Mindy and Paul King went on “Property Brothers” to build their dream four-bedroom, ranch-style home.
Now it’s a living HGTV hell.
The Las Vegas-based couple took a gamble on the HGTV show — starring twins Jonathan Scott, a contractor, and Drew Scott, a real estate expert — that helps couples find, buy, and remodel fixer-uppers in 2019, forgoing a honeymoon to become homeowners.
Instead, they’re suing.
And they’re not alone: other unhappy homeowners have also headed to the courts after the promise of a primetime glow-up has gone wrong.
The dark side of cheery home makeover shows is the premise of Showtime’s new dark comedy “The Curse.”
It stars Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder as an HGTV husband-and-wife team doing more harm than good for communities while turning their efforts into content — a twisted cross between “Hometown,” Chip and Joanna Gaines and “The Truman Show.”
But in real life, HGTV’s ratings machine — it and Hallmark vie to be the biggest non-news cable channels — has created casualties.
Many disgruntled denizens are fighting the network tooth and nail in lawsuits filed against the production companies and contractors affiliated with HGTV shows.
Others are taking to social media to blast its celebrity hosts for uprooting their living quarters in the name of their “biggest ever flip” – as was the case when “Flip or Flop” star Tarek El Moussa attempted to buy a property in North Hollywood, evicting long-time rent-stabilized residents.
He backed out of the project just days after they agreed on a significant move-out deal.
The Kings were promised a signature Scott Brothers look: a massive new kitchen with an island, clean looks, and high-end fixtures.
But they say their HGTV disaster began when the “reveal” was being filmed in February 2019 with the brothers.
“Our reveal took hours to film because we’re like ‘What’s wrong with this? Why does this look like this?’” Mindy told The Post.
From there, it was downhill and in 2021 they sued the show’s production company, Cineflix, and the construction company that works for the show.
They alleged in court papers that they were saddled with water intrusion, electrical code violations, and a stove grouted to the wall with drywall crushing the gas line, forcing them to heat their food outside.
“We’re living without an oven or a range,” Mindy, 49, said. “The sink fell through the counter. We can’t use our gas stove – we haven’t been able to use it in four years. I have to cook on a hot plate on my patio,” she said.
The Kings allege electrical work was faulty and done without proper permitting, and that the dishwasher became a biohazard that flooded their kitchen floor and had to be dealt with by engineers in hazmat suits.
“Nothing in our house is to code. We have black and green sludge coming out under our kitchen sink. We spent over $200,000 with the show,” Mindy told The Post, noting payment for renovations ahead of appearing on home improvement shows is typically required upfront.
They’re suing for fraud, misrepresentation, and faulty workmanship, all of which the production and construction companies deny.
The Post has reached out to HGTV and the companies for comment.
“They didn’t follow approved plans from the city; it was a total bait and switch,” Mindy said.
“They’ve never come back and fixed anything. We have pieces of metal coming through our flooring – we had to pull a piece out of my foot and my son’s foot.”
The couple also alleged in the suit being charged for high-end fixtures and instead receiving “lower quality” finishes, fixtures, and equipment. The case will go to trial next June.
Drew and Jonathan Scott are not mentioned in the lawsuit, though Mindy says she personally reached out asking both for help to no avail.
The Scott brothers did not respond to a request for comment.
“The brothers have been made aware of everything – they know the conditions we’re living in and they’ve done nothing,” King told The Post. “Neither has the production company.”
I thought everybody knew these ‘reality’ shows are all so called ‘entertainment’ with no substance. Fools and their money were soon parted.