20 Things You Didn’t Know about Flipping Out

The year 2007 was a great year for house flipping–until it wasn’t! Every amateur who could scrape together enough unqualified credit could get in on the game. To get advice on real estate, these newbies turned to where all tried and true experts flaunt their success–cable TV of course! HGTV and DIY channels were chocked full of wisdom on how to flip houses, starring folks making cash hand over fist and a few crashing and burning,all of whom were personalities with which the audience really couldn’t connect.

So, you make a lot of money house flipping? So what?”We still don’t like any of you!”, the audience cried from their recliners.These shows turned off many viewers because unless you’re PBS’s This Old House, you have to provide more to engage the viewer than “how to” instruction. You need a show about someone to look up to, someone to cheer for, and someone who makes you laugh—and that’s where Bravo’s Flipping Out made the difference. We had a temperamental gay hero, his adorable assistant, a wise ass maid, and other assisted motley drop ins and outs that made us fall in love with Jeff Lewis and Associates.

For fans who can’t get enough of Flipping Out, here are some lesser known facts about the show.

1. It all started with Jenni: Actress, producer rapper and administrative wizard Jenni Pulos, was working for Jeff Lewis and Associates at the time,when she asked permission to film a promo for one of her projects at Jeff’s office It didn’t take long for Bravo to know they had struck gold and made the show about Jeff and his business. With Jenni, Zoila and the pets as stars, the show became a hit and is launching into its 9th season. While other house flipping shows have gone the way of Bridezilla, this unscripted reality show continues to garner Emmy nominations and has inspired other business people to be like Jeff and keep going when the market gets rough.

2. Jeff’s foray into decorating and design was not just a go-to side business after the housing crash. House Beautiful hired Jeff to design their 2010 Kitchen of the Year, and he mentions this achievement in the About section of his website. Although he often clashes with homeowners about design details, he is still one of the most sought after interior design consultants. Plus, some of his customers get to be featured on the show, yet they do not always appear in the best light. Jeff will tell you the uncensored truth, and those who follow his advice get more for their money, than divas who spend their time arguing.

3.  You can decorate like Jeff: Or almost like him, if you have some talent. The Jeff Lewis paint color collection has some lovely muted neutrals that if applied properly, might not make Jeff gasp in horror if he enters your home. Al least you can buy his paint, the rest is up to you. You can buy Jeff Lewis colors at The Home Depot.

4.  The Breakup of Jenni and Chris Wasn’t Staged: The “Chris Ellwood firing”was in reality the death knell to Jenni’s marriage. Although everything was not shown on camera, the fact that Chris could not be trusted to do his work set off alarm bells for Jenni. Everyone remembers when Jeff caught Chris surfing the web and texting when he should be working. He even tried to blame another worker for his negligence. This was particularly painful for wife and co-worker Jenni Pulos, who was genuinely appalled at Chris’ behavior.Before being faced with irrefutable evidence, Jennibelieved in her husband at first, and then the show caught her going through understandable personal pain in the following episodes, as her relationship with Ellwood unraveled. TV audiences could not believe that Chris could do Jenni and Jeff so dirty! Jenni and Jeff experienced growing pains in the aftermath. Fans are just glad that Jeff and Jenni didn’t break up; however, their friendship and business relationship was rocky for a while.

5. Does Domestic Goddess Zoila Have a Last Name? Yes, she does. It’s Chavez, and she hails from Nicaragua, and came to the US after bringing up her daughters, and divorcing her husband, to make a new life. She has done quite well and has a net worth of half a million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. She lives with her brothers and sisters, not Jeff, as some fans have assumed.

6. Jeff Pays Zoila Well: Overseeing the domestic operations of Jeff’s property (and putting up with Jeff’s attitude) is a hard job, and Jeff Lewis pays her an attractive salary for it. Her salary, also reported by Celebrity Net Worth, is $75,000 per year. She also got a present from Jeff of plastic surgery to give her a more youthful appearance. She is much more than a maid to Jeff, and their relationship is one of the gems of the show. She gives Jeff a good dose of sass, but knows how to keep his houses in order. And no, she is not undocumented. Zoila became an American citizen in 1996.

7. Jeff  Didn’t Want Another On Camera Relationship: Jeff and ex-partner Ryan tried to be friends, until Ryan started using Jeff’s name to promote himself. After the sad public breakup between Jeff and boyfriend Ryan Brown, Jeff was reluctant to bring his new partner Gage Edward on the show, but relented a year later. It was a smart move, as everyone loves Jeff with Gage! Gage is not only wonderful to look at, but is a smart businessman in his own right. With a new baby coming on board for Jeff and Gage, it will be hard to leave family out of the picture.

