Ratings Watch: Was ‘The Flip Off’ Series Premiere an HGTV Success?

In the days leading up to HGTV’s series premiere of “The Flip Off” on January 29, 2025, stars Christina Haack and Tarek and Heather Rae El Moussa were seemingly everywhere promoting the new show, from “The Jennifer Hudson Show” to magazine covers.

But did all that buzz and the drama surrounding their family dynamics and Haack’s love life drum up interest in the show? The answer is a resounding yes. According to a press release from HGTV, “The Flip Off” was the network’s “highest-rated freshman series premiere among Adults 25-54 since September 2022.”

On February 3, the trio of stars appeared in a fun social media video of themselves huddled around a laptop, looking nervous as they checked the ratings data, and then celebrating the good news. In the caption, HGTV creditied “the power of healthy competition!”

‘The Flip Off’ Boosted HGTV’s Ratings by More Than 100%

According to HGTV, the two-hour series premiere was watched by four million viewers across linear and streaming. In its Wednesday timeslot, that resulted in a 180% ratings boost over the previous six weeks, per HGTV, and rated 107% better than the year prior.

“The Flip Off” was originally structured to be a competition between Haack and her first husband, Tarek, and their new spouses. Since their 2018 divorce, Tarek married former “Selling Sunset” star Heather Rae Young (now El Moussa) and Haack has been married and divorced twice — to TV personality Ant Anstead and former California police officer Josh Hall.

When “The Flip Off” began filming, Haack and Hall were still together but filed for divorce in July 2024, which was documented in the series premiere. Hall, who also appeared in Haack’s now-defunct HGTV show “Christina in the Country,” exited the new series and Haack leaned on friends in the design and construction industry for the remainder of the competition.

As Haack flips one property with her team and the El Moussas flip another, both sides are trying to deliver the highest return-on-investment by the end of the six-episode series. Hour-long episodes will air each Wednesday at 8 p.m. Eastern time, with a two-hour season finale airing on March 5.

In the series premiere, the two teams battled it out as they renovated the kitchens in their properties. In future episodes, they’ll compete in competitions renovating the main suite, living room, guest suite, extra bedroom and exterior of the homes they purchased.

What’s the Prize for Winner of ‘The Flip Off?’

The winner of each weekly competition — judged by celebrity guest stars including “Real Housewives of Orange County” star Heather Dubrow and Haack’s ex-husband, Anstead — receives a lump sum from the other team to put toward the next week’s renovation.

But the winner of the entire competition, able to boost the value of their flipped home by the most amount of money, will receive a getaway trip from the losing team. Tarek’s wife and ex-wife worked out the details in the series premiere.

“First class, five nights at a hotel,” Haack said, at first noting that it could be anywhere in the U.S., but then adding in Cabo San Lucas at Heather’s suggestion. The Mexican destination is not far from where they all live in Orange County, California, and has been a favorite vacation spot for all three of them, per House Beautiful.

“The Flip Off” airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. Eastern time.