When Christina Haack, her ex-husband Tarek El Moussa and his wife, Heather Rae El Moussa, signed on to do the new HGTV competition series The Flip Off, they weren’t exactly sure what they were getting themselves into.
“I’ve never shot with Heather, so I was like, ‘What’s that going to be like? Tarek and I have a playful banter; is she going to be jealous?’” shares Christina, 41, in the latest Us Weekly cover story who split from her third husband, Josh Hall, shortly after filming began. (Originally, both couples were set to square off; Christina decided to continue solo.)
Heather, 37, also had a few reservations. “It was like, ‘Are we going to get along? Are we going to work well together?’” she says. The Selling Sunset alum married Tarek, 43, in October 2021, and they welcomed son Tristan in January 2023. As for Tarek? “My main fear was that they would team up against me — which they did!”
Jokes aside, the dynamic between the unlikely trio is a harmonious one — and something they’ve all worked hard to attain. (Tarek and Christina split in 2016 after seven years of marriage; they share daughter Taylor, 14, and son Brayden, 9. Christina also shares son Hudson, 5, with ex-husband Ant Anstead, who makes an appearance on The Flip Off in a surprising twist.)
“There have been so many times throughout all of this that I’m like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe we did that,’” says Christina. “I’m proud of all of us.”
So, how did this show come about?
TAREK For the last couple years, Heather and I have been talking about creating a house-flipping competition show. Then my ex-wife started talking smack on the soccer field about how she’s a better flipper. Next thing you know, we’re in this.
How is it different from Flip or Flop?
CHRISTINA The episodes are longer, so you’re going to get a lot more personality, more design and more competition.
Heather and Christina, tell Us about the first time you filmed together.
HEATHER It was great. She texted me after saying, “You’re so fun to film with,” and I was like, “Oh, you too!” We just laugh. We pick on Tarek.
CHRISTINA Right away, it was so easy.
TAREK I didn’t get a text, by the way! [Laughs.]
Did the kids react to you guys teaming up again?
TAREK [They have] all of the emotions. One day, it’s “you’re gonna beat mom!” The next, it’s “you better not beat mom!”
Tarek, did you have any fears about Heather and Christina not getting along?
TAREK No. I know them both, and it’s not in either of them.
HEATHER We don’t fight. She picks on Tarek all the time, and then I jump in. But he takes it well!
CHRISTINA Tarek loves to be teased. When he’s in a bad mood, if you tease him, it lightens him up.
Heather, was it weird working with your husband’s ex?
HEATHER No, because we’re around each other a lot for the kids. We’re at school events and sports events. We’ve always gotten along.
Tarek and Christina, did you have concerns about working together again? There’s a lot of history there.
TAREK The last couple of years we’ve been in a really good place. It took us almost 10 years to get there, so going back into shooting together, it’s a lot more of an intimate relationship. There were some reservations. But as the show has gone on, we’ve realized it’s just business.
CHRISTINA Tarek and I have been fine more than we have not been. [So], I had zero concerns.
Did you butt heads at all?
TAREK A little bit. All we do is argue.
HEATHER It’s really rare for Tarek and me to butt heads. But [he and Christina] are like brother and sister.
TAREK Because she always wants to get her way. She doesn’t want to have rules.
CHRISTINA We filmed 10 seasons of a show together. If we were going to butt heads, we’d already know it was going to happen and talk about it before being on camera.
Tarek El Moussa and wife Heather Rae El Moussa understand fans think their new renovation show with his ex-wife, Christina Hall, and her husband, Joshua Hall, is “crazy.” The couple appeared on Tamron Hall on Friday, June 7, and discussed their willingness to “let the past be the past” in an exclusive clip obtained by […]
How do you resolve conflicts?
HEATHER I’m the mediator. I jump in and make it lighthearted.
Are you guys better at getting over little disagreements now than when you were married?
TAREK I would say so. [Now], I get in the car with my wife and go home. It’s also been a long time since we split. I’ve gone through a lot of personal healing. I got my life back. I met Heather, and I created this new environment and this new family with Taylor, Brayden and Tristan. Christina has gone through a lot of ups and downs, but she’s gone through a lot of healing as well.
CHRISTINA It’s much easier to film with someone when you don’t have to go home with them. It’s not usually a good idea to film with a spouse.
Tarek, can you tell Us more about your healing journey?
TAREK For me to become a healthy dad and a healthy husband and a healthy human, I had a lot of work to do. When Christina and I split in 2016, I [had] just gotten out of two different cancers, and I was on testosterone and all these different fat burners and hormones that really messed me up. It took a long time to find my way again.
