends. It all depends on the public. If no one watches then they are done.

[Artsda]

She also split from the older boyfriend, unless she team put this out too for the damage control tour.

Flip or Flop’s Christina El Moussa Splits From Family Contractor Gary Anderson

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/flip-or-flops-christina-el-moussa-splits-from-gary-anderson-w468088

[tessaforever]

I'm actually really relieved she split from Gary (if that is indeed true). He seemed like bad news and I really think people need to do an "autopsy" on their failed relationship (as Dr. Phil would say) before moving on to the next one. That takes time. 

I don't know why I should care so much, but I really can't decide if I'm Team Tarek or Team Christina (I'm sure they're both waiting to find out how I feel lol!)

Pros for Tarek: He seems to really love his kids; she had the first extra-marital relationship; she's definitely a princess as far as clothes and makeup which I imagine is exhausting

Pros for Christina: I think she's smarter than she acts; she likes to read (I've actually read a few books based on her Instagram); Tarek seems like he has a hidden mean streak

I can't decide!!

[MsTree]

I never understood why anyone has to be Team A or Team B.  There's no reason why we can't continue to like both for whatever reason(s) we liked them in the first place (together or not).

[doodlebug]

And now for the written portion of the Save Our Show Redemption Tour: Christina will be on the cover of this week's People Magazine while Tarek will have a story on the inside of US.  It's pretty clear that, whatever their differences, they are working like mad to try to save the TV franchise and have hired a PR team to get them out there in the public eye in a positive way.  I don't think there is a Team Christina or a Team Tarek at this point.  At least not in terms of the public personas that are used for the show.  It's pretty clear that they will grit their teeth and keep on working together to save the gravy train.  After all, a lot of their other ventures: the pricey seminars, the book deals, even the flipping business itself; are going to suffer if they lose their TV exposure.

[answerphone]

As we all know, no one else knows what goes on in a marriage. I like to read the gossip magazines and forums as much as anyone, but we'll never know exactly what happened or if one was at fault more than the other.

I just love Taylor's cute little smile! Let's hope the kids pull thru this divorce and drama OK.

[Portia]

23 hours ago, doodlebug said:

they are working like mad to try to save the TV franchise

Good luck, T & C! I for one have deleted the show from my DVR.  It's lost all its fun for me.

[txvoodoo]

Tonight's episode: why was Christina dressed like a go-go dancer from Laugh-In? (link for the youngsters among us.) 

[txvoodoo]

On 2/21/2017 at 10:38 PM, tessaforever said:

I don't know why I should care so much, but I really can't decide if I'm Team Tarek or Team Christina

I'm Team Viewers. If it's majorly uncomfortable to watch, I want it off the air.

[doodlebug]

9 hours ago, txvoodoo said:

Tonight's episode: why was Christina dressed like a go-go dancer from Laugh-In? (link for the youngsters among us.) 

Her wardrobe choices are baffling.  As was the contrived, scripted moment when Christina chased Tarek with the garden hose, causing a window to break.  I doubt, that if that actually happened, the cameras were filming it live. Presumably it was a re-enactment, but it was badly done and they shouldn't have bothered, the 'acting' was awful,

Was I dreaming or was there virtually no back yard to that house, just a concrete pad?  Who wants to live like that?  And to pay more than half a million for it?  Crazy!

On a happier note, Taylor and her soccer team were adorable, maybe we could have a reality show starring them.

Edited February 24, 2017 by doodlebug

[MrPissyPuppy]

And why did they lose the cute shutters?   And what about Naomi? 

[ByaNose]

6 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Her wardrobe choices are baffling.  As was the contrived, scripted moment when Christina chased Tarek with the garden hose, causing a window to break.  I doubt, that if that actually happened, the cameras were filming it live. Presumably it was a re-enactment, but it was badly done and they shouldn't have bothered, the 'acting' was awful,

Was I dreaming or was there virtually no back yard to that house, just a concrete pad?  Who wants to live like that?  And to pay more than half a million for it?  Crazy!

On a happier note, Taylor and her soccer team were adorable, maybe we could have a reality show starring them.

It looked like all concrete to me. I don't even think there was a side yard. It was one big driveway/parking lot. Usually, it annoys me when they don't stage the back yard but there really wasn't a designated spot for a patio set from what I could tell. The inside was nice but the backyard was awful unless you have 20 cars and bikes to work on.

[iMonrey]

I actually thought both bathrooms and the kitchen looked amazing in this reno, and I even liked the olive green color they painted the exterior. BUT: why on earth did they paint the exterior of the enclosed patio black? It looked awful. 

Quote

And why did they lose the cute shutters?

