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Flip This House (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Flip This House is an American television series that airs on the A&E
(Arts and Entertainment) television network. Each episode spotlights the purchase and renovation of a single unit. All episodes included listing the price of the purchase, the cost of renovation, and the market value (including potential profit) of the "flipped" property.
-based Trademark Properties, founded by Richard C. Davis
.
Charleston Team
Due to a contractual disagreement Trademark decided not to return back for season two of the show. Davis created the show in 2003, took it to A&E to partner, and claims that he has yet to receive any payment. In July 2006, Trademark Properties filed a lawsuit against A&E alleging breach of contract and fraud. Davis was awarded $4 million by the jury in the case, an amount equal to more than half of the profit generated by the first season of the show. The A&E network responded through its spokesman, Michael Feeney, by saying, "We are deeply disappointed in the jury's decision, and we will follow the appropriate steps to have the verdict reversed."
Davis signed a series deal with TLC, and the new series, originally titled The Real Deal and now named The Real Estate Pros
, began airing April 21, 2007.
, and another from Atlanta
.
San Antonio Team
Atlanta Team
In May 2007, television station WAGA
in Atlanta exposed the Season Two episodes starring local developer Sam Leccima to be staged and fraudulent. This same report also revealed that Leccima has been the subject of numerous legal actions stemming from fraudulent real estate solicitations, some of which were related to his activity on the show. A&E has denied any knowledge of Leccima's activities and has stopped producing episodes. These episodes are no longer aired.
was introduced. Additionally, the team from Atlanta recast with a new group of people. Only the Montelongo team from San Antonio continued their roles from the prior season.
New Haven Team
Atlanta Team
Note: the Atlanta cast has changed since last season.
San Antonio Team
was introduced. Additionally, the team from Atlanta was recast again keeping only Brian
and Peter
from Season 3.
New Haven Team
Atlanta Team
Note: the Atlanta cast has changed since last season.
San Antonio Team
Los Angeles Team
Atlanta Team
San Antonio Team
Los Angeles Team
In the several million dollar civil lawsuit, Flip This Houses original executive producer and star, Trademark and Mr. Davis, charged A&E and the show's Departure Films production company with breach of contract, fraud, and seven other charges. In the lawsuit Mr. Davis claimed to have not received any financial compensation from A&E or Departure for Flip This Houses first season and alleged that they had actually created the show themselves, but they called it Worst To First instead of the Flip This House show. He claims that he pitched the show to A&E, which later agreed to produce and televise 13 episodes of the series. Mr. Davis alleges that A&E agreed that although A&E would pay all the show's production costs, the parties would be 50/50 partners in any profits generated from the project and agreed to prepare a written agreement stating such. Instead, according to Mr. Davis, A&E aired the program, using his likeness without his permission, and changing the name of the show from Worst to First to Flip This House so as not to arouse suspicion that they were going to use the show concept and had no intention or ever paying Mr. Davis for the use of his show title and show concept.
According to Mr. Davis, the network allegedly never provided an agreement that reflected the terms of their alleged verbal agreement throughout the entire period of Flip This House's first-season production. According to Mr. Davis, "A&E defrauded and misappropriated and stole the project for A&E's own use and benefit, and merely changed the name so as not to have to pay for the show concept." Allegedly it wasn't until around March 2006 that Mr. Davis learned that A&E had decided to produce and air another season of Flip this House without using his services (which he would not have agreed to anyway, since he was never paid for the first season).
A&E claims that they provided Mr. Davis with "powerful" free advertising for his company, "Trademark". A&E also alleged that it only moved forward with a second season after Davis announced that he was launching a new reality show with the TLC
cable television network.
The case was resolved by a jury and Davis was awarded $4 million, an amount equal to half of the profits from the first season of Flip This House. A&E has promised to appeal the decision. The Real Estate Pros
, starring Mr. Davis and the rest of his staff at Trademark Properties was debuted as The Real Deal premiered on TLC cable television network on April 21, 2007. From June 2008, The Real Estate Pros was on hiatus and was not airing. As of January 2009, new episodes of Real Estate Pros are in production, but have never been aired as of November 2009.
area.
According to a two-part television news report broadcast by Atlanta's Fox affiliate WAGA-TV
in May 2007, Mr. Leccima didn't own the houses he claimed to have sold on Flip This House and also staged some of the renovations depicted on the show (ceiling panels were later seen falling, which was blamed on the inferior work of a sub-contractor in the TV series).
WAGA also reported that Mr. Leccima didn't possess a real estate license when Flip This House was filming prior to last summer's second season premiere, claiming that Mr. Leccima "does not bear a good reputation for honesty, trustworthiness, integrity, and competence."
