A Bayport couple who buy, remodel and resell homes are costarring in Flip to a Million, a new HGTV reality show premiering in August, just before their decor store debuts in Sayville.
Jon and Dani Wrobel compete against fellow professional house flippers Jason and EJ Williams of Chicago as the two couples try their luck in Dallas, starting with a budget of only $1,000 each. As the name of the show suggests, the challenge is to turn that seed money into six figures. The public will get a chance to meet the Wrobels during the upcoming soft opening of their store, True Place, which is also set to open in August.
“We love to just make houses beautiful again,” says Dani. “A house is not just four walls and a roof. We really like to put our whole heart and soul into every flip that we do.”
Flip to a Million puts a fresh spin on the house-flipping competition reality show genre that HGTV has popularized. In six one-hour episodes, it follows both families as they start their businesses from scratch in an unfamiliar city while working to turn an investment property into a $1 million sale over six months — and in the Wrobels case, while also raising kindergartener twins.
“We didn’t know where we were going,” Jon says. “They told us like a surprise, ‘OK, this is the city you’re going to.’ We didn’t have much time. We immediately left New York, went to this city with no connections and started from the ground up.”
The series, narrated by HGTV star Alison Victoria and produced by Kinetic Content LLC, opens with the couples packing up their families’ homes and moving to Texas. Upon arrival, each couple researches the local real estate market, develops new contacts and strategize how to get the money they need to achieve their goal. For example, the Williams use the proceeds from a bathroom remodeling project they’re hired for and the Wrobels invest in a flippable property with the finder’s fee they earn on a house sale.
The Wrobels say the concept of the show is to show viewers that anyone can do what they do,if they just put their minds to it. For them, the first step was responding to HGTV’s nationwide casting call that their realtor had passed along in 2019.
“It seemed too good to be true,” Dani recalls, noting that she called the casting director because “you miss 100% of the opportunities you don’t take.”
The show also explores the family dynamics at play beyond the couples’ work, which for the Wrobels also meant moving their three dogs.
“It was definitely hard moving to Texas for the six, seven months that we were there, leaving our home,” Dani says. “We love the water. Texas is not known for the water.”
The series juxtaposes the different approaches each couple takes in tackling their respective home renovation projects. Of course, there’s a lot of trial and error along the way.
“There’s no right or wrong way to do things,” Jon says of the competing styles.
As for the Wrobels’ style, clients and viewers seeking to replicate the flippers’ aesthetic in their abodes will be able to get their hands on the couple’s home goods at True Place, their decor and lifestyle store coming to downtown Sayville.
“We’re really excited, this is going to be our flagship location,” Jon says. “We’re going to have a design studio where our clients can come and see on a big screen the makeup of their house. It really brings both our worlds into one.”
The couple will be at the store for a meet and greet during Sayville Summerfest, which runs Aug. 5-7.
“It just feels like the right time,” Dani says. “We’ve worked with client renovations where I’ve gone shopping with them after renovations to stage their home. Now we’re kind of bringing it back home … where they go to renovate their home they can now be inspired by the store and products that we carry, that we believe in, to make their home more beautiful.”
The couple describes their approach as modern traditional, while taking care to restore and enhance notable existing characteristics of a home. They favor the functionality of open concepts.
“Open concept allows people to freely move regardless of the disability they have,” Jon says.
“We see an increase in the older population with the Baby Boomers. So there is a big need for universal function and universal design.”
Not only will viewers get to know the Wrobels and their style better once Flip to a Million premiers, the couple has also learned a lot about themselves through the process.
“We knew we were a strong family unit and we could get through anything, but there was a little bit of stress,” Dani says. “We learned that we can pretty much get through anything … We’re stronger for it. We never want to regret not doing it.”
Jon adds: “Each day’s a new challenge. If you look at things like, ‘How am I going to get to $1million with only $1,000?’ And you just start stressing out, you’re not going to get to where you’re going.”
Flip to a Million premiers 9 p.m. Monday, Aug. 1 on HGTV and will be available to stream on discovery+
True Place Co. is located at 66 Main St. in Sayville. For more information visit trueplaceco.com.
