“You just don’t want to push a lesbian too far, because they can be tough. And I love the lesbians.” – Jeff Lewis
It’s clear from the outset of the fourth season of Flipping Out that Jeff Lewis’ design business is doing very well. Of course, that doesn’t mean that Jeff himself is. In fact, it looks like he may be on the verge of flipping out more than ever.
To back up a step, I continue to find Flipping Out to be one of the more watchable reality shows on television, mostly on the strengths and weaknesses of Lewis’ personality. He encompasses some of the best and many of the worst traits that you’d want to have in a boss, for starters. He’s passionate about what he does, which is always a nice thing to be around, and has an OCD-focus on perfection in the work that he performs for his clients and houses.
However, being around the guy for too long in a subservient position makes you an automatic target for a constant stream of underhanded comments, sarcasm, lashing out, and occasional full on panic attacks. There are times when I have an almost visceral reaction to the way this guy treats his team. Perhaps there’s something cathartic in this, and at the same time consoling in that I and we don’t have to deal with this guy in real life.
I can’t help but think that now that Lewis has survived the massive real estate downturn and (seemingly) successfully transitioned from solely flipping houses for profit on his own to a medley of paid design projects, consulting work, and some smattering of flipping (which, interestingly, we haven’t seen much of as yet), he is still dealing with the emotional trauma of the bust. Additionally, Lewis is clearly devastated about the breakup of his friendship and business relationship with Ryan Brown, so I couldn’t help thinking at times that he is unmoored and unstable in a way that we haven’t quite seen before.
The firm has taken on a slew of new clients, leaving Jeff and poor assistants Jenni, Sarah, and Trace racing around greater LA for a constant stream of client meetings. Jeff alludes to eating one meal a day as he consumes a several course fast food meal of a double burger, fries, and chicken nuggets while in the car. Jenni especially takes the brunt of Jeff’s attacks this week, feeling extreme levels of heat for forgetting a potential client’s phone number at one point, and for mistakenly thinking that a light was red when it was not at another. This dovetails into another pet theory of mine: Jeff feels closest to longtime assistant Jenni, so therefore works the hardest at berating her and pushing her away.
Jeff and team have also taken to bouts of martini drinking in the evenings (house assistant Jett mixes up a special Jeff Lewis Martini, replete with olives stuffed with goat cheese). What’s fascinating and not a little bit disturbing is when Trace mentions offhandedly that Jeff “discourages” his team to eat dinner at the office, so that everyone ends up getting “liquored up” as they are forced to stay at work past 9pm. And meanwhile he is setting everyone on edge with a barrage of commentary about how he’s ready to lay off people who are not “putting money in his pocket.”
Did I mention that Jeff Lewis is the kind of boss that would make most people look for the closest open window, for the purpose of leaping out of forthwith? Perhaps that can be a spinoff series for Bravo: Leaping Out.
From Around the Web: Flipping Out, “Hot Streak, Lots of Baggage”
- TV Squad: I think if there’s one person who’s ready to bolt, it’s Zoila. Zoila has the “lazy gene” according to Jeff. Fortunately, the housekeeper takes the brunt of Jeff’s criticism in stride, even when asked to train the dogs and clean up the cat poop in the bathtub. But couldn’t Jeff just once let the woman have some time to herself? She had to lie about getting a bikini wax just to get out of the house! At least he wasn’t around when she was watching her telenovela.
Some stats and info about Flipping Out, “Hot Streak, Lots of Baggage”
TV SHOW – Flipping OutSEASON/EPISODE – Season 4, Episode 1
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – Bravo
CAST – Jeff Lewis, Jenni Pulos, Zoila Chavez
GENRE – Reality TV, Docuseries, Trashtastic TV
This review was originally published on TV Geek Army.