Do you ever worry filming with Heather will affect your relationship?
TAREK During our first couple years together, I’d go off to film one show, and Heather would go off to film a different show, and I would miss her all day long. Now we’re together all day, every day and honestly, it’s been a pleasure.
HEATHER We don’t work out together. That’s the only thing that we don’t do together anymore. We just really love each other. After we put the kids to bed, we spend quality time together. Even if it’s 30 minutes, we like to carve out time to just sit and talk.
What makes you such a good team?
TAREK My goal is always to make sure that my wife’s happy and that I’m doing things that please her.
HEATHER And I make sure I’m always happy and that he’s doing things to please me. [Laughs.] What’s great about Tarek is that he knows when to say sorry. We’re really good at apologizing and not letting things linger.
Are you two thinking about having any more kids?
HEATHER Dun dun dun… We’ll see. We have three kids and two shows, so we’re very busy.
Tarek, what did you learn from your marriage to Christina that you apply to your life with Heather?
TAREK I shut my mouth and I eat s—! [Laughs.]
HEATHER You ate s— with her! [Laughs.] Our relationship is completely different. It’s hard to compare because we’re different people.
Tarek El Moussa is teaming up with his wife, Heather Rae El Moussa, to compete against his ex-wife, Christina Hall, and her new husband, Joshua Hall, in a new reality show, The Flip Off. “Now, the exes are back — along with their new spouses — for a throwdown competition to see who can find, […]
Did any issues of jealousy come up for anyone?
HEATHER No. I’m a very confident person, and I’m very happily married.
CHRISTINA She’s not jealous of me [and doesn’t think] oh, me and Tarek want to get back together, ever! [There was] absolutely no jealousy [for me]. I’m so happy for Tarek and Heather. They make a great couple and honestly, he’s become a better man.
What are the best and worst parts of working with an ex?
CHRISTINA Tarek’s easy to film with. He gets it. We could be fighting, but when the cameras turn on, we’ll be fine. He does get more in his own head than I do. Stuff I’m saying on camera, I’m doing it for a reason — it’s not even necessarily real, but we used to get into arguments about that.
In 2022, photos surfaced in which it appeared Heather and Christina were having words at a soccer game. What happened?
CHRISTINA There were so many things that happened, and then all of a sudden, it blew up. After that, we were able to come together, speak calmly and normally and express our feelings. Since then, we’ve been totally fine.
How would you describe your relationship now?
HEATHER We work together, we raise kids together and I like her. We’re not besties hanging out all the time, but we’ve gone to dinner together and had a fun time. We actually talked for hours.
CHRISTINA It’s great. We text daily about the kids. We’re in a really good spot.
Tarek El Moussa apparently won’t forget about ex Christina Hall’s 2022 soccer game spat with his wife, Heather Rae El Moussa (née Young). Tarek, 42, shared a promotional video for his new HGTV show, The Flip Off, via Instagram, teasing how he and Heather, 36, will compete against Christina, 40, and her husband, Josh Hall, […]
People like to compare Heather and Christina. What are all your thoughts on any resemblance?
TAREK I think it’s hilarious. That’s why we’ve been having fun on social media, making all these fun videos and poking fun at the haters.
CHRISTINA Everyone’s always saying, “Oh, he has a type.” That’s why we did the parody of us [on social media]. It has to be annoying for Heather.
HEATHER In the beginning, people would say I had surgery to look like Christina. Like, how insane are you guys?
Tarek, are there any similarities between the two of them?
TAREK They like similar things and have a similar style of travel and vacations. They’re both bougie. And they both love bleach, clearly.
HEATHER Oh, my God. Hater.
TAREK Heather’s more outgoing, and Christina’s a little more reserved.
How competitive did things get on the The Flip Off?
CHRISTINA I know Tarek’s going to try everything to win, which makes it better for me because I’m competitive as well. He can’t even lose at rock, paper, scissors.
Initially, Josh was part of the show. What was it like filming with him?
CHRISTINA Josh was very hard to film with. He didn’t get it. He’d always get upset with me, like “Oh, my gosh, you did this” or “You did that.” And I’m like, “I’m making a TV show.” Ultimately, it was better that he left after episode one because the show would’ve sucked.
Did he have any concerns about you working with your ex-husband?
CHRISTINA If I would laugh at Tarek, I would get the silent treatment for a week.
Was it jealousy?
CHRISTINA Insecurity.