Probably because they were decorative rather than functional and didn't go with the modern design. 

[iMonrey]

So far there's no noticeable difference aside from the subtle changes to the opening sequence (where Tarek no longer says "And this is my wife Christina"). But then, the episodes we are seeing now were filmed before the breakup. You can tell, because the baby is smaller than he was in the "Selling Summer" episodes. Those episodes were filmed after they broke up, apparently, and they put on a good show of still being one big happy family. Which suggests it was their plan to keep faking it until news of their separation hit the media. 

It will be interesting to see what the show looks like when they have to start filming episodes where it's known they are no longer together. Do they acknowledge they are separated or do they simply avoid mentioning anything to do with their relationship and respective residences? The latter is probably the safer approach.

[doodlebug]

Read Christina's cover story in People.  It was mostly a rehash of the same stuff: they love working together, they are both very happy, the divorce won't affect their working relationship.  A couple interesting tidbits: their separation agreement specifically prevents either one from badmouthing the other.  Also, despite Tarek's insistence that everyone needs a firearm while hiking to avoid being eaten by wild animals; it is, in fact, illegal to carry a firearm in California state parks like the one he was in.

Christina says they didn't separate until the incident in May, but there had been ongoing problems for many months beforehand.  She says she went back to work when the baby was a month old and it was much too soon for her and contributed to the discord.  People referenced their previous story where Tarek admitted he never changed diapers and never got up with the kids at night; Christina vaguely references their 'inability to properly communicate'.After the incident in May, she says she took the kids and moved out for 6 weeks while they got counseling.  When it became apparent they were headed for divorce, she moved back after he left.  There was no cheating, yada, yada, yada.  They also kept the separation quiet and didn't even share the news with HGTV until the story broke in December (even though she says they knew in June or so that divorce was inevitable).  Because they are 'very private' people and didn't think anyone would have any interest in their personal lives,  Yeah right, that's why they put their personal lives front and center on the show.

[piequinn35]

Sorry, what was the incident in May? Googled the answer.

I couldn't believe it, why would someone jump to another relationship so quickly!

Edited February 24, 2017 by piequinn35

[chessiegal]

I had no idea Tarek and Christina were so "famous". I guess I shouldn't be surprised given the ratings for all of Scripps network shows, but hearing they've been on morning talk shows and Christina on the cover of People has me surprised.

[doodlebug]

Tarek appeared on Entertainment Tonight; it's kind of amazing they are getting this kind of coverage.  The interviewer actually confronted him about the May incident.  She asked, if it was all so innocent, just a hike in the woods, why does the police report say Christina was sobbing and told them she thought he was suicidal?  Why does the police report reference a major argument preceding the incident?  Well, he has no idea whatsoever, it was just a misunderstanding, maybe Christina can clarify what she said.  The interviewer then pointed out that she,  and many others, don't take firearms with them on hikes.  Tarek again went on defense, he is licensed for concealed carry and it is perfectly legal for him to carry a gun anywhere.  Alas, she didn't ask if he was aware that carrying a gun was illegal in that particular park.  She also asked about the divorce filing and why he asked for spousal support and wanted to prevent her from getting alimony.  Hey, someone just handed him the paperwork and he checked off a bunch of stuff without reading it, it means nothing.

He's pretty well rehearsed and keeping his answers consistent, anyway.  Nonsensical, but consistent.

[Maharincess]

Christina says they're "very private people"?  Is she kidding?!  If they're so very private why the hell are they doing interviews with every magazine and TV show that will have them?  

[Artsda]

They're so trying to save their careers. Maybe HGTV dictated this tour.

 

[millennium]

My takeaway: they're a couple of big phonies.   I have stopped watching the show.

[WildPlum]

I am so sorry to see those encaustic concrete tiles being used (in the bathroom with the gray and white glass tiles which I did NOT like) - I have always loved them and planned to use them and now they look like the fad of the moment.

I watched a bunch of shows in a row to clean off my DVR, so I have no idea what order I watched them, but here goes:

Tarek continues to be a terrible tile setter, particular in the bathroom that used all the 1" tiles - as the camera panned the bathroom, you could see the tiles wander up and down in lines, the grout or thinset that was never cleared from the corner of the tiles.  When you use tiles on a backer like that, you know going in that you will have to pull some of them off and reset them because they haven't been put on the backing straight. In SOME tiles that is part of the charm, but not in the application he was doing. If he had been doing the work for me, he'd be ripping it all out and doing it over, I wouldn't tolerate such sloppy work. Let the pros who work for you do it (and, if that work WAS done by his "pros" - fire them, pay more and hire competent tile setters).

