overheard in providence

As a hip energetic 26 year old, I often have trouble deciding on the best way to spend my Saturday night in New York City. For example, when 11pm rolls around, should I watch Flip This House on A & E or Flip That House on TLC? Tonight I went with Flip That House since it’s only a half an hour long, and thus less of a time commitment.

In case you live in a cave (and thus have no interest in houses), Flip This/That House are both home improvement shows where someone buys a house, renovates the house, and then sells, or “flips”, their house for a hefty profit. The shows don’t actually show the house being sold, nor do they explain how to actually do any of the renovations. They do, however, make it abundantly clear that refinished flooring, walk-in closets, and stone countertops are crucial if you’re trying to woo potential buyers. Also you’ll need “curb appeal”, so you should definitely trim the hedges and pick up stray garbage that the previous owner left lying around.

As an aspiring home owner and son of an architect, I enjoy the idea of fixing up a house, and as a tv enthusiast and member of the Rachlin family, I like that these shows are on over 10 times a week (we Rachlins watch a lot of TV). Next weekend, both shows are on from 11pm to 1am, so I’ll probably watch Flip This House for the first hour, and then watch Flip That House for the second hour, that way, if things get too crazy, I can skip the second episode of Flip That House and go to sleep at 12:30. My only concern is that I’ll be in traveling that day, so if my flight gets delayed, I might miss the beginning of Flip This House. Since it’s an hour long program, it might be tough to follow if I tune in halfway through. In that case, I’ll probably switch things up.

Idea: Create a low budget flip show entitled “Flip That Burger”. Participants find cheap/discarded food, add attractive garnishes, then sell the food for a tidy profit.