HGTV's stars sued over botched rehabs and home failed flips

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Mindy and Paul King went on “Property Brothers” to build their dream four-bedroom, ranch-style home.

Now it’s a living HGTV hell. 

The Las Vegas-based couple took a gamble on the HGTV show — starring twins Jonathan Scott, a contractor, and Drew Scott, a real estate expert  — that helps couples find, buy, and remodel fixer-uppers in 2019, forgoing a honeymoon to become homeowners. 

Instead, they’re suing.

And they’re not alone: other unhappy homeowners have also headed to the courts after the promise of a primetime glow-up has gone wrong.

The dark side of cheery home makeover shows is the premise of Showtime’s new dark comedy “The Curse.”

It stars Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder as an HGTV husband-and-wife team doing more harm than good for communities while turning their efforts into content — a twisted cross between “Hometown,” Chip and Joanna Gaines and “The Truman Show.”

The dark side of HGTV is the premise of “The Curse” and in real life, one couple is suing over a “Property Brothers” (pictured) show which they say left their dream house a nightmare. Property Brothers
“The Curse” is a dark cross between “Hometown,” Chip and Joanna Gaines, and “The Truman Show.” John Paul Lopez/A24/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME
Mindy and Paul King went on HGTV’s “Property Brothers” in hopes of building their dream home in Las Vegas, but now say it’s their biggest regret. HGTV

But in real life, HGTV’s ratings machine — it and Hallmark vie to be the biggest non-news cable channels — has created casualties.

Many disgruntled denizens are fighting the network tooth and nail in lawsuits filed against the production companies and contractors affiliated with HGTV shows. 

Others are taking to social media to blast its celebrity hosts for uprooting their living quarters in the name of their “biggest ever flip” – as was the case when “Flip or Flop” star Tarek El Moussa attempted to buy a property in North Hollywood, evicting long-time rent-stabilized residents.

He backed out of the project just days after they agreed on a significant move-out deal.

“Property Brothers”: Kitchen Nightmares

“The [Property] Brothers have been made aware of everything — they know the conditions we’re living in and they’ve done nothing. Neither has the production company,” Mindy told The Post. HGTV

The Kings were promised a signature Scott Brothers look: a massive new kitchen with an island, clean looks, and high-end fixtures.

But they say their HGTV disaster began when the “reveal” was being filmed in February 2019 with the brothers.

“Our reveal took hours to film because we’re like ‘What’s wrong with this? Why does this look like this?’” Mindy told The Post.

A before photo of Mindy and Paul King’s kitchen at their Las Vegas home prior to construction. Courtesy of Mindy King
An image of The Kings’ kitchen before they say the “Property Brothers” contracting crew sabotaged their dream home. Courtesy of Mindy King

From there, it was downhill and in 2021 they sued the show’s production company, Cineflix, and the construction company that works for the show.

They alleged in court papers that they were saddled with water intrusion, electrical code violations, and a stove grouted to the wall with drywall crushing the gas line, forcing them to heat their food outside.

“We’re living without an oven or a range,” Mindy, 49, said. “The sink fell through the counter. We can’t use our gas stove – we haven’t been able to use it in four years. I have to cook on a hot plate on my patio,” she said.

A CGI rendering of the Kings’ dream kitchen. Now, they say, they have to cook outside on a hot plate because their stove doesn’t function. HGTV
The Kings are suing production company Cineflix and their construction company for code violations including a stove grouted to the wall. Courtesy of Mindy King
Mindy claims in a lawsuit her gas line was covered in drywall after the renovation. Courtesy of Mindy King

The Kings allege electrical work was faulty and done without proper permitting, and that the dishwasher became a biohazard that flooded their kitchen floor and had to be dealt with by engineers in hazmat suits.

“Nothing in our house is to code. We have black and green sludge coming out under our kitchen sink. We spent over $200,000 with the show,” Mindy told The Post, noting payment for renovations ahead of appearing on home improvement shows is typically required upfront. 

They’re suing for fraud, misrepresentation, and faulty workmanship, all of which the production and construction companies deny.

The Post has reached out to HGTV and the companies for comment.

The Kings had to call in a hazmat team when their dishwasher was deemed a biohazard as a result of improper installation causing the water to backflow into the dishwasher. Courtesy of Mindy King
The Kings claim their dishwasher was also improperly installed and say they found green and brown mold growing. Courtesy of Mindy King

“They didn’t follow approved plans from the city; it was a total bait and switch,” Mindy said.

“They’ve never come back and fixed anything. We have pieces of metal coming through our flooring – we had to pull a piece out of my foot and my son’s foot.”

The couple also alleged in the suit being charged for high-end fixtures and instead receiving “lower quality” finishes, fixtures, and equipment. The case will go to trial next June. 

Drew and Jonathan Scott are not mentioned in the lawsuit, though Mindy says she personally reached out asking both for help to no avail. 

The Scott brothers did not respond to a request for comment.

The living room before the renovation started on the Kings’ four-bedroom, ranch-style Las Vegas home. Courtesy of Mindy King
A CGI rendering of what the Kings’ ideal living room would look like. HGTV
Puddles of water seep into their renovated home’s living room every time it rains, Mindy says, as a result of improper installation of their French doors. Courtesy of Mindy King

“The brothers have been made aware of everything – they know the conditions we’re living in and they’ve done nothing,” King told The Post. “Neither has the production company.”

