Though Flip or Flop’s Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa have gone their separate ways, they’re still co-parents to their two children — and still hypercompetitive when it comes to real estate. “I will flip a house against you anytime, anywhere, it doesn’t matter,” Tarek told Christina. “You will never beat me.” Christina, who shows off her design skills on Christina on the Coast and Christina in the Country, was ready to go toe-to-toe with Tarek and his new wife, Heather Rae El Moussa (who flips houses with Tarek on The Flipping El Moussas) in a battle for SoCal supremacy. The rules: Each team must find, purchase, renovate and flip a home. In each of six rounds of judging, winners receive $2,000 to boost their budgets. At the end of the competition, the team with the highest overall return on investment will enjoy eternal bragging rights. They'll also enjoy a first-class, week-long vacation at the losing team’s expense.

Scrambling to find a suitable property in just one week, Tarek and Heather found a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Long Beach. With 2,000 square feet of space and a good floor plan, the home had potential. It also had noise from the local airport and a fearsome funk. After negotiating a sale price of $710,000, they hoped to spend about $200,000 on renovations and aimed for an eventual asking price of $1.2 to $1.3 million.

The El Moussas coaxed the cramped, dated kitchen into the 21st century by reimagining it with a neutral, “modern-zen” feel. They aimed to knock down interior walls to create an open-plan space, then add in an expansive island with a family-friendly attached dining table. The laundry room would become a “dirty kitchen” for stashing dishes and prep materials while entertaining, and a bar with custom wine storage would make the home memorable.

Keen to demonstrate Christina isn't the only competitor with design chops, Heather lobbied for high-impact, bespoke details like custom cabinetry in contrasting white oak and walnut.