Christina Haack, Tarek and Heather Rae El Moussa on Working With Exes

When , her ex-husband and his wife, , 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, , 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 , 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.”

HGTV

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.

The episodes are longer, so you’re going to get a lot more personality, more design and more competition.

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.
Right away, it was so easy.
I didn’t get a text, by the way! [Laughs.]

Related: Tarek El Moussa on Working With Heather, Christina: 'How Did I Get Here?’Tarek El Moussa is sometimes in complete disbelief that he and wife Heather Rae El Moussa will star alongside his former spouse, Christina Hall, in The Flip Off. “Man, I never, ever in my life thought this show would happen,” Tarek, 43, exclusively told Us at the Us Weekly + Pluto TV Reality Stars of […]

[They have] all of the emotions. One day, it’s “you’re gonna beat mom!” The next, it’s “you better not beat mom!”

No. I know them both, and it’s not in either of them.
We don’t fight. She picks on Tarek all the time, and then I jump in. But he takes it well!
Tarek loves to be teased. When he’s in a bad mood, if you tease him, it lightens him up.

Courtesy of Tarek El Moussa/Instagram

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.

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.
Tarek and I have been fine more than we have not been. [So], I had zero concerns.

A little bit. All we do is argue.
It’s really rare for Tarek and me to butt heads. But [he and Christina] are like brother and sister.
Because she always wants to get her way. She doesn’t want to have rules.
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.

Related: Tarek and Heather Rae El Moussa Talk 'Crazy' New Show With Christina HallTarek 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 […]

I’m the mediator. I jump in and make it lighthearted.

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.
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.

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.

Related: Christina Hall Isn't Ruling Out a Show With Ex Tarek and Heather El MoussaChristina Hall has no more bad blood with her ex-husband, Tarek El Moussa, and his wife, Heather Rae El Moussa. “Will you, Josh [Hall], Heather and Tarek ever do flipping shows together?” a fan asked Christina, 40, during an Instagram Story Q & A on Monday, October 30. The HGTV star replied, “Never say never.” […]

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.
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.

My goal is always to make sure that my wife’s happy and that I’m doing things that please her.
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.

Dun dun dun… We’ll see. We have three kids and two shows, so we’re very busy.

I shut my mouth and I eat s—! [Laughs.]
You ate s— with her! [Laughs.] Our relationship is completely different. It’s hard to compare because we’re different people.

Related: Tarek, Heather El Moussa and Christina, Joshua Hall to Face Off on New ShowTarek 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, […]

No. I’m a very confident person, and I’m very happily married.
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.

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.

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.

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.
It’s great. We text daily about the kids. We’re in a really good spot.

Related: Tarek El Moussa Uses Pic of Ex Christina at Soccer Fight for Phone ContactTarek 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, […]

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.
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.
In the beginning, people would say I had surgery to look like Christina. Like, how insane are you guys?

They like similar things and have a similar style of travel and vacations. They’re both bougie. And they both love bleach, clearly.
Oh, my God. Hater.
Heather’s more outgoing, and Christina’s a little more reserved.

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.

Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage

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.

If I would laugh at Tarek, I would get the silent treatment for a week.

Insecurity.

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.”
Then one day, she sat me down and said that was it. I don’t think I ever saw him again.

Related: Christina Hall Says She and Ex-Husband Tarek Are at a 'Really Good Spot'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 […]

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.

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…”

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.

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.

Related: A Timeline of Tarek El Moussa and Christina Hall’s RelationshipTarek 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 […]

I’ve been very busy, which is probably a blessing. It’s really been a big growth period.

I tried to be very friendly and supportive. I tried to do social media content with him.
It was always very friendly. He was our kids’ stepdad, so we wanted a positive environment.

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.

Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

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.

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.

No. I’m terrified of men! I’m taking a break and spending time with my girlfriends and my kids.

Related: Heather Rae El Moussa Slaps Tarek for Confusing Her With Ex-Wife in SkitTarek 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 […]

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.

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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.
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.

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