Flipping Out

"Flipping Out" is a Bravo reality series that focuses on the real estate business in Los Angeles. The show premiered on Bravo on July 31, 2007. The realtor the show follows is Jeff Lewis, an obsessive compulsive, yet highly successful businessman. The show looks at his life, his diverse group of assistants and helpers, and the multimillion-dollar homes that he buys and sells for profit, known as flipping. His assistants include his business partner Ryan (a former boyfriend), his housekeeper named Zoila, his assistants Jenni and Steve, and his "trash guy," Chris (Jenni's husband). We also get to see his spiritual advisors, psychics, and therapists to round out Jeff's dysfunctional family that includes a lot of drama and confrontation.

Jeff was born in Orange County, California in 1970. He attended the University of Southern California and Chapman University, getting a pre-Law and Political Science major in 1993. After graduation, he began working in real estate as an agent. He began working as a real estate speculator in 1999. After purchasing properties, he renovates them and sells them for a profit. He obsesses over his pets - two cats and two dogs. He also goes to therapy, uses the services of mediums and psychics, and has had exorcisms performed on his house.

Ryan Brown has a degree from the University of California, San Diego in Neuroscience. He once planned to attend medical school, but instead moved to Europe to become a fashion photographer. Once back in Los Angeles, he and his brother started a design business. He started a business relationship with Jeff, and then the two became romantically involved, but later broke up. Ryan is used to Jeff's eccentric ways and always remains calm during his rants.

Jenni Pulos Elwood grew up in Scottsdale Arizona. She attended the University of California, Los Angeles majoring in Theater & Film with a Political Science minor. In addition to being Jeff's assistant, she is an actor, voice actor, and rapper. She sometimes thinks Jeff is crazy, but admits that crazy is often very close to genius. Jeff thinks Jenni is his best assistant, despite the fact that he has fired her three times. She is married to Chris.

Chris was born in Cleveland, Ohio, but lived in Atlanta after high school. After he divorced his first wife, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. He met Jenni and the two later married. You may recognize him from the MTV show "Punk'd" as one of Ashton Kutcher's wingmen. He is often referred to as the "trash guy" or the third house assistant. His main job is to clean up the job sites. Because he and Jenni are both actors, they sometimes frustrate Jeff when they put acting jobs before his work. Like Jenni, Chris too has been fired many times, only to be rehired.

Steve Bowman grew up in San Francisco, but moved to New York after high school to act. After graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Oakland, he moved to Los Angeles. Steve's official title is "First House Assistant" and he gets most of the duties Jenni refuses to perform. Part of his job duties are to clean up after Jeff's pets, get lunch and coffee and any other menial taski Jeff gives him.

Zoila was born in Nicaragua, but moved to the United States in 1987 after divorcing her husband. She lives in Jeff's house as his fulltime housekeeper. Jeff calls her lazy when she says she needs to rest after 15 minutes of work, but he knows she takes very good care of his pets. While Jeff often blows his cool, Zoila rarely loses her temper.

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