According to WAGA, he even staged at least one fake open house in which some of his friends posed as buyers for the home. In addition, he even claimed to sell another home that he didn't own.
A&E announced that it was pulling Leccima's Flip This House episodes off its broadcast schedule and denied any knowledge or part in the frauds shown on their airways.
From A&E's Claim to Not Know Anything About All of the Fraud on the A&E web site on July 1, 2007: "We are dismayed to learn of these allegations. A&E Television Networks is not a party to any of the transactions shown in Flip This House and has not received any formal complaints about the properties or sales. Based on these allegations, A&E is taking all episodes featuring Mr. Leccima off the air pending further investigation of the claims. After the second season of Flip This House, A&E decided to change direction and focus on different cast members, as we did after the first season when another controversial situation happened, and we no longer work with Mr. Leccima or Trademark Properties."
Mr. Leccima has suggested that A&E and Flip This Houses production company knew what was going on.
"Ask anybody who works in television how a reality show is made and you'll find that ours was a very typical approach", Leccima told The AP.
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
(Arts and Entertainment) television network. Each episode spotlights the purchase and renovation of a single unit. All episodes included listing the price of the purchase, the cost of renovation, and the market value (including potential profit) of the "flipped" property.
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Season Premiere | Season Finale |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | July 24, 2005 | March 3, 2006 |
| 2 | 11 | July 23, 2006 | 2006 |
| 3 | 19 | March 31, 2007 | October 6, 2007 |
| 4 | 23 | March 15, 2008 | 2008 |
| 5 | 12 | July 11, 2009 | 2009 |
Season one
In season one, the series followed the activities surrounding the CharlestonCharleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
-based Trademark Properties, founded by Richard C. Davis
Richard C. Davis
Richard C. Davis is the founder, president and CEO of Trademark Properties, which he founded in 1990, in Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A. He and his company specialize in "flipping" houses.-Flip This House:...
.
Charleston Team
- Richard C. DavisRichard C. DavisRichard C. Davis is the founder, president and CEO of Trademark Properties, which he founded in 1990, in Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A. He and his company specialize in "flipping" houses.-Flip This House:...
– Founder and head of the company. - Ginger Alexander – Davis' right-hand associate who assists with the flipping of houses
- Dawn Nosal – Project coordinator
- Kevin Molony – Head of construction during the flipping process
- Vance Sudano – One of the real estate brokers who sells the finished houses
Due to a contractual disagreement Trademark decided not to return back for season two of the show. Davis created the show in 2003, took it to A&E to partner, and claims that he has yet to receive any payment. In July 2006, Trademark Properties filed a lawsuit against A&E alleging breach of contract and fraud. Davis was awarded $4 million by the jury in the case, an amount equal to more than half of the profit generated by the first season of the show. The A&E network responded through its spokesman, Michael Feeney, by saying, "We are deeply disappointed in the jury's decision, and we will follow the appropriate steps to have the verdict reversed."
Davis signed a series deal with TLC, and the new series, originally titled The Real Deal and now named The Real Estate Pros
The Real Estate Pros
The Real Estate Pros is a television series which airs on the TLC network. Each episode stars Richard C. Davis and his crew from Trademark Properties of Charleston, South Carolina as they purchase and renovate a piece of real estate...
, began airing April 21, 2007.
Season two
In season two, the show was recast with a team from San AntonioSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, and another from Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
San Antonio Team
- Armando MontelongoArmando MontelongoArmando Montelongo is the former host of cable's A&E reality TV show Flip This House and founder of a national real estate investment seminar company called Armando Montelongo Companies in San Antonio, Texas.-Entertainment:...
– Montelongo House Buyers co-founder, David's brother - Veronica Montelongo – Armando's wife, the company's sales executive
- David Montelongo – Co-Founder
- Melina Montelongo – David's wife, who is the company Marketing Director
Atlanta Team
- Sam Leccima – Founder of Leccima Real Estate, accused of fraud in May 2007.
- Shanni Leccima – Sam's wife and partner
- Lamont Martin – Sam's right-hand man and construction manager
- Angela Wilford – Works for Keller-Williams Realty and collaborates with the Leccimas to sell the flipped houses.
In May 2007, television station WAGA
Waga
Waga is an isolated small town in Colombo District, Sri Lanka. Administrated by Seethawaka Pradeshiya Sabha , it is part of the Padukka Divisional Secretary's Division. The town can be reached on road from Colombo via A4 road, turning off at either Meepe near Padukka or at Kaluaggala near Hanwella...
in Atlanta exposed the Season Two episodes starring local developer Sam Leccima to be staged and fraudulent. This same report also revealed that Leccima has been the subject of numerous legal actions stemming from fraudulent real estate solicitations, some of which were related to his activity on the show. A&E has denied any knowledge of Leccima's activities and has stopped producing episodes. These episodes are no longer aired.
