10 Things You Didn’t Know About Flip or Flop Stars Tarek and Christina El Moussa

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9. Starting Young

He got his real estate license when he was 21.

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8. Christina’s Expertise

Christina’s real estate expertise is in design. She handles the designs of the new spaces and keeps everything on schedule.

 

A photo posted by Christina El Moussa (@christinaelmoussa) on Jul 8, 2014 at 7:23pm PDT

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7. Real Estate Crash

The photogenic duo were working in real estate in the Southern California area when housing market crashed in 2008. They went from living in a $6,000 a month house to a $700 per month apartment. This is when they got into flipping houses.

A photo posted by Christina El Moussa (@christinaelmoussa) on Nov 7, 2014 at 11:05am PST

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6. Family

Tarek and Christina were married in 2009 and have two children together, Taylor and Brayden. Conceiving their second child Brayden was more complicated. Christina underwent in vitro treatments and, after one failed attempt and a miscarriage, they were finally pregnant with Brayden. The birth turned out to be just as complicated with Christina requiring an emergency C-section. In late 2016 it was revealed that the pair got into an explosive fight inside their Orange County home and when cops arrived, Tarek fled down a trail with a gun from his safe. Five guns were seized from their home, and the two made the decision to separate but vowed to co-parent their two children. 

 

A photo posted by Christina El Moussa (@christinaelmoussa) on Dec 10, 2015 at 10:30am PST

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5. Health Problems

He was diagnosed with thyroid cancer after a viewer emailed the show’s production company about a suspicious lump on his throat, which prompted Tarek to get it checked out. After discovering that it was stage 2 thyroid cancer, he had his thyroid and lymph nodes removed and underwent iodine radiation. Tarek’s now cancer free but, according to him, he doesn’t have the energy that he used to.

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4. Becoming Television Stars

The two former real estate agents landed their own show after a friend helped them make an audition tape for HGTV in 2011. The friend filmed the entire process of them flipping a house from start to finish. The tape was sent to HGTV and they were interested in talking the couple. In 2012, the network signed them to a regular weekly program that shows the process of buying distressed homes, renovating them and then reselling them.

 

A photo posted by Christina El Moussa (@christinaelmoussa) on Dec 17, 2014 at 5:16pm PST

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3. Making the Big Bucks

Tarek and Christina make a reported $10,000 appearance fee per episode of their show and can receive up to $40,000 to speak at an event.

A photo posted by Christina El Moussa (@christinaelmoussa) on Apr 10, 2015 at 12:04pm PDT

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2. Meal Prep

Because they are so busy, they have turned to meal prep. They have the company All Purpose Meal Prep make meals for them. They order lunch and dinner four days a week for when they’re filming Flip or Flop.

 

A photo posted by Christina El Moussa (@christinaelmoussa) on Apr 28, 2015 at 2:34pm PDT

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1. Business Partner

The couple started the flipping business in 2008 with the help of an investor who now receives half of the profits from each property they flip. “I didn’t start with a lot of money, I proved myself and grew a business based on my business plan and track record,” Tarek said. “All the profits you see on show are real but I split that with my partner. They don’t show that on the show because it’s confusing for the audience to understand.”

A photo posted by Christina El Moussa (@christinaelmoussa) on May 6, 2016 at 2:22pm PDT

Cate

Cate has a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature and has been the Managing Editor of Fame10 for more than 6 years. Despite having a love for the works of Thomas Hardy, Leo Tolstoy and Lord Byron, she also has an intense fascination with pop culture. When she isn’t writing for Fame10, she’s planning her next big adventure in Southeast Asia.