Jeff Lewis flips houses on a regular basis, and not even the economy stands in his way. For six seasons he has helmed Flipping Out, the show that surrounds a break down. He brought along friend Jenni Pulos as a loyal sidekick to bounce his humor and anger off of. His partner Gage, housekeeper Zoila and new assistant Andrew round out the cast to a show that many fans just can't get enough of—even creating a spin-off called Interior Therapy.
Watch what happens as walls come down and fights get hammered out this next season on Bravo. Windy City Times talked with Lewis and Pulos right before the season kicked off.
Windy City Times: Hello to you both. I heard you visited Chicago recently.
Jeff Lewis: Well Jenni's been there many times. She would fly across the country. That's really far away to travel for a booty call. Jenni did that for probably a good year, right, Jenny? Was it a good year?
Jenni Pulos: Oh, yes, I just wanted to hear how many times you were going to say "long-distance booty call," but, yes…
Jeff Lewis: I only said it once.
Jenni Pulos: We've been doing the long-distance thing for two years. I love Chicago.
Jeff Lewis: I do, too. I went for her wedding.
WCT: Are you going to move here, or what is the plan?
Jenni Pulos: No, he is moving to Los Angeles.
Jeff Lewis: He already moved. He moved two or three weeks ago. We had a party for him.
Jenni Pulos: We did—a dance party.
Jeff Lewis: Yes, it was. I was really hung over, to be honest with you.
WCT: What can you tell readers about the new cast member Andrew?
Jenni Pulos: Andrew is the new addition, the new assistant and—oh, get ready—he's a great…
Jeff Lewis: Piece of work.
Jenni Pulos: …addition to the office and a piece of work. Yes, I would say. There's a lot of drama.
Jeff Lewis: I had met Andrew on another job, I really liked his work and I brought him on. I did take a look at his resume—which apparently was a big lie—and then also I did ask him a lot of questions in his interview, which apparently was more lies. Did you ever see that movie The Talented Mr. Ripley?
WCT: Yes.
Jeff Lewis: This is part two, the reality-television version.
WCT: He's the gay version.
Jeff Lewis: Yes, but wasn't Matt Damon gay in the movie?
WCT: Oh, yeah. I forgot.
Jeff Lewis: It's another gay version. The problem was we had him in our house for, like, three or four months before we realized he really wasn't who he said he was. So that was a little concerning and scary. Don't you think, Jenni?
Jenni Pulos: Yes, you're going to see it all and it all unfolds. It's pretty crazy what happens.
Jeff Lewis: It's pretty nuts. I mean, you can't write this stuff. I don't understand why this keeps happening to me. I don't know if it's karma, I don't know what I did in a past life. I really don't, but it must've been really bad.
Jenni Pulos: It's a karma crock-pot. That's what I call it.
Jeff Lewis: So what did you do in a past life, Jenni, to be with me for over 11 years?
Jenni Pulos: More, I'm worse, trust me.
Jeff Lewis: You must have been a serial killer!
WCT: Since it has not been working out, what qualities do you look for in an assistant?
Jeff Lewis: Well, it is working out for some people. Jenni's been with me for over 10 years. Zoila's been with me for over 10 years. Gage and I dated for almost four years; he's been working with me for probably over two years. It's actually a good point that you brought up, because we start off this season where we're kind of floundering and we're so short-handed.
These people had been with me for several years and they all had been trained and everyone had their responsibilities. But the fact is that I need people that are dedicated, that are here for the right reasons—and that's the problem with the show: We've been doing this for six years now [and there have] been a few times where employees have come in for the wrong reasons. They want some sort of exposure or attention, and I'm looking for people that want to be in the design business and want to be here long term.
We live in Los Angeles, which is kind of a transient city anyway—where people are kind of trying to figure themselves out. I have people that are working here that don't necessarily know what they want to do and they're here just to pay the bills. I have got to weed those people out because I spend too much time training them.
WCT: You don't seem like you have been flipping out as much recently.
Jeff Lewis: After you watch this season, I think you're going to probably change your mind on that. I think it directly relates to my stress levels. I took on a lot these past six to eight months and it really affected me and I think that there's a lot of flip-outs. I think I regressed this season. Don't you think, Jenni?
Jenni Pulos: Well, I think that you've grown in many ways and then I do think that you were very stressed this season. I think it also had to do with your personal house project, amongst other things. I think, overall, you're handling things better.
What I really appreciate about Jeff this year is that when he had issues and he was frustrated, he confronted them and in a healthier way. So you'll see that on the show, both between Zoila and myself. I think there has been growth but, I think when [he piles] a lot on [his] plate, it overwhelms him and he then has outbursts.
Jeff Lewis: We started therapy this season because Zoila, Jenni and I were at an impasse. We just couldn't figure things out on our own.
WCT: Did doing the show Interior Therapy affect things this season?
Jeff Lewis: We had finished Interior Therapy before we filmed Flipping Out. I will say it affected my business because it took me away from my business for six months. Then what happened was that added to my financial stress because normally people don't want to remodel during the holidays. So normally I'm meeting in October and November with the intention to start their projects in January and February. Because I was shooting Interior Therapy right up through January, I missed the window of opportunity to book, you know, a good 12 clients. I saw my income drop in January and February. Most of the stress this season was financial.
WCT: Would you do QVC again, Jeff?
Jeff Lewis: I'm done with the QVC line and I am back to paint. It's called Jeff Lewis Color and I am hoping it will be on the shelves by November or December of this year.
WCT: I look forward to watching the new season, congrats.
Jenni Pulos: Thank you.
Flipping Out debuts new episodes every Tuesday. Visit www.bravotv.com for details and listings.
