Home renovation/restoration shows have become the rage on television. Heck, even Scott Disick landed “Flip It Like Disick” on E!
And there are so many others that have a loyal fan base like “Renovation, Inc.”, “Trading Spaces”, “Interior Design Masters” and “Good Bones”, to highlight a few.
This brings us to reality star Tarek El Moussa who, personal dilemmas aside, has become a hit with“Flipping 101 with Tarek El Moussa” and “Flip or Flop”, a show he co-hosts with ex-wife, Christina Haack.
A former real estate agent, he turned to flipping houses when the market nosedived. Haack joined him on the “Flip or Flop” series, which is now in its nine season, with a tenth installment on the cards.
In a chat with El Moussa, he opened up about season 9 of “Flip or Flop”.
On what viewers can expect to see, he said: “You know, we took on some of the biggest flips we've ever done.
The highest-priced homes, we spent the most money on remodel and we really feel like we created some of the best designs we've ever done.
So, it shows bigger houses, better houses and higher price points.
When asked if Haack and he share the same vision when it came to the renovations, especially with so much at stake from an expense standpoint, El Moussa replied: “Well, you know, at the end of the day, the ultimate goal when you're a real estate investor is to make the most money possible.
So, we work really well together as a business relationship, making financial decisions.
So we're always on the same page, well most of the time we're on the same page.
She does like to spend a little bit more money than me but I usually end up folding.
But you know, the higher the risk, the bigger the reward. So, those bigger projects are real scary. But, it was worth every second of scariness.”
That the series keeps getting renewed attests to its popularity.
He smiled: “I guess I feel like it has a little bit of everything.
“You know, it has, as real estate investing, it has design, it has drama and it has happiness.
“It has all aspects, to make a good show and, on top of that, you know, the world watched a young family, start with nothing, go on TV, learn how to flip houses on TV and they've watched us have kids and raise kids, get divorced and get remarried.
“They’ve just followed our lives and it's been such a long time that they feel like we're part of the family.”
Interestingly, while Haack married Ant Anstead in 2018, they separated last year and she reverted to her maiden name. They also have a child together.
Meanwhile, El Moussa got engaged to Heather Rae Young last year.
In a recent Instagram post, @therealtarekelmoussa wrote: “Instagram vs reality (swipe 👉🏻😂) @heatherraeyoung takes my breath away no matter what she wears, but I might be a little biased 🤷🏻♂️ What do you like better, dressed up or casual? 📷 credit: @dukeimages”
As for “Flipping 101 with Tarek El Moussa”, which is a spinoff of “Flip or Flop”, he revealed: “When I first started talking about doing the show, I was a little bit nervous.
“I thought I was going to show up and the rookie flippers were going to listen to me and do what I tell them and it was going to be boring.
“It turns out that the rookie flippers know better than me.
“So, it's one of those interesting things where I'm the professional,
“I've done almost 600 houses and then I go there and I give them my professional advice and then they do something different and then it turns out wrong. It makes it a really fun show.”
As for filming during Covid-19, he admitted: “Filming a TV show is hard enough as it is.
“You add in social distancing and masks and stress and anxiety, it makes it a little more challenging. I'm looking forward to filming in the normal world again.”
Be sure to check out the house flip in San Clemente, California.
He added: “Gorgeous ocean view house, high design and we crushed it. And that episode will be airing in a few weeks here.”
Be sure to catch “Flipping 101 with Tarek El Moussa” as well as “Flip or Flop”, which airs this Thursday at 7.45pm, on HGTV (DStv channel 177).