FLIP OR FLOP: ATLANTA (ISSA FLOP)

So, I wasn’t really excited to watch the latest spin-off of one of my favorite HGTV shows, Flip or Flop but I decided that since it was based in Atlanta I would see if it had the typical Atlanta flavor. Slapping Atlanta onto the end of a reality show or using the Atlanta Market for a spinoff has proven successful for Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise, VH1’s Love and Hip Hop franchise, and countless other shows. I skipped Flip or Flop Vegas as it sounded to close to another Vegas-based home improvement show Flipping Vegas. I also didn’t think Flip or Flop was the kind of show that should be spun-off. The appeal of the show is not simply the rehabbing of houses but the dynamic between a couple that appears to have an authentic working relationship. While Tarek and Christina, the original flippers have had their share of negative press recently with regards to their marriage, their relationship on the show still maintained enough civility for it to keep viewers interested in how the homes turned out and not whether the two were still an item.

FLIP or FLOP Atlanta attempts to duplicate the same formula as the original but falls a bit flat. The new couple consists of a real estate agent and her contractor husband. Part of the appeal of the original Flip or Flop was that both husband and wife were agents who had ventured into business. As the seasons progressed, we watched them grow into the market savvy couple whose business is turning houses into homes. Each episode is formulaic but entertaining because you know the anticipated outcome will be an amazing house. They buy a house, underestimate how horrible it is, and pretend to tackle unforeseen issues and expenses. Then, the two worry whether they made a good decision before ultimately pocketing thousands of dollars in profit. Seldom, do they flop.

FLIP or FLOP Atlanta tries the same thing but falls very flat. The couple finds a house, complains about how bad it smells, and we seem them demolishing it. I haven’t seen their children yet, which is a big departure from the original series, which has aired specials about the El-Moussa children. The Atlanta edition also features a computer animated draft of what the improvements will look like, something we’ve seen on other HGTV design shows such as Property Brothers. The biggest difference here is the casting doesn’t deliver like the original.

The show is watchable but has nothing on the original. Perhaps, a better idea would’ve been to send Tarek and Christina to Atlanta to flip houses as opposed to using the same formula with different people. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen and HGTV has plans to replicate the formula in more cities in the near future Chicago, Nashville, and even Forth Worth, TX. Let’s see who they cast for these cities. Hopefully, the new spin-offs will feature a family better at implementing the formula than the Atlanta show.