Everyone’s favorite OCD house flipper, Jeff Lewis, is back for the fifth season of “Flipping Out,” airing Tuesdays on Bravo. Lewis has a knack for bringing the drama no matter where his real estate adventures take him, and this season is no different. What is different, however, is that this season, Lewis’ partner Gage is along for the ride.
“You’re not going to see sex scenes, let me just tell you that right now,” Lewis informs. “I’m not comfortable diving in too deep with my personal life. Frankly, I didn’t even want to go there with the show, but Gage works with me and there was really no way to film around him.”
Lewis’ assistant, Jenni Pulos, promises “a lot of drama this year” and filled us in on her side career … as a rapper?
“I’m currently working on a kid’s album,” she says.
“Which will never ever happen,” Lewis retorts. “She’s been talking about it for six years.”
The feisty duo promise that surprises are in store for this season, including the firing of two of their employees.
“One is kind of expected,” says Lewis. “And then one is completely out of the blue. Something happens.”
And despite what he’s learned about himself from watching the show (“That I’m an asshole!”), he insists that the haters don’t get to him.
“There’s nothing you can say about me that I don’t already know about myself. Those blogs don’t bother me. There are things that I need to work on and that I do work on. I don’t walk into a room and just be a jerk to be a jerk. I always start nice. Unfortunately, in my business, nice doesn’t always work.”
But beyond the drama, Lewis and Pulos always find a way to make their relationship work.
“We’ve been through a lot together,”?Lewis says. “We tell each other what we feel. We might raise our voices, it might be dramatic, but we get it out. We work it out, and that’s what it is.”
Colleague concerns
When it comes to choosing his staff, Lewis generally knows what he wants (and doesn’t want).
“These kids that are getting out of college, they want to be VP in three weeks and they don’t get what it takes to be successful. It takes years to achieve what we’re trying to achieve. … [And] you can’t hire someone that’s pursuing another career. If they are not interested in design and not interested in construction, then this isn’t a place for them, and that’s what I’m learning. And no more hiring friends or family.”
For more from Jeff and Jenni, and to hear Jenni’s rapping skills yourself, check out this video:
Follow Meredith Engel on Twitter @MeredithatMetro