8. Jeff Sometimes Pays For Insulting Folks: You would think nothing gets under Jeff’s thick skin, except when you go for his hair. On Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, Andy Cohen dared Brandi Glanville to run her fingers through Jeff’s hair to see if it was real. After begging off by saying he has a lot of product in his hair, Jeff included a jab question asking if he could get an STD from having Brandy touch him like that. Brandy took a moment to reflect on that comment and then threw the content of her wine glass at Jeff’s head. You can see this classic moment on Youtube. Andy Cohen has seen a lot of drama, hosting reunion shows and WWHL, but even he seemed totally floored by Brandi’s live beverage toss.

9. Jeff’s Business Is Doing Alright! : Celebrity Net Worth estimates Jeff Lewis at a cool 10 million. His versatile talents and business acumen have truly made him “too big to fail”. By diversifying his brand, Jeff Lewis has promoted his business via the show; however, he makes the good decisions behind the scenes that keeps his business going strong.

10. Women Can’t Help But Fall for Jeff: He’s handsome, he’s smart, and he love animals! According to the comments on Celebrity Dog Watcher the writer of the article, though married, said she would consider leaving her husband just to live in the back of one of his houses.

11. Jeff Advises Not To Trust Real Estate Agents: In a less popular video Jeff gives astute advice to first time home buyers. His tips include not to trust the realtor, who has a vested interest in the sale. This video stands out as Jeff is not joking, or preening, he’s just giving a down to earth talk about what first time buyers need to look for when house hunting. This video is a must view for anyone even thinking of buying a home, especially in today’s turbulent market.

12. Jeff Was in House Flipping Before it Was Trendy: Jeff started flipping houses in 1999, well before everyone was scouting for flips, Jeff was making a name, and his fortune, spinning real estate gold out of straw. His experience and reputation helped him to seamlessly go back to interior design and renovation, which was part of his business for years.

13.  What Ever Happened to Chris Ellwood: No matter what new project Chris Ellwood works on, he will always be immortalized as a reality TV cad on Flipping Out. Chris has recently starred in Manhattan Minutiae, which has gotten some good reviews. Although not a mega bankable star, Chris is still making his way up the rungs of the acting ladder.In 2011, he married Rachel Silver and has one child. We can’t help but wonder if his new wife installed a nanny cam just for him.

14. Jenni Wrote a Book About Her Ups and Downs: Grin and Bear It: How to Be Happy No Matter What Reality Throws Your Way is garnering well deserved rave reviews from fans of her quirky, honest style. She mentions her awful TV breakup, but its a happily ever after as Jenni has remarried and is now a mom. Visit Bravo TVs website, http://www.bravotv.com/flipping-out/photos/meet-baby-alianna, to see her adorable daughter who has inherited Jenni’s adorable eyes.

15. Jenni Pulos Can Rap About Anything–Really! Having written the rap theme song, Andy Cohen’s Got the 411 for the Watch What Happens after show, Jenni took her experience of being a new mom and parlayed it into an adorable rap tune, Poo in the Potty. Her husband is a doctor, as well as a new dad, so he’s well acquainted with the subject matter, and no doubt finds this song as adorable as her fans do. She gets plenty of work doing voice overs, producing, writing and releasing a children’s CD. According to Celebrity Net Worth she is currently worth 2.5 million dollars. Not bad for an admin assistant.

16. Jeff Doesn’t Enjoy Firing People: Jeff does not fire folks on a whim,but makes careful business decisions with his head and his heart. Case in point was when his sister-in-law proceeded to mess up so royally that he was forced to get her out of his business. The details of this difficult decision from a business standpoint are chronicled on Biz Journals. Anyone who has ever been in the unenviable position of having to dismiss a relative can relate to Jeff’s dilemma. Of course it was all on camera, in all its cringe worthy glory. More fans said “What took you so long?” instead of “How could you!”

17. Jeff Lewis Took 5 Years to Get His College Degree: Jeff took an extra year to complete his four year degree in Pre-Law and Political Science. He was encouraged by his dad, a successful real estate investor, to go into real estate, and he did so as soon as he graduated instead of heading off to Law School. With his iconic personality, he would have made an amazing lawyer!

18. Jeff Lost His Mom: Jeff has been without his beloved mom since her death when Jeff was only 18 years old. Between Jenni and Zoila he does get a ton of maternal affection and direction; however, the loss of his mom left a huge space in his heart. In an interview for Out Magazine, Jeff refers to his staff as his family. His animal too, help fill the void left by his life losses.

19. Jeff Lost Half His Net Worth in the Housing Crash: If not for some savvy business deals conducted before the housing bubble burst, Jeff Lewis would be just another broke Californian who played the real estate game and lost. Jeff was smart enough to not put all of his eggs in one basket, and made some property sales that garnered enough revenue for his business to rise like the phoenix from the ashes. Jeff Lewis’ newest show, Interior Therapy, features his clients who want to transform their living space, and sometimes undergo some pretty amazing emotional transformations in the process.

20. Jeff Lewis is a Catholic School Boy: Perhaps some of Jeff’s obsessive compulsive behavior was drilled in during his early years at a Mater Dei Catholic High School in Santa Ana. Some had erroneously pegged him as being Jewish, stereotyping him because of his business success.