Are Christina Haack and Heather El Moussa Design Twins? Let's Compare Flips

Real estate competition shows have a well-deserved reputation for playful pranks, high-spirited trash talk and professional ego clashes. That said, The Flip Off — during which Tarek and Heather El Moussa go head to head in a house flipping battle against Tarek's ex-wife and former flipping partner, Christina Haack — happens to be a standout, even within the genre itself.

Knowing how ultra-competitive these opponents are, it's no surprise this face-off included off-the-book reconnaissance missions and even a specially designed spy drone. However, what’s shocking to judges and renovators is what all the spying has revealed: It seems like Christina and Heather are … designing the same house? We’ll explain.

White Oak Reigns Supreme

Christina’s renovated kitchen reflects prospective buyers’ ongoing love affair with pale, luxurious hardwood, an on-trend material consumers across the country are bringing into their homes — and a particular favorite for Southern Californians. In the first week of competition, Christina looked to seal the deal with white oak cabinetry and matching flooring that would carry throughout her flip in the weeks to come.

Heather’s newer to the flipping game, but, like Christina, she knows her market well and also reached for white oak cabinetry to anchor her kitchen. Both spaces feature crisp, white range hoods and architectural contemporary pendants. Both are staged with tasteful, minimalistic smatterings of neutral ceramics. So far, so strategic.

Fluting Is Having a Moment

Heather created a memorable tableau in the sitting area beyond her dining room by surrounding the fireplace with a custom-fluted plaster surround. The treatment cost a pretty penny, but she knew it would deliver the quiet luxury she developed throughout the house to entice high-end buyers.

Christina deployed near-identical fluting in the second-floor guest bedroom she designed later in the competition — a sophisticated feature that created a textural backdrop for the desk niche in her built-in cabinetry. Let’s talk about this particular feature in more detail, shall we?

The Case of the Dueling Wow Factors

Tasked with building a “wow factor” into her guest suite, Christina built a hidden strip of LED lighting at eye level, where all her fluting transitions to the lime-washed upper portion of the wall. The clean line of light looks especially cool above a pale upholstered bed.

And guess who else thought so?

Heather’s guest suite “wow factor” is also an eye-level LED installation above a pale upholstered bed — a detail that rocked guest judge Ant Anstead (who, unlike Heather and Christina, saw the finished spaces back to back). “There must be some kind of conspiracy going on!” he said. “It’s kind of weird!”

Ant then continued on to judge the guest baths, where …

Christina and Heather Chose the Same Floor Tile

Heather knew this particular case of twinning was in store, since Christina tasked her with picking up and delivering said tile after purchasing it with the previous challenge’s $2,000 winnings. Ant, on the other hand, was spooked again: “In a world of available tiles — like, I imagine there’s millions of tiles — you guys chose the same tile!” he marveled.

The glass walls and rectangular shampoo niches are also (cough) not dissimilar, but there are only so many ways to finish a shower in a small bath, right? You don’t have the kind of freedom you have when, say, designing a vanity area.

The Mirrors and Sconces Match Too

What are the odds Christina and Heather both chose an irregular mirror and installed a pair of minimalistic contemporary sconces to its left?

“It feels like [you] collaborated because you guys are so weirdly connected,” Ant told Heather and Christina. “You don’t even realize the similarity between your projects, [and it’s] wild to me! Did you know that you guys bought the same sconce lights?!”

That would be the Astr white onyx sconce from CB2, if you’re looking to get in on this action. Ant declared the design category a draw, noting that there were “loads of other weird similarities” between Heather’s and Christina’s flip designs.

Verdict: Consider a Spinoff?

Christina, Heather and Tarek weren’t especially ruffled by the revelation that they shared so much design DNA. They’re co-parents who have worked hard to ensure their unusual dynamic is a healthy one, and they make regular appearances in each other’s lives and homes. They’ve also mastered the art of joining forces on social media.

Just putting it out there, Christina and Heather: You'd be quite the design duo.