The wait is over! Grab your breath spray and your cherry chapstick, because our favorite OCD interior decorator Jeff Lewis and the gang are finally back for season 8 of Flipping Out! I have been giddy just watching Bravo previews, but now that we’re back inside Gramercy with Jeff, Zoila Chavez, Jenni Pulos, and Gage Edward (wah, wah), it’s like Christmas in July for this girl!
We open at Gramercy, Jeff and Gage’s gorgeous home, where Jeff is rising before the crack of dawn to demand coffee from Zoila and to wake Gage up via intercom so they can get the day started. Jeff interviews that he is sick of clients and their high maintenance needs, and wonders if he couldn’t just make more money developing products and flipping houses? He feels like he is aging “at a dramatic rate” because business is so stressful. Gage joins Jeff in the kitchen to get his caffeine IV drip going, updating Jeff about his client appointments that day. Jeff feels like they are chasing their tails, too busy, and working seven days a week. Gage is used to a frantic pace, having grown up working in his parents’ Nebraska businesses seven days a week since childhood. Jeff admits his business wouldn’t be nearly as successful without Gage’s help these past six years that they’ve been partners – both in work and love. “I mean, if something happened to Gage, I’d lose a lot of money,” quips Jeff. “That can’t happen.” Ah, that’s why I love this man.
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Later on, Jeff and Jenni are in the car heading to a Mulholland remodel project. In a joint interview, they reflect on their tumultuous 15-year relationship, which began as a result of Jenni’s ex-husband (and liar!) working for Jeff back in the day. Side note: In one of Andy Cohen’s books (I think his first), he tells the story of Jenni & her former husband actually pitching Bravo a show called “The Wannabees” in which they wanted cameras to chronicle their journey as struggling actors who had to slog away at annoying day jobs in between going out on auditions. When Bravo cameras caught Jeff on film at Jenni’s hubby’s job, they immediately changed tactic to center the show around Jeff (but of course!) and rebranded it as Flipping Out. So, Jeff has a lot to thank Jenni for, in my book. Besides her endless patience in putting up with his verbal abuse, like she’s doing right now in their interview as he berates her for taking too long to answer the question.
At the Mulholland project, demo subcontractor Francisco is instructing his crew in Spanish while Jeff and Jenni look on like they’ve never heard the language before. How, then, do they order brown salsa with such precision at #ElPolloLoco!? Ah, I guess you don’t need language lessons for that. Jeff’s business is growing up, so he’s hiring licensed professional demolition contractors now instead of sending unwitting interns to a job site with mallets and Hefty bags. He understands none of Francisco’s “safety plan,” but trusts that all will go well. DJ Eric Prydz and girlfriend Sophie own the 7,200 square foot, multi-dwelling Mulholland property. They want Jeff to make a sleek, modern, sexy greige home and studio for them.
Back at Jeff’s office, Jenni is still relegated to a shared desk and notebook paper (like my kindergartner), while Jeff reminds her to leave his entire schedule “all there, all the time” repeatedly until Jenni’s eyes glaze over with weariness and dollar signs. Vanina Alfaro is still employed as design associate, and Jeff claims he’s delegating more to his “team” than he used to. New intern Joe looks like he was born twelve minutes ago, but Gage says he’s been working at Jeff’s for a couple of months now. “He doesn’t get it at all,” interviews Gage. And given Joe’s blank stare and lack of recollection about buying the right number of light bulbs, Joe indeed doesn’t look like he gets much of anything. But he also doesn’t seem nearly as un-hinged as former intern Andrew, who is mysteriously (or not so mysteriously?) missing this season. Although Jeff is worried Joe won’t work out, he wants to “teach him a craft” for his future career, a career that won’t be at Jeff Lewis Design.
While Jeff is illuminating Joe on the value of reading Post-It notes, Zoila pops in to trade barbs with her nemesis, Gage, then grouchily demands a time-frame for lunch prep. Previews reveal that perhaps Zoila is on the retirement track this year, and maybe it’s about time. I don’t know if it’s true angst, age, or just hamming it up for the Bravo cameras, but her increasing disdain for being “told what to do” last season got a bit tiresome. Zoila interviews that she’s worried about Jeff because he’s so busy, but she is enjoying the freedom of being left alone at Gramercy to watch her TV and eat Rice Krispie treats, the crumbs of which Jeff b*tches about as soon as he steps foot in the door.
An exciting remodel for Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox is just beginning, exciting because it’s on the old Bing Crosby estate and because Brian and Megan have given Jeff’s team free creative reign on the design concept. Jeff is hopeful that the celebrity remodel jobs will start piling up after he gets a few big names under his belt. Brian is the nicest guy, according to Jeff, and the sexiest nerd alive, according to Jenni. She wants to build him his very own Peach Pit, circa 90210. Yessss!
