Property BrothersJonathan and Drew Scott are real estate darlings. The identical twins have carved out a niche for themselves on HGTV, where they help couples turn a fixer-upper into their forever dream home—all while sticking to a modest budget. They’ve cataloged 14 seasons and flipped hundreds of properties. But for one pair of newlyweds, the journey to building their white picket fence has been anything but a fairytale.
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After tying the knot in 2018, Paul and Mindy King forwent their honeymoon to star in HGTV’s hit renovation series Property Brothers. In an interview with 8 News Now, the Las Vegas couple recalled signing a contract to have their newly purchased home remodeled under the guidance and expertise of the Scott brothers.
Paul and Mindy forked over $200,000 upon agreement, a seemingly worthwhile investment. However, ever since their episode aired, the Kings have been in an ongoing and contentious legal battle with the show’s production company.
Property Brothers has always aired on HGTV. At the time of filming, the show was backed by the production company Cineflix. (The brothers have since launched their own entertainment company.) According to court filings obtained by 8 News Now, the Kings are suing Cineflix, as well as contractors and subcontractors that the company hired, for conducting poor work.
“They’re making their millions of dollars. Their fame. They’re living their lifestyle based off of people like us, that put our trust into them,” Mindy told 8 News Now.
In their lawsuit, which was filed in January 2021, the Kings claim that Cineflix wasn’t licensed in Nevada. Additionally, the couple claims that the production company outsourced the work to unqualified contractors and subcontractors who allegedly violated several building codes.
The pair said they’re locked into a “David versus Goliath” battle but refuse to back down until justice is restored. “They put the fear of God in you, and I’m not going to let that happen to us or anybody else,” Mindy stated.
The Kings said, “Our house looks good when you walk in because they built a TV set.” But what’s lying underneath the sparkling exterior is “dangerous," they claim.
“Sludge and sewer were leaking out, disintegrating the cabinet,” Mindy explained to 8 News Now during a home tour. Since production wrapped, their sink has also caved in and their kitchen range is inoperable due to “the wrong size gas line.”
At one point, their home was also considered a biohazard because of mold and brown residue accumulating in their dishwasher.
“Every time we had turned on the kitchen sink, once the water would hit the garbage disposal, it would backflow into the dishwasher,” Mindy shared.
A test conducted by the Southern Nevada Health District confirmed the bacteria was harmful. “It was actually deemed a biohazard and removed by a hazmat company over the summer,” Mindy shared.
Paul said these “serious, expensive issues” have created a dark cloud over what was supposed to be an exciting time in their lives. Because of the issues at hand, their home is subject to Chapter 40, which dictates that they cannot sell the property until these issues are resolved.
“We can’t sell a house where there is all these deficiencies and not to code,” Paul explained. “We can’t sell it but if we could we would take a huge financial hit.”
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The couple also said they’re disappointed in the lack of communication and support from the Property Brothers.
“We didn’t have a honeymoon. I didn’t get a wedding band. We took our savings because we trusted Jonathan and Drew,” Mindy shared. “Again Jonathan and Drew where are you? Why are you not helping us?”
“We can’t watch any HGTV shows ever,” Mindy added.
While the Kings have only listed Cineflix as the defendant, they are considering adding the Scott brothers to the lawsuit. According to the Daily Mail, a jury trial is scheduled for October 2024.
Best Life has reached out to Cineflix and the Property Brothers about the lawsuit and alleged claims and will update this story with their response.