Season three
In season three, a new team from New HavenNew Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
was introduced. Additionally, the team from Atlanta recast with a new group of people. Only the Montelongo team from San Antonio continued their roles from the prior season.
New Haven Team
- Than MerrillThan MerrillNathanial "Than" Merrill is an American businessman and television personality. He is the co-owner of the real estate company CT Homes and the real estate investing educational company FortuneBuilders Inc. He is featured in the A&E's Flip This House in seasons 3 and 4 as part of the "New Haven"...
- Paul Esajian
- JD Esajian
- Jeremy Black
- Lori Parks
Atlanta Team
Note: the Atlanta cast has changed since last season.
- Angela Wilford
- Harris Wilford
- Scott Tremmel
- Danielle Anderson
- Peter PasternackPeter PasternackPeter Pasternack is a certified public accountant and a co-founder of Atlanta-based Foundations Investment Group, LLC, with his best friend Brian Trow. He and the company, which was established in 2005, specialize in "flipping" houses. Some of the company's endeavors are featured in two seasons of...
- Brian TrowBrian TrowBrian Trow is a co-founder of Atlanta-based Foundations Investment Group, LLC, with Peter Pasternack. He and the company, which was established in 2005, specialize in "flipping" houses. Some of the endeavors of the company, founded in 2005, are featured in two seasons of the television series Flip...
San Antonio Team
- Armando MontelongoArmando MontelongoArmando Montelongo is the former host of cable's A&E reality TV show Flip This House and founder of a national real estate investment seminar company called Armando Montelongo Companies in San Antonio, Texas.-Entertainment:...
– Founder of Armando Montelongo Companies - Veronica Montelongo – Armando's wife, who sells houses and is also V.P. of Armando Montelongo Comp.
- Randy – Contractor who works on the houses
- Christopher Mendoza – Armando Montelongo Companies intern
- David and Melina Montelongo
Season four
In season four, a new team from Los AngelesLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
was introduced. Additionally, the team from Atlanta was recast again keeping only Brian
Brian Trow
Brian Trow is a co-founder of Atlanta-based Foundations Investment Group, LLC, with Peter Pasternack. He and the company, which was established in 2005, specialize in "flipping" houses. Some of the endeavors of the company, founded in 2005, are featured in two seasons of the television series Flip...
and Peter
Peter Pasternack
Peter Pasternack is a certified public accountant and a co-founder of Atlanta-based Foundations Investment Group, LLC, with his best friend Brian Trow. He and the company, which was established in 2005, specialize in "flipping" houses. Some of the company's endeavors are featured in two seasons of...
from Season 3.
New Haven Team
- Than Merrill
- Paul Esajian
- JD Esajian
- Jeremy Black
- Lori Parks
Atlanta Team
Note: the Atlanta cast has changed since last season.
- Peter PasternackPeter PasternackPeter Pasternack is a certified public accountant and a co-founder of Atlanta-based Foundations Investment Group, LLC, with his best friend Brian Trow. He and the company, which was established in 2005, specialize in "flipping" houses. Some of the company's endeavors are featured in two seasons of...
- Brian TrowBrian TrowBrian Trow is a co-founder of Atlanta-based Foundations Investment Group, LLC, with Peter Pasternack. He and the company, which was established in 2005, specialize in "flipping" houses. Some of the endeavors of the company, founded in 2005, are featured in two seasons of the television series Flip...
- Candice Posey
San Antonio Team
- Armando MontelongoArmando MontelongoArmando Montelongo is the former host of cable's A&E reality TV show Flip This House and founder of a national real estate investment seminar company called Armando Montelongo Companies in San Antonio, Texas.-Entertainment:...
– Founder Armando Montelongo Companies - Veronica Montelongo – Armando's wife, who sells houses and is also V.P. of Armando Montelongo Comp.
- Randy Burch – Contractor who works on the houses
- Brent Holt
Los Angeles Team
- Rudy Martinez
- Carlos Vazquez
- Mary O'Grady
Season five
New Haven Team- Than Merrill
- Paul Esajian
- JD Esajian
- Jeremy Black
- Lori Parks
Atlanta Team
- Peter PasternackPeter PasternackPeter Pasternack is a certified public accountant and a co-founder of Atlanta-based Foundations Investment Group, LLC, with his best friend Brian Trow. He and the company, which was established in 2005, specialize in "flipping" houses. Some of the company's endeavors are featured in two seasons of...
- Brian TrowBrian TrowBrian Trow is a co-founder of Atlanta-based Foundations Investment Group, LLC, with Peter Pasternack. He and the company, which was established in 2005, specialize in "flipping" houses. Some of the endeavors of the company, founded in 2005, are featured in two seasons of the television series Flip...
