Two Chicago-set shows, “Big City Charm” and “Windy City Rehab,” are among the shows scheduled to premiere on HGTV in the coming months.
According to a press release issued by HGTV last week, “Big City Charm” follows Southern California couple Mark and Liz Perez as they “recognize the potential in blighted properties, transform them into gems on blocks, and sell them to first-time homebuyers at prices they can afford.”
The couple seems to like the Auburn Gresham neighborhood on the South Side: Public records show that the Perezes bought a home there in 2016 for $77,000 and sold it a year later for $198,000. The Oak Lawn home they bought last year for $140,000 sold in March for $245,000.
Their series, originally known as “Flip or Flop Chicago,” is set to premiere in the fall. The couple posted photos of themselves filming here in May. The Perezes starred in the pilot episode of “Chicago Flippers,” which premiered on HGTV in February 2017.
Meanwhile, “Windy City Rehab” is set to premiere in January, and follows Allison Victoria, a Chicago native who splits her time between Chicago and Las Vegas, as she “purchases one of Chicago's oldest homes and transforms it into a dream property that will enhance the neighborhood's appeal.”
She hosted “Kitchen Crashers” for nine seasons on the DIY Network. Her series was originally called “Windy City Flip,” and its pilot episode focused on the rebuilding of Bucktown.
tswartz@tribpub.com
Twitter @tracyswartz
Originally published: July 30, 2018, 8:15am