Top 6 controversies from 'Christina on the Coast': From Christina Hall's contractor fraud to professional misconduct
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Christina Hall, a popular HGTV personality, has earned tons of money from her hit reality show 'Christina on the Coast', which first premiered on HGTV in the year 2019.
Each episode of the show typically features a couple or client expressing their desire for a more aesthetically pleasing or practical home, with Christina presenting her innovative design concepts.
Despite the show's success, Christina has faced some backlash over the years, including accusations of refusing to collaborate with female colleagues on the set of her HGTV program and a controversy involving a contractor scam.
'Christina on the Coast' star Christina Hall's contractor scam
Renovations can be risky, as shown on an episode of 'Christina on the Coast' Season 4 where clients had to deal with challenging problems, including living in their home with a partially open roof for three months in Huntington Beach, California.
The renovation project, which lasted almost a year, involved converting the homeowners' closet and crawl space into a large primary bathroom by raising the ceiling and redoing the roof. The contractor underestimated a mistake in the plans, resulting in a three-month delay instead of the initially expected two weeks.
The engineer working on the project incorrectly assumed the direction of the floor joists, leading to inaccuracies in the framing plans. This mistake caused delays in construction as the team had to redesign and resubmit plans to the city for approval. Christina described it as the worst-case scenario they have experienced, with multiple delays beyond their control.
After fixing the roof, a new issue emerged with water damage in the bathroom due to the old waterproof paper being wet. This required replacing the stucco on one side of the house and the old paper, costing an additional $6,000 and causing a further delay.
Christina took her clients to Shakti Sound Bath in Malibu to help them relax and de-stress during the renovation process. She believed that everyone could benefit from some healing.
Despite facing numerous challenges during the renovation process, the homeowners ultimately found it to be worth the effort. They felt rejuvenated and calm after experiencing a sound bath in their newly renovated bedroom, which now serves as a peaceful sanctuary for them after their demanding work in the emergency room.
'Christina on the Coast' host Christina Hall's refusal to work with women
In January 2024, Christina Hall delivered a stern statement directed towards people who had been spreading malicious and damaging allegations regarding her professional integrity and conduct. Hall expressed her deep disappointment and frustration at the baseless and hurtful accusations being made against her in relation to her business practices.
On January 26, 2024, the 'Christina on the Coast' star addressed rumors on her Instagram page about her allegedly refusing to work with women in the past. She shared a photo with some of her current colleagues, emphasizing her commitment to working with all individuals regardless of gender.
“Side note. Recently a coworker of mine told me a former employer told him I refused to work with women because I was some sort of ?? Not sure what the word is because I don’t identify with whatever it is," she wrote.
The reality TV star added, “I’ve always worked with females so that’s a load of s--- and highly offensive. My current ‘Christina on the Coast’ team is the most fun and on point it’s ever been and I see a lot of females here. So to those who love to throw stones that’s just your own internal struggle ✌🏼.”
'Christina on the Coast' star Christina Hall's wedding to Ant Anstead
The eighth episode of Season 1 of 'Christina on the Coast' was titled 'Wedding Special,' where viewers witnessed Christina Hall and Ant Anstead embarking on a house hunt as they decided to move in together. With the pressure of renovating and moving into their dream home before their secret wedding, the couple raced against time to make it all happen.
The romantic wedding took place at their California home, with Christina's children from her previous marriage with Tarek El Moussa, as well as Ant's children from his previous marriage, Amelie and Archie, participating in the ceremony.
Later on, Christina also shared the news that she was pregnant at the time of their wedding. Their joy was further amplified when they welcomed their first child together in September 2019. However, their happiness was short-lived as a year later, the couple shocked fans with the announcement of their split, leading to a messy and public breakup.
'Christina on the Coast' star Christina Hall's client's DIY demolition work
Christina Hall has encountered many homeowners who have made unexpected mistakes. In an episode of 'Christina on the Coast' Season 4, one of her clients decided to do some DIY demolition despite being advised against it.
During their initial visit to the Tudor home in San Clementine, California, Christina and her partner James Bender saw that the homeowner wanted to remove a portion of a shear wall in the kitchen. The quote for this was $100,000, so the homeowners chose to renovate their outdoor space instead. This small discovery hinted at future challenges with the renovation project.
Christina and Bender were surprised to discover that one of the homeowners had started demolishing their kitchen without waiting for the design plan to be finalized or for their team to begin the demolition process. This was an unusual situation for the design duo.
Bender commented on the homeowner's impatience after noticing they had removed the kitchen cabinetry, part of the tiled backsplash, and created another hole in the wall before eventually taking it down.
Christina's team was surprised when the homeowner said he had finished his part of the demo, but they later discovered he had actually removed the home's dumbwaiter himself. His wife was relieved that professionals were finally handling the renovation, as she had come home every day to find more of the house demolished by her husband.
She noticed that the client had also demonstrated the fireplace, even though it wasn't part of the original plan. Fortunately, Hall approved of the change and agreed that the fireplace looked better without the wooden mantel. She agreed to give it a modern makeover.
Even though demolition is not a common task for home renovations, it did not cause any major issues in this project. The total cost for renovating the kitchen, living room, deck, and bar was $235,189.
'Christina on the Coast' star Christina Hall calls her parents her 'toughest client'
In the upcoming fifth season of 'Christina on the Coast', viewers will witness Christina taking on a unique challenge as she renovates her own parents' home. During a recent interview with Parade magazine, the 40-year-old HGTV star shared her excitement about featuring her mom and dad in the upcoming season, which is scheduled to premiere on July 11, 2024.
"I'm actually doing my parents' house this season. That's a good one. And they actually didn't follow my advice, so that was fun," Christina told the media outlet.
She went on to say, "They're my toughest client."
Despite being her toughest clients, Christina was pleased with the final result, even though her parents didn't fully embrace her suggestions for opening up the floor plan. She admitted that she had hesitated to take on the project, knowing that it would be a difficult task, but ultimately found the renovation process to be less challenging than expected.
'Christina on the Coast' star Christina Hall's T-Shirt controversy
Being a celebrity in the public eye like designer Christina Hall means constantly being followed and bothered by the paparazzi, as she discusses with her publicist Cassie Zebisch on an episode of 'Christina on The Coast: Unfiltered.'
Cassie told Christina that her life was going to change when she started working on 'Flip or Flop,' predicting that she would be on magazine covers and have paparazzi outside her house. However, Christina initially didn't believe her and thought no one would care.
Christina often forgets to check her outfit before leaving the house and sometimes realizes she is wearing something strange. Ben then asked if she has ever regretted her outfit choice.
Cassie then interjected to mention that Christina has a fondness for humorous slogan shirts, although they may not always be suitable for certain occasions.
Christina mentioned that after news of her relationship with Tarek became public, she unknowingly wore a shirt that said "pink champagne, can't complain," which she felt was not the most suitable choice given the circumstances.
Christina caused a stir in the gossip tabloids when she was seen wearing a shirt with the phrase "can't complain," leading to headlines focusing on this detail. Now, she has moved on to the next phase of her life and has gained the ability to not be affected by such news.
'Christina on the Coast' Season 5 premieres on July 11, 2024, at 9 pm ET on HGTV