Getting into bar fights? On the run with a gun? These HGTV stars needed renovations on themselves.
Thanks to an investing partner, Tarek El Moussa and Christina Hall were able to
purchase their first investment property and flip it for $34,000 in earnings.
This helped launch "Flip or Flop," their popular HGTV show where they
purchased dilapidated homes and fixed them up. The reason they were able to make money
was that the houses were going for cheap after previous residents were evicted.
From this strategy, they were able to turn huge profits, with each of them now worth millions
of dollars. Of course, they work hard and have other ventures, but it's still awkward optics.
The rigors of HGTV also took a major toll on their marriage,
and People reported that their struggles also included El Moussa's thyroid cancer diagnosis,
and Hall's struggle to conceive through in vitro fertilization.
They were able to conceive their second child, but because of the exhausting schedule of filming
"Flip or Flop," Hall didn't get enough time to recuperate. Things hit a real rough patch
for the two of them, and Hall admitted that the two didn't even drive to set together.
Things eventually reached a breaking point between the couple in 2016 when police arrived at their
home. According to Us Weekly, an eyewitness saw El Moussa quote, “run out of his back door,
jump over his back fence” while Hall followed, crying and visibly upset. The eyewitness watched
as El Moussa walked towards the “hiking trails of Chino Hills State Park”, with a gun in his hand.
Police were called to the scene and notified about an upset and possiblly suicidal person.
There was ultimately no violence or charges filed, but later that year, the couple filed for divorce.
"I feel like it's not really fair to you or myself to continue… house flipping with you."
Nicole Curtis became an HGTV darling thanks to her hit "Rehab Addict," where she restores old
homes to their former glory. However, Curtis has faced a few legal bumps along the way.
In 2015, CBS Minnesota reported that one of her home purchases in north
Minneapolis was left unrestored for three years. In her defense,
she said that the city didn't close the sale for over a year, but additional problems
arose when her contractor claimed that she didn't pay him the $25,000 that he was owed.
Curtis denied this and claimed that the contractor was paid in full. In 2021, Curtis came out with a
new version of her show, "Rehab Addict Rescue," and People reported that she got into a lawsuit
with the City of Detroit Land Bank over contested ownership of a home that Curtis purchased in 2017.
However, in 2018, the Detroit Land Bank claimed that the property was theirs.
By this point Curtis had invested about $60,000 into the property,
and in May 2021, a judge ruled in her favor and she got to continue restoring the property.
HGTV staple Carter Oosterhouse of the shows "Carter Can" and "Red Hot and Green"
was accused of sexual misconduct in 2017 by his makeup artist Kailey Kaminsky. She worked with
Oosterhouse in 2008 and alleged that he routinely pressured her to perform oral sex acts on him,
using her job to coerce her. She told The Hollywood Reporter -
"At that point, I was a nervous wreck. I was so worn down from his advances, so I did."
Oosterhouse said in a statement to People magazine
that he saw the relationship with Kaminsky as consensual, saying:
"In no way did I ever feel, nor was it ever indicated to me,
that Kailey was uncomfortable during our intimate relationship.
I would have never done anything that I was not sure was mutually agreeable."
HGTV also responded to the news with a statement that they have not been connected to Oosterhouse
for a long time but stressed that they have no patience for such behavior. Page Six noted that
Oosterhouse returned to TV in 2018, on TLC's "Trading Spaces" and "While You Were Out."
Chip and Joanna Gaines have gotten some flack over their HGTV hit "Fixer Upper."
A previous client of theirs wasn't thrilled with all the
attention they received after the famous couple worked on their home.
Neighbors were also upset because taxes hiked up after all the attention on the neighborhood.
"So in Waco, because we have very little property appreciation,
we've gotta come into a property like this and really create the value."
This wasn't the only negative feedback that the Gaines have received. As of 2016,
they belonged to Antioch Community Church, and a BuzzFeed article revealed that pastor
Jimmy Seibert preached against same-sex marriage. While the news created a lot
of well-earned flack, Joanna spoke up to The Hollywood Reporter, saying -
"The accusations that get thrown at you,
like you're a racist or you don't like people in the LGBTQ community,
that's the stuff that really eats my lunch — because it's so far from who we really are."
Their problems continued in 2017 when Chip's former partners at Magnolia Real Estate Company,
sued him for $1 million. They claimed that back in 2013, the TV personality bought each of them
out for $2,500 and failed to notify them about the couple's HGTV deal.
People notes that Chip announced his and Joanna's exciting news about the
show "Fixer Upper" literally two days after the buyout.