Back at hair designer Chaz Dean’s empire, Jeff’s team is working on a new project for the Wen-schilling mastermind. (I seriously purchased that product at one very low point in my hair “journey” and it made me smell and look like a wet dog. #trueconfession) Having worked with Chaz for 7 years on 5 projects, the latest project is all about a new executive office building. Little details remain now that the big project is mainly behind them. Jeff knows Chaz is an extremely busy guy building his international wet dog Wen empire, so he moves Chaz through buying accessories as quickly as possible. Chaz and Jeff are in competition for who can be the biggest micromanager. They agree to meet for 30 minutes soon to hash out the details, details that Jeff assures Chaz will be completely organized beforehand in order for him to make the quickest possible decisions.
As Jenni becomes a live GPS back in Jeff’s car, the gang calls up Gage to annoy him, and in a stunning surprise move, Gage actually JOKES BACK with them! Who is this masked man!? What has he done with sour, serious, party-pooper Gage? At sushi lunch later, we learn that intern Joe is getting more delegated to him despite his head being permanently in the clouds. He lost some mail lately and his blaming it on the post office, which is, uh, not what Jeff wants to hear.
Up before the sun rises again (5:27am to be exact – ugh), Jeff and Gage look at property values that will help them sell Gramercy. Gage is willing to move on and flip another house now, so Jeff is all in. Zoila comes in to “shhh!” Gage before he can even talk to her. Zoila says, “Me and Gage become friends never.” She makes it clear that Jeff is her boss and Gage, well, he’s just the guy whose trashcan she empties…on occasion.
Back at Eric Prydz’ remodel, he gives Jeff license to make his new music studio more of a man cave, complete with bar and lounge. Jeff encourages Eric to involve Sophie in decisions because Jeff’s been around the block and knows that when mama has a problem, Jeff will have a problem. And he doesn’t want problems. After a series of other site visits and client meetings, Jeff advises his clients on flipping, decor, and whether or not they have lazy eyes from too much Botox. (Answer: yes, they do.)
Megan Weaver is back from last season as a part time employee who Jeff considers competent, so she’s sticking around. Her current task is to pick the exact lighting that will go into each individual unit in Chaz Dean’s new project, which she completes and hands over to Jenni. Since bigger jobs have come along, Jeff has had no choice but to delegate more tasks, which Jenni admits leaves more room for “hiccups” along the way. “But it’s necessary in order to grow,” she says. Before the Chaz meeting, Megan is told she’s now not only going to the Chaz meeting, she’s also leading it. So bring your packet o’ lighting and Kevlar vest with ya, Megan! “The delegation was really perfect,” says Jeff.
At the Chaz meeting from hell, things go south quickly when Megan can’t figure out which units go with which lights, nor which handouts go in what order. Chaz hears the clock ticking on his very valuable time and Jeff goes silent in a white hot rage. “It was a sh*t show,” interviews Jeff. He suggests rescheduling to Chaz, who gasps in horror at the though of wasting yet another 30 minutes of his Worldwide Wen Time! Megan was given the wrong pictures by intern Joe, it turns out, but no one cares right now. Chaz’s assistants then start asking questions that Jeff he has no answers to, which sends him deeper into a silent rage spiral. “We’re gonna have a little meeting tonight is what we’re gonna have,” warns Jeff to Megan and Jenni. Jenni knows they got shredded and isn’t looking forward to the lashing that will befall them all later on.
In more bad news, Jeff visits the Mulholland project at which Sophie doesn’t like the floor plan. Since Eric never showed her the plan, as Jeff advised him to do, Sophie is full of complaints about it not suiting her needs. Jeff’s mood is in the toilet at this point, so his annoyance with Sophie is apparent. Especially when he finally snaps and says the fight over a laundry room isn’t worth it. “I’ll do your f*kin laundry,” Jeff deadpans. Thankfully, the clients laugh it off and Jeff is free to go back to the office, ready to rip each of his employees a fresh, new a$$hole.
Back at Gramercy, Jeff gathers the clan for their group spanking. Vanina, Jenni, Gage, Joe, Megan, and Jeff assemble. Gage gets yelled at first for texting while Jeff’s talking. Oh snap! Jeff reads off the laundry list of mistakes they made with Chaz, including not knowing Chaz’s assistant’s name. “No one in f*king this office knows his assistant’s name!!” screams Jeff (who also, incidentally, doesn’t know her name). With both hands in the air, Jeff tells the group that if he has to do everything himself from now on, he will. “I look like a f*king moron!” he yells as the group sits in humiliated silence.
“I don’t like losing control, but I need to scare them a bit,” interviews Jeff. Although Gage tells Jeff he needs to pay more attention to the details of what he’s delegating. “OK, who’s making drinks?” asks Jeff finally. He admits he’s partially responsible for the mistakes with Chaz, so in the end he was also “yelling at himself.” Well, I don’t care who he’s yelling at, as long as he’s yelling. Because Jeff Lewis Flip Outs are #epic. And I’m on board for many, many more! (P.S. The recaps will get shorter, promise!)
TELL US: WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE FIRST EPISODE? IS JEFF’S BUSINESS GETTING TOO BIG FOR HIM TO CONTROL? WILL YOU BE TUNING IN FOR MORE THIS SEASON?
Photo Credit: Bravo
