Exes make good competition on HGTV's 'The Flip Off' with the El Moussas, Christina Haack

There's conscious uncoupling and then there's conscious collaborating. Exes and TV personalities Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack have reunited for a new reality competition show, “The Flip Off,” on HGTV.

El Moussa and Haack (then known as Christina Hall) were first introduced to viewers in 2013 as married co-stars of the HGTV series “Flip or Flop," which aired for 10 seasons. When their marriage ended in 2017, they continued to film together — with some tension — until the series finale in 2022.

Now, El Moussa has teamed with his new wife, Heather Rae El Moussa, a real estate agent also known for Netflix's “Selling Sunset,” to compete against Haack on “The Flip Off.” Each side scouts a house to buy, redo and sell. One room is tackled at a time and is critiqued by a guest judge. In the end, the winner with the larger flip profit gets a paid vacation and bragging rights.

“There might have been some spying. Like, ‘How is she designing? What is she doing? How much should we spend? Is she really not spending a lot of money?’" says Heather El Moussa.

All three real estate agents are also co-producers on “The Flip Off,” which airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT, and “we all knew it was going to be TV gold,” says Haack.

The series has had some drama on screen and off. Haack began filming with her now estranged husband, Josh Hall, as her teammate. The two split shortly thereafter and some of their tension is visible on “The Flip Off.” When Hall exited, Haack was joined by friends she's worked with behind-the-scenes on projects. Her second ex-husband, TV personality Ant Antstead, even makes an appearance.

The El Moussas and Haack spoke with The Associated Press about the show and working together. Answers are edited for clarity and brevity.

HEATHER EL MOUSSA: I came into a lot of chaos when I first met this man because they were filming “Flip or Flop.” One day they like each other, the next day they don’t, so it was a lot for me to take on... But it’s been such a great relationship that we’ve all built, and especially Christina and I throughout this.

HAACK: Tarek and I both have a very quick bounce-back effect. We could be in an argument, but then the cameras would be rolling and we can create a great scene and be over it. I like making good TV. I think it’s fun.

HAACK: The biggest amount of pressure is trying to out-design each other. Normally with a house flip, you’re just designing it for the neighborhood and you know, you can paint or knock down some walls, but like you’re not trying to overdo it. During the process, we got so competitive with each other, we definitely all overspent.

TAREK EL MOUSSA: I’ve learned a lot of lessons through experience. You know, I’ve done about 1,000 deals at this point. And every time you make a mistake, every time you lose a dollar, every time you get burned, it’s a lesson. And you keep stacking those lessons. I am so excited about the future because all those lessons are paying off.

HEATHER EL MOUSSA: He always says to keep the emotion out of it because I think you can get so stuck on when things go wrong with a flip. In the beginning, I would be so mad if one thing went wrong. Tarek's like, “You have to move on. You can’t dwell on the small things. Take emotion out of the flip."

Alicia Rancilio covers entertainment for the AP.

Christina Haack poses for a portrait to promote "The Flip Off" on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP)

Christina Haack poses for a portrait to promote "The Flip Off" on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP)

Heather El Moussa poses for a portrait to promote "The Flip Off" on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP)

Heather El Moussa poses for a portrait to promote "The Flip Off" on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP)

Tarek El Moussa poses for a portrait to promote "The Flip Off" on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP)

Tarek El Moussa poses for a portrait to promote "The Flip Off" on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP)

Heather El Moussa, from left, Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack pose for a portrait to promote "The Flip Off" on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP)

Heather El Moussa, from left, Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack pose for a portrait to promote "The Flip Off" on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)