Chip jumped on Twitter to say that his former partners had never reached out to him until the
lawsuit was filed, and the Waco Tribune-Herald reported that the case was later thrown out.
New Jersey-based cousins Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri came together
after Carrino and his father started the family business, Brunelleschi Construction.
Colaneri and Carrino went on to entertain viewers on their show
HGTV's "Kitchen Cousins," by remaking kitchens into spectacular and functional spaces.
Carrino and Colaneri were sued by former clients Robert and Peng Avery,
who purchased a home in 2012 for $1.3 million and hired Brunelleschi Construction to remodel it.
However, according to NJ.com the Averys claimed that the cousins and their company were paid
$211,000 but delivered poor workmanship. They were also told that the home passed
inspection when it didn't, and Carrino and Colaneri left before the work was completed.
Eventually an arbitration declared that the Averys were to be paid around
$850,000. Carrino and Colaneri filed for bankruptcy after this in a strategic move
to prevent their former clients from placing liens against them.
The lawsuit, however, in no way involved HGTV,
since this particular renovation job wasn't featured on their show,
and Carrino and Colaneri have since come out with numerous subsequent series.
"House Hunters" offered viewers a glimpse into people buying or renting homes,
with an agent offering prospective locations based on clients' wish lists,
but it turns out that it's all largely fabricated.
In 2012, Dena Haines wrote a blog post about her experience on the spin off
"House Hunters International" and how she and her husband had actually already
chosen a home when filming began and had to film scenes of them reenacting their move.
A Texas "House Hunters" participant, Bobi Jensen, also blogged about her 2006 episode and wrote that
the show went as far as giving her family a false angle that they were desperate for a larger home
A publicist for the show reached out to
Entertainment Weekly and stressed that to capitalize on production,
they work with people who have already narrowed down their search criteria.
Candis and Andy Meredith brought their passion for restoring old
homes to HGTV on their show "Old Home Love" in 2015. The show didn't last,
but the Merediths later put out a second show called "Home Work" with Magnolia Network.
The series was first available on Discovery+ in 2021, with a January 2022 TV launch,
but the pushback on social media was quick. Negative reviews from several homeowners
revealed that the work was poor quality, that they were charged more than the agreed amount.
They also revealed that the Merediths didn't follow through with the expectations they
established, leading Magnolia Network to pull "Home Work" from their network.
"They had blown through our entire budget just in demo.
And that was like - that just kinda like took our breath away."
The Merediths were clearly upset by the allegations of poor quality work,
because they posted a lengthy explanation on Instagram and said that they don't negate
the feelings of anyone else, but they also flatly denied financial theft of any kind.
"Home Work" returned to Magnolia Network less than a week later.
HGTV's hit "Love It Or List It” has come under fire in the past. The show features a spirited
sparring between ​​designer Hilary Farr and real estate agent David Visentin to see if
homeowners will choose a new home or stay in their current residence after renovations.
In 2015 however, couple Deanna Murphy and Tim Sullivan ended up suing the production company
behind "Love It Or List It." According to The State, Murphy and Sullivan claimed
that the HGTV show didn't involve a licensed architect when creating the renovation designs,
nor did a licensed agent show them other housing options.
On top of that, the couple claimed that the work done by subcontractors was poor quality
and they felt that the $140,000 they set aside for the renovations wasn't used properly.
The production company shot back, saying these claims were
unsubstantiated and suing the couple for defamation. While the case was in court,
Sullivan ended up selling the North Raleigh home. He purchased the property in 2007 for $335,000
and sold it for $570,000. After the sale, the lawsuit and countersuit were dismissed.
Jonathan and Drew Scott, the twins responsible for the HGTV hit "Property Brothers," have
gotten their fair share of attention. In 2016 Us Weekly reported that Jonathan was
involved in a bar fight in Fargo, North Dakota. The optics of it looked bad,
considering the Scott brothers have a brand that's all about community living and family life.
In the brother's memoir, "It takes Two:
Our Story," Jonathan offered his explanation of what happened, writing that the bar closed
immediately after their group ordered drinks and security forced everyone out quickly.
When a female friend got pushed out the front door Jonathan tried to go to her and
a security guard put him in a chokehold. When Jonathan later spoke to police,
they admitted that this wasn't the first time something like this had happened at that bar.
That wasn't the only news that broke about "Property Brothers." Typical of
the world of residential reality TV, the brothers admitted to PopSugar that most
of the homes they work on are already chosen by homeowners.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault,
help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).