HGTV's Christina Haack & Tarek El Moussa Didn't Play Nice On First Post-Divorce Flip Or Flop Ep

HGTV stars Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa are among the network's former couples who continued to work together despite breaking up. Their show "Flip or Flop" ran on HGTV from 2013 to 2022, even though Christina and Tarek got divorced in early 2018, formally ending nearly a decade of marriage following a rocky last couple of years. Still, Christina and Tarek's professional relationship endured and, by all accounts, the co-parents of two have now settled into a happy and healthy (if somewhat odd) dynamic with Tarek's new wife, Heather Rae El Moussa. However, while the "Flip or Flop" stars have seemingly managed to put any hard feelings between them to bed, the show's set was understandably a bit tense post-divorce. In fact, Christina and Tarek's first episode as exes was a bit awkward, and it was clear they hadn't yet settled into a new, more peaceful dynamic.

Christina and Tarek initially made the decision to separate in 2016, while production on "Flip or Flop" Season 7 was underway. The first time the couple properly acknowledged the split was in Episode 6. Needless to say, the vibe shift was immediately noticeable. Though their signature banter continued, Christina and Tarek seemed a lot more short with each other at this point, particularly after Christina questioned her ex about his new dating life. "Do I even know this guy I lived with for so many years?" Haack asked during one of her on-screen testimonials.

Of course, we can't give Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa too much flak for how they conducted themselves on camera in the immediate aftermath of their separation. After all, divorce attorney and mediator Gabrielle Hartley made it very clear to us that maintaining a professional relationship with an ex is no easy task. The same can also be said for other post-breakup dynamics where you still have to cooperate with the other person, such as co-parenting. "It's easy for old dynamics to sneak back in and create tension," Hartley explained to The List, adding, "The best advice I can give? Treat the new relationship like a professional partnership. Communicate like colleagues, not exes. And do not gossip or complain to others that are in your circles." She also noted that it's important not to "use work or parenting logistics as a way to work through unresolved emotions."

Where Christina and Tarek may have misstepped is when they decided to return to TV together so soon after they broke up. Granted, the decision may have been out of their hands, given their business obligations. But be that as it may, Hartley says that while staying friends with an ex is certainly possible, it often requires a lot of space and time in the beginning. "Give yourself time to heal, recalibrate, and shift the relationship out of its old pattern. Civility is the first goal. If friendship grows from there, great, but don't rush it. A step back is the best way forward," she said.