Flea Market Flip Season 13 Episode 5

So, I am not sure if you all caught it or not, but I was featured on the show Flea Market Flip. I was so bummed I couldn’t give all of you a true heads up about it, but the schedule was never updated on their website so someone literally reached out to me day of  that it was airing and so I posted to Facebook and Instagram. So, anyway I figured now I can officially share about it on here now that the episode has aired. You can find the episode on my sideboard on Youtube. I will just share some photos of the 3 days we filmed and the background of how we got onto the show and the highlight of it all. Of course a little background on how the show really works and if you missed the episode you’ll have to wait til the end of the post to find out if we won or not.

So, if you’re not familiar with the Show “Flea Market Flip” it’s a show that use to air on HGTV, but now is on the network Great American Country channel. I was surprised too when we were filming to find that out as I think I was more excited knowing I would be on an HGTV episode, but all is good. We did have to buy the network from our cable company but ended up watching at my mom and dad’s house. I wanted to make sure we bought the channel though so we could have it on DVR until it officially launches on the website.

Okay, so it all began when I had a casting agent reach out to me for the show. She had heard about me through Charlotte another local tri-state blogger (her blog is At Charlotte’s House) and she had filmed a few years back. So, they look for local couples or friends that can flip furniture and having a blog and knowing other bloggers is what helped open that door a bit. Initially we have to do a phone call, fill out paperwork, and then finally do a Facetime interview with one of the producers. I decided to bring my very best friend and partner in DIY crime…my hubby. After about a month and a half in the process we were officially casted for the show. They let you know ahead of time that you will be filming 3 days between the months of April and August and you have to give them all the days not available. A few weeks later we got our dates and of course picked out our outfits and we were ready for Day 1.

Day 1

So, day 1 was my least favorite as it was a 12 hour filming day and we filmed end of April and it was super cold that day and rainy. I mean in the episode you don’t even see how much rain we got but the entire Flea Market was a muddy mess. It’s like the one thing I think anyone that filmed that day can remember because we basically shivered all day our hair was no way what we had hoped it would look like…and forget the cute shoes. I remember thinking that day what did we get ourselves into. So, you also film with some of the other pairs from other episodes. Its part of why the day was so long as they stop and film each pair and episode and you do a lot of waiting around until you’re up for your next interview or shopping. The filming part was fun but they for sure make you say a lot of “corny” things that you’re not the most comfortable saying, and forget the smack talk. I never felt more uncomfortable in my life trying to smack talk people I’ve never met lol. We had a few minutes to film with Lara and I was grateful for that as she did find our very best piece to flip and sell. If you’re not familiar with the show they give you $500 to start with to shop for products and only a little bit of time to actually track down the items you want. They also provide you with a list of “flip themes” for each project which makes it a bit more challenging.  The two items I had picked I absolutely loved but I totally ran out of time on our one item and ended up just picking anything. Though it was a last minute buy…it turned out to be a really nice piece in the end.

Day 2

Probably the most fun of all the days as you film with just your team and the crew and you get to meet the super talented carpenters and finally get to see your DIY projects turn out the way you had envisioned. What I loved most was that my projects for once weren’t compromised or needed a plan B. See, hubby, though he’s handy he also is not the best with most of the projects I come up with. Usually there’s something wrong with them and I have to just accept it how it came out. So, to have projects that I’ve created in my head and have the help from the pros on the show…was the best part for me. Nothing was compromised and everything turned out exactly how I had envisioned it.

This day is a little shorter then the first more of an 8 hour day. You do get your hands dirty and have to work on your projects but the carpenters do a lot of the work which is fabulous. You have about 3 carpenters each which really helps to get the projects completed as you film a lot in between. Oh and they also feed you-bonus! We had Chinese food this day which I wouldn’t say is the best when filming since the last thing you need is extra bloat-lol-

Lara comes in sometime in the afternoon checks out the projects and has a few inputs on them. She recommended not adding the colored string to our silk spool table, but I passed on listening and I was glad I did. She has a lot of great ideas but there are a few that even the other team didn’t cave into.

The AFTER

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Day 3

So, this was the most relaxed of the 3. As you don’t have to shop or create, but sell. Even though by the last 2 hours we had still not sold a thing so that’s when the sweat started dripping. We had such a beautiful day though,as it was filmed in June. We filmed at the Long Island City Flea Market which was much smaller then the Stormville in Upstate, that we shopped at originally. A great little city Flea as there are not nearly as many vendors and less vintage finds here. They filmed our episode with other episodes as well though all of our tents were far apart. The team kind of gave us the advice to not put our prices higher then $300 and once we got the tags on we began our selling and haggling. The other team sold all 3 of their pieces very early on, and we were completed shocked. We ultimately had more traffic and more people stopping to look, and almost sold 2 of the 3 to a woman in Tennessee. Unfortunately, the show will not ship so our options was to drive it to her house. We really thought about it and the lady was so sweet too…but ultimately the producers convinced us to wait it out a little longer because that was a big commitment. I totally agreed too! So, first item to sell was the item I liked the least at the buy day. Funny too, I knew it would be the first to sell. It turned out so pretty and it was definitely functional too for a city space and for storage. Then we finally sold our silk spool coffee table that we couldn’t believe took as long as it did since it was the piece that got the most attention. Then about 10 mins left we had a couple stop by and check out our suitcase console table. With a little haggling and minutes left in the competition we shook hands and settled on the price of $205. What I thought may make or break us because I was hoping to sell it for a little more.

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So the reality show then sets in as Lara had filmed with some of the other episodes that day and we had sold out at this point when she finally got to our tent. They do a little faking it with the filming and pretend she was dropping in before the sale starts and in between the sales. We had to put our best acting faces on and roll with it…which it totally understandable in TV. I felt that most of the show was very real and not staged so making these few adjustments for television is totally normal. If you didn’t know this I use to work at Kleinfeld Bridal in the city where they film the show “Say Yes to the Dress” and it was the same thing there. Mostly reality but as TV goes they have to re-take and fib a little.

So now for the who won…

So, both teams had sold out and if you know the show, it’s who made the most margins. So who bought less and sold more basically. We had no idea at this point what the other team bought for as you have to keep that from each other. I knew they sold their dresser for a lot and so that had me worried. Once Lara had the results in her hand and started going over what the other team spent on one of their items and I realized it was low. So, she asked us if selling our last piece made us the winner?…and I said “I don’t know” (because I really didn’t) the camera paused and then the results…it did! We WON! I couldn’t believe it! a $5,000 prize which was such a blessing. We totally needed that money too this year and I felt God’s hand was over this entire process. The day worked out how most of our life does…we are hanging by a thread starting to worry and then God just wipes all that worry away.

It truly was a blessed experience and we absolutely loved the cast and our competing team were so sweet. They make you look like you’re in deep competition with them but ultimately when the cameras go off we are sitting and chatting and complementing each other’s pieces and just wishing each other the best of luck. Of course you want to win and I feel so blessed that we did, but really the experience is what you come back with and then watching the episode air it just brings back those 3 days all over again. Something hubby and I will remember the rest of our lives.

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