Flip or Flop x Many

HGTV has added more Flip or Flop shows to their lineup. As someone who loved, loved, loved the original (with Tarek and Christina in Southern California), I was eager to catch these new shows, too. Now that I've seen a few episodes from most of the new cities, I have some opinions.

I'll start by saying that the original is the best. The others aren't even playing in the same league.

My least favorite is Flip or Flop Las Vegas. I don't like the couple doing the flips, I don't care that he's some MMA fighter (I think it's MMA), and they had an episode with a condo where it went to the nth degree of tacky. They couldn't have made that place any gaudier and it was hideous. As me and my friends in high school used to say: TTFW! (TOO TACKY FOR WORDS!) If you want to see what this monstrosity looked like, search for Flip or Flop Vegas, Buyer's Remorse and see the bling barf for yourself.

I didn't care for Flip or Flop Atlanta either, although I had high hopes since this is where I live. This wasn't a style issue or not liking the couple. I thought both were fine. My problem was the houses they chose to flip were small and modest. I like huge makeovers like what Tarek and Christina do in California and this Flip or Flop didn't live up to it's parent program.

Of the derivatives, I like Flip or Flop Fort Worth the best. The couple doing the flips are fun to watch and I like the afters. The episodes I've seen have been worthy flips. :-)

I haven't seen Nashville or Chicago yet. TBH, I didn't realize there was a Nashville or Chicago until I started doing some research for this blog post. It appears, though, that Chicago has been renamed Chicago Flippers, which would take it out of the Flip or Flop family. There also seems to be another one coming: Flip or Flop Paradise which takes place in Paradise, CA which is up near Sacramento. Clearly, I can't keep up with all the spin offs HGTV is throwing out there.

Bottom line: There's too many to keep track of and the original Flip or Flop is still the best.

Charm?

I'll admit right up front that I prefer modern/contemporary for everything to do with a house--the exterior, interior, furniture, art. Everything. Maybe this is why I have so much trouble when I watch House Hunters on HGTV and many of these women are looking for what they call charm. Inevitably charm is some old house that's a money pit. I don't get this.

(Occasionally, it's the man looking for character, but mostly it's been the women on the episodes I've seen. On a recent episode I saw, the wife gave up the house she was hugely excited about for a really super old house that she didn't really like because her husband wanted it. Gah!)

One of these couples even bought a house that was more than 100 years old. All I see is work and potential issues. Maybe I've seen too many episodes of Property Brothers, but who knows what lurks behind those walls? Bad electrical issues, plumbing problems, structural calamity.

No, give me a newer house, one with clean lines and an open floor plan. One with a maintenance-free exterior and all the wiring it takes to handle my computers, printers, and other electronic gadgets.

The other thing about old homes is the bugs. Especially in the south where it's a constant battle against those things. All the cracks in an old house that they can crawl in.... shudder. Instead of just dealing with the occasional scorpion, I'd probably have a house full of them if I had an older home. No thank you. Give me the nice, tight, new construction.

You probably guessed it, but I just saw another episode where the wife wanted charm. The couple passed up the only house that I thought was worth buying for an older one. Fortunately, not 100 years old, but still old. They had to gut the entire kitchen, it was so outdated. All I think about is the fuss and mess and noise and headaches of dealing with contractors.

If what I like isn't viewed as charming by the rest of the world, so be it. I think clean lines do have charm. That's what attracts me so much to modern/contemporary.

Too Much TV

While I was up in Minnesota, I watched a lot more television than I usually do--between dentist appointments. I have a few observations.

First of all, daytime TV right now makes soap operas look awesomely appealing and I gave up soaps years ago. I never thought there would be so much idiocy on daytime television, but considering how stupid nighttime shows are, I guess I should have known.

Second, I really miss MLB Network when I visit my parents. They just have basic cable, which means I lose my baseball lifeline.

Third, HGTV. I have some subpoints here.

3a. Dear HGTV, showing a kitchen makeover show is evil. EVIL! Now I want to redo my kitchen and there's nothing wrong with it. My house was just built in 2008.

3b. There are some really shallow/ridiculous people in the world. I watched House Hunters and this Los Angeles couple was house hunting. The girl, and even though she's old enough to be married, her maturity level was more girl than woman. She wanted to live in Manhattan Beach. Period. 

The couple had a million dollars to spend (what does HE do for a living to have that much money at his age???) and saw a gorgeous house just outside of Manhattan Beach that was move-in ready, it was even decorated the way she wanted, but she didn't like it because it wasn't right inside her city of choice.

The next house they saw was in Manhattan Beach. It was much more expensive than the first house and it was a fixer upper! It needed a ton of work. Of course, this girl loved it solely because of its location.

Guess which house they picked? Yep, the million dollar fixer upper because (the husband said) he wants a "happy wife." I'm thinking wow, really? Even the girl's mother said she was spoiled on the show. ::shaking my head::

She wasn't the only one who made me think WTF, but she was the worst.

3c. I got hooked on house flipping shows on HGTV while I was in MN, too. I'm not sure how this happened. It makes flipping look easy, but I know it's not. I managed to discard that thought pretty easily, but I can't help thinking about home improvement now.