“Renovation Impossible”: Fixer Downer

Arlington, Texas-based Ron Onyon and his family appeared on the now-canceled “Renovation Impossible,” a show following contractor Russell Holmes as he helped people upgrade their homes on a shoestring budget.

But, he says, their $75,000 budget for kitchen and bathroom upgrades has turned into a $150,000 loss with more money needed to put things right.

Before sliding glass doors were installed near Onyon’s kitchen. Courtesy of Ron Onyon
A rendering of the Onyon family’s modern kitchen on “Renovation Impossible.” HGTV
Ron Onyon and his wife Erin on their episode, titled, “Lackluster Lakehouse.” After the job was done, Ron posted in a series of TikToks: “HGTV ruined my house. We lost over $150,000. It will cost tens of thousands of dollars to fix the work.” HGTV

“HGTV ruined my house. We lost over $150,000. It will cost tens of thousands of dollars to fix the work,” Onyon said in a TikTok.

 He chronicled the damage in a series of TikTok videos accusing contractors of leaving his home a safety hazard. 

The contractors, he claims, replaced a door and a window with a sliding glass door but failed to properly install it.

Unfinished floors in the Onyon’s home post-renovation can be seen above. oldmanwithasmartphone/TikTok
Onyon says the “finished” look of sliding glass doors posed a safety hazard. Courtesy of Ron Onyon
The new sliding doors the Onyon’s came home to were barely installed, Ron posted in a TikTok. oldmanwithasmartphone/TikTok

“It would just take a little wind, pulling on it too hard or bumping into it and it would fall over right on top of somebody. What would this do to my 5-year-old son? My wife?” he asks in the TikTok. 

In another TikTok he complains about chipped countertops, calling them a “used damaged eye sore.” But the “most dangerous and hazardous” he claims, is the bathroom, where contractors installed a bathtub which he says backs on to exposed electrical wires, and a shower which doesn’t work properly.

The production company and construction company did not respond to requests for comment.

Before Russell Holmes and his team on the now-canceled “Renovation Impossible” began construction on Ron Onyon’s Arlington, Texas lake house. Courtesy of Ron Onyon
The Onyon’s vision for the primary bathroom did not include the potential electrical hazard they faced post “Renovation Impossible.” HGTV
The “renovated” bath in Onyon’s home proved to be a fire hazard due to exposed electrical wiring he detailed on TikTok. oldmanwithasmartphone/TikTok
Russell Holmes, host of the now-canceled HGTV show, vows to resolve a “fire waiting to happen” when he spotted outlets under the floorboards on Onyon’s episode. But he never did, Onyon claims. HGTV
Ron Onyon shows exposed electrical wiring he says was left following his “Renovation Impossible” episode. Courtesy of Ron Onyon

“Flip or Flop”: This Flip Flopped

In North Hollywood, Los Angeles, HGTV star Tarek El Moussa is at the center of a storm over what he said would be his “biggest ever flip.”

His investment firm TEM Capital and his wife Heather Rae’s company HEM Capital announced plans in August to buy and demolish the nearly 100-year-old group of family bungalows in the Los Angeles Arts District and put up a towering,138-unit residential complex with a rooftop pool.

Outraged longtime renters threatened with eviction lashed out at the HGTV star, who first found fame in 2013 hosting “Flip or Flop” with ex-wife Christina Hall.

In 2021 he married Rae, who starred on Netflix’s real estate reality show “Selling Sunset,” and she now appears on his show “Flipping 101 with Tarek El Moussa.”

HGTV star Tarek El Moussa appeared to back out of his “biggest ever flip” following backlash from residents in a nearly 100-year-old North Hollywood rental facility he was slated to buy and flip as a modern, 138-unit residential complex. Getty Images for MTV
El Moussa with his ex-wife Rae, who starred on Netflix’s real estate reality show “Selling Sunset,” and gave birth to their first child together in February. John Salangsang/Shutterstock

Renters — some of whom are disabled — were given 120 days to leave their homes and $12,000 per home, a resident told The Post. 

Through a union, they negotiated with El Moussa and Rae’s companies and thought they were close to signing a deal that would have got tenants more than the $12,000 already on the table.

“They were taking it over. We caught him filming promos for it in April saying ‘this is my biggest flip ever … my Super Bowl.’ We were given eviction notices – we have neighbors who have been here for more than 40 years,” Clare Letmon, who has lived on the property for nearly five years, told The Post. 

Residents were slated to sign a “significant” new move-out deal after months of negotiations when El Moussa quietly backed out. @hartsook.tenants/Instagram
The nearly 100-year-old family bungalows in the Los Angeles’ Arts District. Residents noticed TEM Capital scraped the project from its website on Nov. 1. Google Maps
Outraged longtime renters threatened with eviction lashed out at the HGTV star, who appeared to respond “lies, lies, lies, lies lol” in a comment. @hartsook.tenants/Instagram
Like “The Curse,” HGTV’s rating machine has created casualties. courtesy of A24/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME

But on November 1, TEM Capital scrapped the project from its website and the current owners will still evict them by June — with their hopes of a better deal nixed.

The Post has reached out to El Moussa and TEM Capital for comment.

Resident Clare Letmon, 32, who is eight-and-a-half months pregnant, is scrambling to find a new home. 

“He really just dragged us along,” she told The Post.

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