Tarek and Christina’s Biggest Flips, Flops, and Memorable Moments in 10 Years of ‘Flip or Flop’

Flip or Flop

HGTV

Alas, “Flip or Flop” will end for good this week, after 10 hugely successful years (and seasons) on air. The show’s stars, Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack, have entertained us for a decade of drama, open floor plans, and marital upheaval. That’s one helluva run!

Based in Southern California’s bustling Orange County, the former husband and wife were real estate agents until the crash of 2008 necessitated a career diversion. Armed with a hammer, nails, and an eye for design, they began flipping houses. In 2011 they made an audition tape for HGTV. Network executives saw something in them, and their show “Flip or Flop” was born, premiering in 2013.

Over the years, we’ve seen their families and careers grow and (let’s be honest) hit plenty of speed bumps along the way. After having two kids, they separated and endured a stormy divorce, all the while smiling for the cameras and working together on TV.

While the flips kept coming, Haack went on to marry TV host Ant Anstead, only to divorce less than two years later. She is now engaged to Texas real estate agent Joshua Hall. Meanwhile, El Moussa recently tied the knot with “Selling Sunset” star and fellow real estate pro Heather Rae Young (who has since taken El Moussa’s last name).

El Moussa and Haack have also managed to spin off their own solo shows, with Haack designing homes on “Christina on the Coast” and El Moussa mentoring novice real estate investors on “Flipping 101 with Tarek El Moussa.”

Clearly, both have new lives, loves, and renovation projects that will keep them on TV for who knows how long. But in the meantime, we’ve decided to take a look back at some of their most memorable moments. From their very first flip to their only documented flop to their most profitable investment of all, we take a walk down memory lane and bid “Flip or Flop” a fond farewell.

Their first flip for HGTV

Tarek and Christina in their first episode
Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa in the first episode of “Flip or Flop”

HGTV

The episode that got the party started first aired on April 16, 2013. Called “Spanish Style Salvage,” it featured the renovation of a humble little house in Santa Ana, CA, which they bought for $208,000. After investing $78,535, they sold the house for $360,000, making $73,465 in profit.

Back then, Haack had shorter hair and their daughter, Taylor (now 11), was a wiggling babe in arms!

While they appeared to be off to a great start both as an adorable twosome and as successful flippers, no one knew at the time that they would eventually become one of HGTV’s most famous couples.

Their first (and only) documented flop

"Flip or Flop" flop
The only flop on “Flip or Flop”

HGTV

To be fair, we can’t be sure how many times they lost money on a project, because most seasons feature several homes that hadn’t sold by airtime. Still, it took 38 episodes before we ever saw El Moussa and Haack own up to an actual flop on the show. That happened in Season 3, in the “Big Lot, Little Flip” episode.

Around 2015, the ex-couple purchased a run-down Buena Park home on a double lot for $272,000. They put $105,000 into the challenging project, which went way over budget and still didn’t render great curb appeal, as you can plainly see.

After over a month on the market, the house got a full-price offer of $400,000. The buyer requested they pay the closing costs of $26,000, which they agreed to even though that left them $3,000 in the hole.

It wasn’t a big loss in terms of cash, but it was tough on their egos. Still, some fans saw it as a win for making them seem human and believable.

After all, no one bats a thousand. They never showed another flop again.

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Watch: The Hosts of HGTV’s ‘100 Day Dream Home’ Spill Secrets About Season 3

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Their most profitable flip

Christina and Tarek's most profitable flip.
Haack and El Moussa’s most profitable flip

HGTV

As “Flip or Flop” (and real estate prices in general) gained momentum, so did the couple’s profits. On their eighth season, in the “Million-Dollar Cookie Cutter” episode, it looked like Haack and El Moussa were going to lose their shirts on a house in Newport Beach, CA.

They spent well over a million to buy and renovate the relatively small three-bedroom, 2.5-bath home, but since location is everything and so is Newport Beach, they were able to sell it for a whopping $1,314,900. They ended up with a $241,100 profit.

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The most money they poured into one flip

Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack
Scene from one of Haack’s favorite “Flip or Flop” episodes

HGTV

In the Season 5 episode “Beachside Beauty,” they spent over $1 million to renovate a house near the beach in Torrance, CA. So what was all that money for? They focused most of their efforts and money on the desolate outdoor space, adding pergolas, waterfalls, and even a putting green. And in the end, all that effort paid off.

“The backyard spa is so elegant,” Haack crowed. At sale, they made a $106,700 profit.

The flip that proved they don’t need each other

Tarek's favorite backyard water and fire feature.
El Moussa’s favorite backyard water and fire feature

In the “Fire Sale Flip” episode on Season 5, one of El Moussa’s all-time favorite flips featured a show-stopping deck, fire pit, and water feature all in one.

It’s also special to him because, during this project, Haack was pregnant (with their second child, Brayden, now 6) and had been ordered to take it easy. So El Moussa oversaw almost the entire design all by his lonesome.

In the end, he nailed it with sleek, modern features inside and custom decking outside to make an overall profit of $110,500. Perhaps this episode later served as proof that he could branch out with his own solo show.

Their worst fight during a flip

Christina gleefully hosing off Tarek
Haack gleefully hosing off her ex-husband

HGTV

El Moussa and Haack always had minor tiffs, but perhaps the episode where their marriage’s imminent demise was forecast was Season 6’s “Wishful Workshop.” At one point during renovations, Haack ambushed El Moussa as he walked out the back door, soaking him with ice-cold water from the garden hose.

“What are you doing?” he shouted angrily—and as he attempted to dodge the deluge, he accidentally bumped into an open door, which slammed into a ladder, which ended up shattering a plate-glass window. A metaphor for their relationship, perhaps?

“Oopsie,” said Haack, trying to be cute. The contractor informed them that the window would cost at least $400 to replace, and Haack still showed no remorse.

“OK, so maybe it wasn’t a good idea to turn the hose on Tarek,” she said with a smirk. “But I still thought it was funny.” That may have been the beginning of the end.

The flip that proved they could keep working together as exes

Messy kitchen
Stinker kitchen

HGTV

Maybe the premiere episode of Season 7, “A Deceiving Deal,” was their most inspiring because it was the first time the couple are seen working somewhat happily together again, after months of news about affairs, child custody disputes, and bitter divorce proceedings.

Or maybe it was because the project itself was a monumental stinker, literally.

“That’s the worst-smelling house I’ve ever been in in my entire life,” said Haack.

They were ultimately able to make the 1,200-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom Whittier, CA, house shiny, new, and fragrant. After less than a week on the market, the house got multiple offers. They accepted one for $540,000, netting them a $55,000 profit.

Even though they’d lost their marriage, they hadn’t lost sight that they were a great flipping duo together.

The post Tarek and Christina’s Biggest Flips, Flops, and Memorable Moments in 10 Years of ‘Flip or Flop’ appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

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