- Candice Posey
San Antonio Team
- Randy Burch – Contractor who works on the houses
- Brent Holt
Los Angeles Team
- Rudy Martinez
- Carlos Vazquez
- Mary O'Grady
Season one
In 2007, Flip This House is the subject of a breach of contract and fraud lawsuit brought by Trademark Properties, a South Carolina real estate company that starred in the show's first season.In the several million dollar civil lawsuit, Flip This Houses original executive producer and star, Trademark and Mr. Davis, charged A&E and the show's Departure Films production company with breach of contract, fraud, and seven other charges. In the lawsuit Mr. Davis claimed to have not received any financial compensation from A&E or Departure for Flip This Houses first season and alleged that they had actually created the show themselves, but they called it Worst To First instead of the Flip This House show. He claims that he pitched the show to A&E, which later agreed to produce and televise 13 episodes of the series. Mr. Davis alleges that A&E agreed that although A&E would pay all the show's production costs, the parties would be 50/50 partners in any profits generated from the project and agreed to prepare a written agreement stating such. Instead, according to Mr. Davis, A&E aired the program, using his likeness without his permission, and changing the name of the show from Worst to First to Flip This House so as not to arouse suspicion that they were going to use the show concept and had no intention or ever paying Mr. Davis for the use of his show title and show concept.
According to Mr. Davis, the network allegedly never provided an agreement that reflected the terms of their alleged verbal agreement throughout the entire period of Flip This House's first-season production. According to Mr. Davis, "A&E defrauded and misappropriated and stole the project for A&E's own use and benefit, and merely changed the name so as not to have to pay for the show concept." Allegedly it wasn't until around March 2006 that Mr. Davis learned that A&E had decided to produce and air another season of Flip this House without using his services (which he would not have agreed to anyway, since he was never paid for the first season).
A&E claims that they provided Mr. Davis with "powerful" free advertising for his company, "Trademark". A&E also alleged that it only moved forward with a second season after Davis announced that he was launching a new reality show with the TLC
TLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
cable television network.
The case was resolved by a jury and Davis was awarded $4 million, an amount equal to half of the profits from the first season of Flip This House. A&E has promised to appeal the decision. The Real Estate Pros
The Real Estate Pros
The Real Estate Pros is a television series which airs on the TLC network. Each episode stars Richard C. Davis and his crew from Trademark Properties of Charleston, South Carolina as they purchase and renovate a piece of real estate...
, starring Mr. Davis and the rest of his staff at Trademark Properties was debuted as The Real Deal premiered on TLC cable television network on April 21, 2007. From June 2008, The Real Estate Pros was on hiatus and was not airing. As of January 2009, new episodes of Real Estate Pros are in production, but have never been aired as of November 2009.
Season two
Sam Leccima is an Atlanta businessman who served as one of the show's second season stars. His "Leccima Real Estate Company" was one of two real estate firms that the show's second season followed. In 2007 there were reports of allegations that Leccima was a fraud who made fake renovations and never flipped anything except the stacks of money he allegedly scammed investors out of. The allegations center on the Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
area.
According to a two-part television news report broadcast by Atlanta's Fox affiliate WAGA-TV
WAGA-TV
WAGA-TV, virtual channel 5.1 is an owned-and-operated television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Television Network and based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States...
in May 2007, Mr. Leccima didn't own the houses he claimed to have sold on Flip This House and also staged some of the renovations depicted on the show (ceiling panels were later seen falling, which was blamed on the inferior work of a sub-contractor in the TV series).
WAGA also reported that Mr. Leccima didn't possess a real estate license when Flip This House was filming prior to last summer's second season premiere, claiming that Mr. Leccima "does not bear a good reputation for honesty, trustworthiness, integrity, and competence."
According to WAGA, he even staged at least one fake open house in which some of his friends posed as buyers for the home. In addition, he even claimed to sell another home that he didn't own.
A&E announced that it was pulling Leccima's Flip This House episodes off its broadcast schedule and denied any knowledge or part in the frauds shown on their airways.
From A&E's Claim to Not Know Anything About All of the Fraud on the A&E web site on July 1, 2007: "We are dismayed to learn of these allegations. A&E Television Networks is not a party to any of the transactions shown in Flip This House and has not received any formal complaints about the properties or sales. Based on these allegations, A&E is taking all episodes featuring Mr. Leccima off the air pending further investigation of the claims. After the second season of Flip This House, A&E decided to change direction and focus on different cast members, as we did after the first season when another controversial situation happened, and we no longer work with Mr. Leccima or Trademark Properties."
Mr. Leccima has suggested that A&E and Flip This Houses production company knew what was going on.
"Ask anybody who works in television how a reality show is made and you'll find that ours was a very typical approach", Leccima told The AP.