If you’re a fan of home improvement television, hopeful young couples, beach-based fun times, or HGTV in general, Beach Flip, the network’s brightest new summer program, might be the thing for you. The premise is simple: Beach Flip focuses on four couples, all of whom have bought beachfront property in beautiful Gulf Shores Alabama. As is often the case with HGTV programs, the property these people have bought is in dire need of renovation. Which is where the network comes in.
Noted HGTV personalities Josh Temple (of House Crashers), Nicole Curtis (of Rehab Addict), and David Bromstad (from My Lottery Dream Home) will each be on hand to mentor the four couples through their renovations. Each couple has a $40,000 budget, and eight weeks. At the end of the eight weeks, HGTV sends in a stern-faced team of local appraisers, who evaluate the renovations, and offer a brand new estimation of each home’s value. The winning couple snags a $50,000 prize–plus a swanky spread in HGTV Magazine.
It looks like each week will focus on a different room in each house. The Beach Flip press release states that the pilot episode will see the four couples renovating their four master bedrooms; at the end of the episode, David Bromstad will evaluate their work, and offer tips the couples need to apply going forward.
The four featured couples all highlight HGTV’s noted demographic and geographic balance. We’ve got Martha (who’s a wealth management consultant) and Alex (a master builder) from Chicago; Melissa and Mahdi, who’ve been long-distance lovers from L.A. and Philadelphia, respectively; Long Islanders Sarah and Nick, who have backgrounds in organization and architecture; and designer Lucy and real estate agent Daphney, who hail from just up the road in Birmingham.
It seems pretty clear that HGTV selected these people in part because of their expertise in various home-related areas. So, we might not see much in the way of silly renovation mishaps (though there’s always potential for that), but it should be interesting to watch each couple try to anticipate what the others might do based on the professional skills they all bring to the show.
HGTV is billing Beach Flip as a summery version of Brother vs. Brother or Ellen’s Design Challenge. It should make for a nice addition to the summer schedule. Beach Flip debuts at 9 PM EST July 5th, or one day after the most summer holiday of all. Are you excited for the show?
(Photo credits: HGTV)