Likewise the bathroom with the matching border tile on the floor and shower - when the tiles on the floor were laid, they forgot that the trim was going to go over and as a result and 1/3 of the decorative accent was under the trim. Really bad planning and execution.

I did love those blue green penny tiles they used on one floor, but that is an awful lot of grout to keep clean. Note to new owner: seal that grout every couple months if you want the floor to stay clean-looking.

Have to agree with the consensus here on the blue, white and "gold" tiles - too much pattern.

One of the houses they smashed beautiful old mahogany cabinets to smithereens - that was a flat-out crime. Sure they were dated but they could easily have been re-purposed for a renovation.

I liked the fireplace covered with the white rough out stone tiles.

I now FF over the T&C and family moments because I don't want to have to analyze them.

[Artsda]

[Angeltoes]

I agree that it's senseless to destroy perfectly good kitchen cabinets.  If nothing else, a lot of guys would pay something for them so that they can use them for garage storage.

[millennium]

Eeek!

[WildPlum]

Often they are flipping a house with hideous cheap cabinets in very poor shape and it makes sense to just smash them and get them out of there. But, by the age, those were actual mahogany, likely solid, from back when mahogany was still mahogany and not lauan or sapele masquerading as mahogany. You can't buy the wood anymore (I have an old actual mahogany guitar that I can't take out of the country - not that I'd ever want to - because the wood is on the CITES list of endangered species and I can't "prove" the actual age of the guitar).

[iMonrey]

You can hardly blame them for trying to salvage their cash cow. But they did not keep the news of their separation from HGTV because "they are private people." They kept it from them because they knew it would endanger their show. The show was pitched and sold to HGTV with a very specific premise that no longer applies, and they damn well know that. You'd think if HGTV wants the show to keep going  they'd try to prevent them from showing up on TV interviews and in magazines constantly talking about their breakup. But maybe they figure any publicity is good publicity.

[topanga]

Quote

Op-ed: "If the El Moussas really wanted to put their kids first, they would prioritize family over fame"

I don't understand what the New York Post means: fame caused their divorce? Or they shouldn't talk about their marital issues publicly if family is important to them? Or something else? I'm confused. 

 

On 2/22/2017 at 4:17 AM, MsTree said:

I never understood why anyone has to be Team A or Team B.  There's no reason why we can't continue to like both for whatever reason(s) we liked them in the first place (together or not).

No one has to be. It just happens. If you know a couple that's divorcing, human nature usually leads you to believe that one party is more wrong than the other. And since we "know" Tarek and Christina, some of us are going to take sides, uninformed though they are. 

It sounds like Tarek does have some underlying anger issues. But on the show, anyway, he seems to take a lot of Christina's crap. When she thinks she's right, she's very stubborn, and he's more likely to compromise. The situation is rarely the other way around. And as other people point out, hearing Taylor chastise her father on the show probably means she's heard that language and that tone from Christina. 

So until I hear otherwise, my gut leads me to Team Tarek. 

[doodlebug]

49 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

You can hardly blame them for trying to salvage their cash cow. But they did not keep the news of their separation from HGTV because "they are private people." They kept it from them because they knew it would endanger their show. The show was pitched and sold to HGTV with a very specific premise that no longer applies, and they damn well know that. You'd think if HGTV wants the show to keep going  they'd try to prevent them from showing up on TV interviews and in magazines constantly talking about their breakup. But maybe they figure any publicity is good publicity.

HGTV has a contract with them through this upcoming season which they are filming now.  Since the cat is out of the bag and everyone knows about the divorce; there is no point in pretending otherwise.  Since they're going to pay these two for at least this one last season, it is in HGTV's interest to get the word out there that T&C love working together and the divorce isn't causing any hard feelings on set.  There's no other reasonable way to spin it and I suspect the current PR tour was either set up by HGTV or done with the network's full knowledge and approval.  They couldn't let it lie with stories of cheating and potentially suicidal behavior and panicky phone calls to the cops; they had to make sure that T&C did their best to drag it back from the brink or they couldn't show the upcoming season without a lot of viewer backlash.   I am sure the first eppie of the new season starts with T&C and the kids playing at the beach (or the park or the pool) while they tell us how, even though they've decided to divorce, they are still the best of friends and business partners who have no issues and work together with no problems at all.

[txvoodoo]

I'm team neither. They both did this, they're both doing publicity tours, they're both complicit.

On 2/27/2017 at 3:01 PM, doodlebug said:

Since they're going to pay these two for at least this one last season, it is in HGTV's interest to get the word out there that T&C love working together and the divorce isn't causing any hard feelings on set. 