Were Tarek and Heather surprised when you two split?
CHRISTINA I’d been talking to Tarek about problems Josh and I had been having for a minimum of 12 months. I was nervous going into the show, and Tarek said, “If you guys split up and we’re filming, just make it part of the story.”
TAREK Then one day, she sat me down and said that was it. I don’t think I ever saw him again.
Former spouses Christina Hall and Tarek El Moussa have come a long way over time. “I feel like [Tarek and my husband Josh’s relationship] gotten definitely better throughout the years,” Hall, 40, exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, July 2, while discussing the new season of Christina on the Coast. “All of us are at […]
Do you feel like filming The Flip Off contributed to your breakup?
CHRISTINA It probably just sped it up. Tarek and I had filmed together forever. We have kids. Somebody with more confidence would be able to say, “This is my wife, but yes, she does this for TV. She was filming with Tarek when I met her.” There was a rationale there that didn’t make sense. You know what you signed up for. I’m your wife, and I’m choosing you, but you’re choosing to make my life harder over insecurities.
Were you worried about how the split would look to the outside world?
CHRISTINA Tarek told me, “Who cares what anyone thinks? Who cares if you’ve gone through three divorces? The kids love you, you’re successful, you’re nice…”
Did you think about calling the show off?
CHRISTINA No. This isn’t Josh’s show. No one’s going to miss that he’s not in it. Josh is not a TV host, he’s not a house flipper, he’s not a designer. He was just my husband in it. With Tarek, we built everything together, and I still have respect for him. I have no respect for Josh.
The breakup plays out on camera. Are you nervous about anything that’s going to be shown?
CHRISTINA There are definitely some very emotional scenes. It’s different than anything I’ve ever shot for television — it’s very real and raw. But I’m not nervous.
Tarek El Moussa and Christina Hall may not be together anymore, but they remain a team for their family. After the pair split in December 2016 following seven years of marriage, they continued to work together on their show HGTV’s Flip or Flop. While the exes remained coworkers they began coparenting their two children: daughter […]
How are you feeling about the divorce?
CHRISTINA I’ve been very busy, which is probably a blessing. It’s really been a big growth period.
Heather and Tarek, did you guys get along with Josh?
TAREK I tried to be very friendly and supportive. I tried to do social media content with him.
HEATHER It was always very friendly. He was our kids’ stepdad, so we wanted a positive environment.
How’s the dynamic since he left?
HEATHER Better. Not to be mean, but he definitely didn’t have the best personality. So it’s like a breath of fresh air. And [Christina is] in a really good place.
Christina, how did you get back on good terms with Ant?
CHRISTINA When Josh and I split up, I hadn’t really talked to Ant in years. The whole time I was with Josh, I would worry [thinking about how] Hudson’s sports [games] are coming up, we’re going to have to be on the field together, how’s Josh going to handle it? [After we broke up] I was dropping Hudson off at Ant’s house, and he gave me a big hug and was like, “I’m here for you and I’m so sorry you’re going through this.” He said, “I feel like Josh is the source of the problem [and why] I couldn’t communicate.” Now we’re back on track.
Have you met his girlfriend, Renée Zellweger?
CHRISTINA Yeah. She’s great. It’s not like Heather and I, where we spend a lot of time together. It’s mostly just on the soccer field or at drop-off, but she’s super nice. She loves Hudson, and Hudson loves her. And she and Ant are happy.
Are you ready to date again?
CHRISTINA No. I’m terrified of men! I’m taking a break and spending time with my girlfriends and my kids.
Tarek El Moussa is having a laugh about the resemblance between his current wife, Heather Rae El Moussa (née Young), and his ex-wife, Christina Hall, (née Haack) In a video skit shared via Tarek’s Instagram page on Wednesday, May 29, Heather, 36, asks Tarek, 42, to order her a chai latte before going to find […]
Do you still believe in love?
CHRISTINA Of course. I’ll always love love. I probably will [get married again] eventually. But not anytime soon, and I’d be engaged for a minimum of like five years.
Tarek and Christina, you’ve been on HGTV now for more than a decade. What’s the secret to your success?
TAREK Having fun. That’s it. If you look at any content we’ve delivered, it’s all about having a good time and making people laugh and creating amazing spaces.
CHRISTINA Man, I don’t know. Keeping it real and truly enjoying what I do. I feel lucky. I’m grateful.
The Flip Off premieres Wednesday, January 29, at 8 p.m. on HGTV.
For more on The Flip Off, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.
