FlippingOut-related stories
Posted Nov 2nd 2009 2:04PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Reality-Free, Nurse Jackie
A funny thing happened when I turned on
Bravo over the weekend. Instead of an avalanche of
Flipping Out flip outs or
Real Houswives' table-flipping or Tabitha's disgusting beauty salons, there was drama on the cable net. Bravo aired NBC's medical drama
Mercy on Saturday morning.
On Saturday morning there really wasn't a lot going up against
Mercy. In fact, it had the field pretty much to itself for any viewers looking for a quality, fresh TV show.
I say fresh because unlike the reruns of
House or
NCIS on USA, I hadn't seen these episodes of
Mercy. So, rather than watch infomercials or pre-game college football chatter or animated cartoons, I watched
Mercy.
Continue reading Bravo boosts Mercy with Saturday marathon
Posted Oct 20th 2009 11:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Food/Home/DIY, Interviews, Celebrities
Bravo's resident house flipper, real estate guru and OCD interior designer, Jeff Lewis, is a very complicated guy. When I spoke to him recently, I was actually a little concerned. If you've seen Jeff on Bravo's
Flipping Out, you've seen him lose it on occasion. Would he yell at me on the phone if I asked the wrong question?
In fact, Jeff Lewis was extremely friendly and funny. We had a great talk and he couldn't have been nicer. He was also really forthcoming about the past seasons of
Flipping Out, including this one that's concluding tonight.
What has it been like to be turned into a reality TV star?
Because of the reaction of the show, some people see me as a villain and that could be the way I do business. I handle my employees in a rather non-traditional way. I was concerned about how people would react in public, but it's actually been pretty positive. Overall, it's been a very positive experience. Many people are very nice and complimentary and supportive.
Continue reading Flipping Out's Jeff Lewis: An interview with Bravo's OCD realtor
Posted Aug 20th 2009 8:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Food/Home/DIY, OpEd, Ratings
Last night, everybody's favorite obsessive compulsive decorator and house flipper, Jeff Lewis, was back on Bravo, and the ratings for
Flipping Out were through the roof. The Season Three premiere was the highest ever for the reality show, up 53 percent from last season's opener.
More important than the numbers, though, was the show itself. If you want to see how the recession has hit the real estate business, check out this show. Instead of flipping million dollar homes in Southern California, Jeff is now reduced to taking renovation jobs and working for other people. He's not used to having to work for others, but it's great to see it happen.
Continue reading Ratings boom for Bravo's Flipping Out
Posted Dec 13th 2008 12:06PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Celebrities
When you hear about this celebrity tussle, I think you'll feel like me: "I would love to be a fly on the wall to watch these two go at it!" It turns out that Bravo's reality star,
Flipping Out's Jeff Lewis,
is fighting with Ashley Jensen, who plays Christina on
Ugly Betty.
Jeff, who specializes in buying properties then fixing them up and selling them -- flipping -- has a house under construction right next door to the home of Ashley and hubby Terence Beesley. If you've watched even one episode of
Flipping Out, you know that Jeff has OCD and is extremely difficult to work for -- he fires workers at least twice a season -- and presses buttons like nobody's business.
This tussle falls under the pressing buttons category. Lewis had a deck built onto the house he was re-constructing, the one right next door to Ashley's, and went over the property line. Now, in Yonkers that would be a reason to get upset; in Hollywood, it's a good enough reason to go to war.
Continue reading Ugly Betty versus Flipping Out...in court!
Posted Dec 9th 2008 12:06PM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Programming, OpEd, Pickups and Renewals
I'm overly excited about the news that
The Rachel Zoe Project has been
picked up for a second season on Bravo. I got hooked on the first season this fall, and have grown to love that pixie stylist and her dysfunctional assistants.
If you haven't watched the show, it follows the crazy life of Rachel Zoe, an L.A.-based stylist to celebs like
Debra Messing and
Molly Sims. She makes the stars look good on the red carpet, on magazine covers, and at fashion shows, and mixes with all sorts of interesting people, like designers
Marc Jacobs and
Michael Kors.
But all the fun really happens inside Rachel's studio, where she tries to keep everybody happy, including hubby Rodger, and squabbling assistants
Taylor Jacobson and
Brad Goreski. Those two are as opposite as they come, but that's what makes it fun for the rest of us.
Continue reading Rachel Zoe returns - Shut.Up!
Posted Jul 10th 2008 2:23PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Reality-Free
Soap operas are a funny form of television fiction. They have rules all its own, they can tell all kinds of stories and do them in the most unusual ways. Here's a few things I've noticed lately, things that seem to only be possible, on a soap.
