We all know that "reality TV" is often lacking in the reality department, but it's sometimes surprising just where the disconnect happens. For the HGTV home renovation and real estate series Flip or Flop, the issue was with hosts Tarek and Christina El Moussa. It was revealed the seemingly happily married couple has been in marriage counseling for the past six months, and they're now officially calling it quits, but only with each other. The El Moussas claimed they were committed to keep their professional relationship going, and it sounds like HGTV has zero problem accepting such a commitment. Here's what the network said.
We admire and appreciate Tarek and Christina's great work onFlip or Flop, When it comes to matters related to their own family, we respect their privacy and honor any decision that works best for them and their children. HGTV is currently airing episodes of Flip or Flop, and the series will continue production as scheduled.
That should warrant a big sigh of relief from Flip or Flop's most rabid fans, and it should also warrant quite a bit of respect from millions of people who find it absolutely impossible to be cordial or professional with an ex-husband or ex-wife. No one would have been judgmental or thought it odd if Tarek and Christina El Moussa had decided to either drop the axe on Flip or Flop or figured out a way to produce episodes so that they wouldn't be required to be on screen together.
Well, I guess that latter thing could still happen if things continue degrading between the two. While Deadline is interested in keeping the series on the air, and the couple is interested in doing it, there's nothing guaranteeing it will remain the exact same. For instance, 2016 has completely eschewed normal seasons and has already aired two completed seasons of Flip or Flop, with the third one (officially the show's seventh) having premiered earlier this month. It's impossible to tell if that erratic scheduling is due to the couple's off-screen problems, but it's still interesting to note.
Things went sour for Tarek and Christina El Moussa six months ago, give or take, when police were called to the couple's home in May over a reported "suicidal male." At the time, Tarek was walking around the property holding a gun, which he claimed he wasn't aiming to use on himself. Despite nothing big arising from the incident in a legal sense, the couple started counseling at the tie and they have been in it ever since.
Flip or Flop has been one of HGTV's most dependable hits since it premiered in 2013, falling behind only fellow series Fixer Upper. That series' main couple Chip and Joanna Gaines have been at the center of their own negative headlines, both because of religious reasons and a stiff lawsuit they were slapped with over a parking situation at one of their businesses. Neither the El Moussas or the Gaines have had the unscripted series scandals of other networks, however, which makes HGTV's decision to stick with Flip or Flop more than understandable.
To see all the controversy-free TV that's coming in the near future, head over to our midseason premiere schedule.