I betcha anything that the contract leaves an out for HGTV, as in they no longer can deliver on the original premise. Also, there are always clauses like "if you do anything that reflects badly on the show or the network, the contract can be cancelled."

T&C's weakest point in the show has always been the acting. She can't fake horror at a mouse, he can't fake horror at tile, they're not going to be able to pretend to still like each other. 

[txvoodoo]

On 2/26/2017 at 2:13 PM, Angeltoes said:

If nothing else, a lot of guys would pay something for them so that they can use them for garage storage.

My husband's been snagging several from Craigslist to kit out his garage shop. I highly approve. ;) 

[Artsda]

They're doing 5 new cities. With new people. 

I guess if these or even one take off that will be how they retire the original.

http://www.tvguide.com/news/flip-or-flop-spin-offs-tarek-christina-el-moussa/?ftag=TVG_Twitter

[Portia]

The gently used cabinets could be donated. According to Google, there are several Habitat for Humanity ReStores in the LA area. The donor gets a tax writeoff; Habitat gets to sell the donated items and keep the money. Win-win! In my community, Habitat will even send a truck to come pick up your donated items. 

[topanga]

9 minutes ago, Portia said:

The gently used cabinets could be donated. According to Google, there are several Habitat for Humanity ReStores in the LA area. The donor gets a tax writeoff; Habitat gets to sell the donated items and keep the money. Win-win! In my community, Habitat will even send a truck to come pick up your donated items. 

I've seen them do that once. Otherwise, it's a total smash and demo job, regardless of the condition of the original cabinets. 

 

On 2/26/2017 at 2:28 PM, WildPlum said:

Tarek continues to be a terrible tile setter, particular in the bathroom that used all the 1" tiles - as the camera panned the bathroom, you could see the tiles wander up and down in lines, the grout or thinset that was never cleared from the corner of the tiles.  When you use tiles on a backer like that, you know going in that you will have to pull some of them off and reset them because they haven't been put on the backing straight. In SOME tiles that is part of the charm, but not in the application he was doing. If he had been doing the work for me, he'd be ripping it all out and doing it over, I wouldn't tolerate such sloppy work. Let the pros who work for you do it (and, if that work WAS done by his "pros" - fire them, pay more and hire competent tile setters).

I think (I hope) that when we see Tarek and Christina laying tile, they're only doing that one tile for the cameras. I'm assuming that actual professionals do the job. And of course they'd have to fix whatever Tarek does wrong for his camera shots. 

[Lovecat]

23 minutes ago, Artsda said:

They're doing 5 new cities. With new people. 

I guess if these or even one take off that will be how they retire the original.

http://www.tvguide.com/news/flip-or-flop-spin-offs-tarek-christina-el-moussa/?ftag=TVG_Twitter

Well that's interesting.  It will be nice to see another designer's ("designer's" ?) style.  And to not hear the words "kyewwt" and "obsessed" every 10 seconds.

[Artsda]

I'm interested in Vegas, that sounds like it would be fun to watch.

[iMonrey]

Quote

They're doing 5 new cities. With new people.

It definitely sounds like HGTV is looking for a viable replacement. The show itself is successful but they hosts are maybe not really viable anymore. 

[millennium]

Hope they're enjoying their fifteen minutes.

'Flip or Flop' star Christina El Moussa thinks husband Tarek is an ‘absolute pig’ for bragging about his sex life: report  

And don't miss the related articles in the side panel:

Tarek El Moussa denies treating wife Christina "like garbage"

"Flip or Flop" stars Tarek, Christina El Moussa dish on split

"Flip or Flop" Tarek El Moussa takes subtle shot at ex, new beau

Christina El Moussa says daughter asked if couple could reconcile

Lots of good reading material for their kids when they get older and wonder why they're so messed up.

[WildPlum]

I wonder who owns the "Flip or Flop" concept? HGTV? If T & C own it, they likely get a cut from the new shows. I'd be willing to bet that in the very first contract they signed with HGTV they gave away the "intellectual property" to the name Flip or Flop so that HGTV doesn't pay a royalty on the new franchises.

And, ugh, former NFL player, former MMA fighter? So some former semi-celebrities? That doesn't sound promising.

[mojito]

@WildPlum, do you feel that there is anything unique about the Flip or Flop concept?

[WildPlum]

Someone owns the name "Flip or Flop" and will get royalties off "Flip or Flop (insert city here)" just based on the name. It doesn't matter how common or "unique" the concept is - go ahead and try to start a new show called Fixer Upper Dallas and see how long it takes to get a call from an IP lawyer and a cease-and-desist.

[mojito]

So you're talking about the name, not the concept. Fair enough.

I would be surprised to learn that these people actually named the shows.