Only on a soap...can a medical clinic be conceived, built and stocked in less than a month. It's true. It happened in Port Charles. On
General Hospital, soon after Emily died -- and Nikolas stopped seeing visions of her thanks to a brain tumor -- he decided to dedicate a health clinic in her memory. Since Nikolas is a royalty, some kind of prince, cost was no object. He never met with an architect or designer, never spoke to contractors, never searched for a location and dealt with permits. He did have a fight with the mayor for a couple of shows about opening the clinic after it was already completed. If only all construction projects could be done so easily. Jeff Lewis on Bravo's
Flipping Out doesn't even work that fast!
Continue reading TV Squad Soap Report: Only on a soap...
Posted Jun 26th 2008 3:24PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Programming, Pickups and Renewals
Has Bravo gone to the well once too much? It sure seems that way. Hot on the success of
The Real Housewives of New York City, which was inspired by
The Real Housewives of Orange County,
Bravo is now rolling out The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Now, listen, I've watched the first two series; I admit that they are addictive. And they're convenient because Bravo re-airs them again and again, but come on! This is like Coffee-Mate coming up with all these flavored creamers. Do we really need so many creamers?
Continue reading Bravo conjures up more Housewives, this time from Atlanta
Posted Jun 26th 2008 12:27PM by Kristin Sample
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Programming, OpEd
Bravo is bringing back
Million Dollar Listing for a second season this summer. The docu-series gives viewers an inside look at the most exclusive realtors in the Los Angeles area, a luxurious but dangerous place to work. Despite the soft market, these agents will stop at nothing to close million dollar deals in neighborhoods like Malibu, Beverly Hills and Hollywood.
Josh Flagg, Madison Hildebrand and Chad Rogers, L.A.'s up-and-coming realtors, are the stars of this season. Flagg is known to send clients up in helicopters to view properties and has wrapped a home in a big red bow for a pair of new owners. Hildebrand, touted as the "King of Malibu," has sold over 80 million in real estate in the past two years. Rogers had his real estate license at the age of 18. Some of his celebrity clients include Paris Hilton, Nick Lachey, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Minnie Driver, and Coach Larry Brown.
Continue reading Million Dollar Listing premieres this summer on Bravo
Posted Jun 18th 2008 12:03PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Food/Home/DIY, Episode Reviews
(S02E01) I watched the first season of
Flipping Out on Bravo last summer based on a teaser I saw during
Top Chef 3. The show is about a real estate "flipper" who buys properties, fixes them up and then resells them for a profit. You might say, "Yawn, that's just like a bunch of other shows on TLC, Discovery, et al." Well, yes, that's true.
But
Flipping Out isn't really about the flipping, it's about the flipper -- Jeff Lewis. This guy Lewis is not normal. I mean it, he's not. He says he's not. He's obsessive compulsive and it comes out in everything he does. It makes him a better flipper, because of his attention to detail, but it also makes him really hard to take if you're his employee, partner or contractor. But, boy, is it fun to watch Jeff Lewis's life! That's what
Flipping Out is really all about and it's back.
Continue reading Flipping Out: Sell Out (season premiere)
Posted May 8th 2008 10:07AM by Kristin Sample
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Programming, Video
He's the most colorful, neurotic, and unpredictable real estate speculator / house flipper on television and he's back on Bravo this June. Once again, fans of
Flipping Out will get to watch Jeff Lewis buy properties, renovate them and sell them for six-figure profits, all while torturing his assistants and other employees.
But this season will be different. Firstly, the soft market should create even more drama and tension in Jeff's world. Secondly, Jeff is trying to turn over a new leaf and not treat his employees like, well, you know. I'm skeptical. I seem to remember Jeff nearly "flipping out" about not getting the right combination of lemonade, fruit punch, iced tea and sprite for his beverage. He also fires someone at least once an episode. In fact, this season Jeff installs a nanny cam to spy on his workers.
Continue reading Flipping Out is back - VIDEO
Posted Apr 16th 2008 1:21PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Industry, Project Runway, Upfronts
You know they have to been ticked off at Bravo about losing
Project Runway to Lifetime. Still,
Bravo execs stood up at a breakfast in New York to announce their new schedule, all happy and smiling. The good news is that they still have some good stuff coming up, starting with more Kathy Griffin, another season of goofy Jeff Lewis, the house flipper, and -- oh, yeah -- one more edition of
Project Runway. Should we call in the auld lang syne edition?
Here's the rundown of what's coming back for Bravo:--
Project Runway: The last Bravo season (unless something changes) will begin in July 2008, with the usual cast of judges.
Continue reading Bravo unveils its plans for the new season
The TV Squad Podcast: Vik Sahay of Chuck, Oprah talk, brutal timeslots, and more!
TV Squad Ten: Top Ten ESPN shows from worst to first
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
