“It’s not like I can complain to Human Resources because Jenni’s Human Resources, so I’d be complaining to Jenni about Jenni.” – Jeff
We’ve seen Jeff berate his staff members over the years, but he always seems to save a particular level of vitriol for executive assistant Jenni (and never more so than during this season). According to Jeff, every detail is critical, every minor mistake devastating and punishable in different ways (including humiliation via wearing the Hazmat-like suit in public and in front of clients).
Here’s the quintessential example that proves while Jeff Lewis is obviously a talented and ambitious guy, and may well be a fine person to be around at a dinner party or social occasion, he’s an absolute nightmare as a boss. The beauty is that it all comes out during a 30 second piece of footage.
Jeff and Jenni are visiting an active remodel on New York Dr. in Altadena, and Jenni is trying to get Jeff’s attention by running down some of the (absolutely critical) details specific to that worksite. Jeff, holding a large piece of bubble wrap, plays the game that whenever Jenni speaks, he goes into full bubble wrap popping mode, and when she stops speaking, he stops. And lather, rinse, repeat.
Hilarious when you’re eight years old, mildly amusing (perhaps and if but briefly) if you’re goofing around with friends or co-workers during some downtime, but a misery to endure if your boss is a guy looking to demolish you under his well-manicured thumb at the first feint sign of error.
Jenni, we feel for you is what we’re trying to say.
And then things got worse: Jenni misplaced Jeff’s precious “day planner,” which precipitated a Level 5 full on Jeff Lewis Freak Out. Immediately, the rash threats began. “If you lost the schedule, you lost your job. I’m not kidding,” and so forth.
As it turned out, it was simply left behind at Casa Vega and a quick turnaround in the car rescued it forthwith. However, as is the Jeff Lewis Way, that simply meant that the true infliction of emotional damage could truly begin. “You understand why I’m now gonna carry it, right?” he whines. “You now can’t be trusted with this so I now have to carry it.”
The second half of the episode deals with Trace graduating from college and ascending to working for Jeff Lewis design full time. Trace takes on this promotion with the right tone of trepidation to his credit. Needless to say, he could have not have known how boorish and obscene his first official client, Chuck from Orlando, would turn out to be.
Jeff and Jenni end up having to “rescue” Trace from a margarita-soaked lunch at Hamburger Mary’s in which the client is becoming increasingly aggressive. That is to say, right after the rescue squad arrives, Chuck literally gropes Jenni’s breasts several times and then slaps Trace with full speed right across the jaw.
In the face of True Crazy, Jeff could only sit frozen as events played out. Jenni showed extraordinary poise for her part in leading Chuck away from the table so that Trace could make a getaway and so that everyone could compose themselves.
Jeff finally realizes later how valuable Jenni is to the firm. But with the way he treats his employees, could anyone but a masochist survive for long working for him?
More thoughts on this edition of Flipping Out:
- “You know, it’s tough because I really bite my tongue a lot.” – Jeff. Uhh… really?
- “Nobody knows what he is.” – Zoila, with regard to Trace’s sexual orientation. And then Jeff leads out a conversation about how “everyone knows” due to Trace’s “short shorts and his man purse” as a very embarrassed-looking Trace looks on.
- “Just an absent-minded mess.” – Jeff to Jenni
- I guess Jeff Lewis Design has not yet entered the mobile technology device era, what with its magical data backup capabilities, but that’s a different issue.
- “It’s not like I can complain to Human Resources because Jenni’s Human Resources, so I’d be complaining to Jenni about Jenni.” – Jeff
- “I can handle crazy people because I work for one.” – Trace
Some stats and info about Flipping Out, “Never According to Planner”
TV SHOW – Flipping OutSEASON/EPISODE – Season 4, Episode 9
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.