Tarek and Christina El Moussa are certainly up for a challenge. After signing on for their eighth season of Flip or Flop, the exes are putting their differences aside and doing what they know best: flipping houses.
“It’s definitely different than what fans are used to,” Tarek, 36, says in the new issue of Us Weekly of the upcoming season. “It’s kind of a rebirth.” From eye rolls to heated arguments, he adds, “there’s a little bit of everything” that fans will see.
Despite that candor, showcasing their new normal on television hasn’t been easy for the parents of Taylor, 7, and Brayden, 2 — who finalized their divorce in January after seven years of marriage. “There were ups and downs,” he notes. “But at the end of the day, we’re still business partners. It’s a job to do and we have to get up, go to work, support our kids and make a living. It’s not something that we can just throw away, especially after all these years.”
And though the real estate experts do experience tension, Tarek has accepted the awkwardness. “It’s the reality of life,” he says. “[Our] personal and business lives are always going to cross over, especially after having kids together and being together for so long.”
And now that Christina, 34, has moved on with British TV presenter Ant Anstead, 39, teamwork is more important than ever. “I’m happy she met a nice, normal guy,” he admits. “I hope the best for her.” As for Tarek, he’s happy being single. A relationship “is the last thing on my mind right now,” he says. “I’m rebuilding myself and focusing on my kids and being the best dad possible.”
Season 8 of Flip or Flop premieres on HGTV Thursday, May 31, at 9 p.m. ET.
For more on the upcoming tension-filled season, pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on stands now.
