gut renovation

These beefy Aussie strippers want to show you their nuts (and bolts) in this new home makeover show

By · 15 comments · Updated on January 26, 2024
Image Credit: ‘Flip the Strip,’ HGTV

Over the years, there have been countless renovation and home makeover shows on television, which is why it’s a little surprising that only just now did someone have the good sense to make one featuring hot, shirtless handymen.

Don’t they know that a huge chunk of their viewership is women and gay men?

Well, someone at HGTV deserves a raise for finally delivering what we never knew we always wanted: A home design series where the renovation crew and team of craftsmen is made up entirely of hunky male strippers!

But the Las Vegas-set Flip The Strip (great title—another stroke of genius for the folks over there at HGTV) isn’t quite as random as it sounds.

Yes, the hunky handymen do, indeed, moonlight as dancers—specifically as stars of the stage show Australia’s Thunder From Down Under at The Strip’s iconic Excalibur Hotel & Casino. But, prior to joining the revue, they all had experience in construction and/or home renovation.

Now, they’re launching a house-flipping business of their own with the help of interior designer Kelly Stone. According to People, the six-episode first season will find them beefing up six different places in the Vegas area, “turn[ing] their clients’ cookie cutter homes into glitzy desert oases.”

Image Credit: ‘Flip the Strip,’ HGTV

Not unlike Queer Eye, where each of the Fab Five has an area of expertise, all four members of the team (let’s call them… the Ab Four?) have a a specific role to play. There’s project manager Dan Paterson, painter Liam Black, carpenter Ben Cleary, and the “do-it-all” demo expert, Malik Wills-Martin.

And don’t worry: We’lll show you more of who’s who in just a moment.

Speaking with People, Paterson says the following: “Between Ben, Malik, Liam and I, we have a ton of experience in the construction industry from our time before joining the cast of Australia’s Thunder from Down Under. We are here in the United States to perform, but we also want to try our hand at building a business and delivering the best possible renovations to our clients.”

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As with any home “reno” show, the main goal is the client’s happiness, which mean delivering the home of their dreams. But the Thunder From Down Under know well that there are other ways to make people happy, and you’ll be delighted to hear that, yes, they spend most of their time on the show shirtless.

In other words, Flip The Strip will bring a whole new meaning to the idea of “interior design porn.”

Muscles, Aussie accents, and a little home makeover fun? Oh, we will be tuning in when the series premieres on HGTV July 10. You can watch a brief teaser below, and then scroll down to see more from our stripper-handymen:

Dan Paterson

Liam Black

Ben Cleary

Malik Wills-Martin

Related:

WATCH: Designer Orlando Soria on his new HGTV show “Build Me Up”

Catch up with designer Orlando Soria about his new series on HGTV, creating your ideal space in the time of quarantine, and the importance of voting this fall.

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