Long Island Couple To Star In New HGTV Series

BAYPORT, NY — A Long Island couple will soon showcase their house-flipping skills in America's living rooms.

Jon and Dani Wrobel, of Bayport, are the co-stars of new renovation show, "Flip to A Million", which premieres on Monday at 9 p.m. on HGTV and is available to stream on discovery+.

The couple, who have owned a real estate investment firm, True Place Company, spoke with Patch about how the show is a dream come true.

"I always loved watching HGTV ever since I was a little kid," said Dani. "I thought it was like magic to see how houses so broken down, just turned into a beautiful home."

Narrated by HGTV star Alison Victoria, the show follows the Wrobels and Jason and EJ Williams of Chicago, Illinois, as they are "dropped into" Dallas, Texas. Both couples receive an initial budget of $1,000, and must build to a $1 million house sale in just six months.

Jon and Dani, who have been married since 2014, said they learned about the show when a friend forwarded them information about a casting call.

"We were on our way to a grocery store on Sunday morning," said Dani. "I said, 'You know, Jon, I'm just going to call', and I left a message. And here we are."

After they were selected, production was put on hold for about a year and a half, Jon said.

"It wasn't until we we really landed in Texas, I really believed the whole thing," he said.

The couple, who have twin six-year-old girls, knew that uprooting their family would be a change, but felt that the show was a once-in-a-life-time opportunity.

"We never in a million years thought ever we'd be cast for this," they said. "We want to show our girls that a dream can turn into hard work, dedication, and just perseverance."

Unlike other home renovation shows, this series follows each couple throughout six one-hour-long episodes. Jon told Patch that it captures the "reality" of house flipping.

"There's no glitter and glam," he said. "There are certain components that you wouldn't normally see on a house flipping show like, like budgetary issues in real time. In this show, it comes down to every penny."

Another challenge the couple faced on the show was working in a completely new environment. For example, they said it was "mind boggling" how the real estate system in Texas differs from that in New York.

"We didn't have friends or businesses to help, but we learned to do it ourselves and to improvise and try different things," Jon said.

One set of skills they brought to Texas, the couple said, was Dani's use of modifications for those with disabilities. A former occupational therapist, Dani said she incorporates function into her designs.

"The whole mindset behind OT is that regardless of a disability, if you had a stroke, an amputation, etc., — let us get you back to your house with whatever adaptions you need," she said. "Let's not have it feel like a hospital or like a skilled nursing facility. Let's have it still feel like your home."

The couple said that throughout the process, the Williams family were their greatest supporters.

"I feel like we were each other's biggest cheerleaders," they said. "Seeing someone else go through what we were going through definitely helped us get through this."

In addition to the television show, the Wrobels plan on opening their own store, True Place Co., in downtown Sayville in late August.

The home goods shop will feature decor, clothing, jewelry, and even workshops on how to flip houses.

"We've been planning on doing this for for a couple years now," said Jon. "So it's kind of cool, the how the timing worked out (with the show). We're excited."

The couple hopes that by watching "Flip to A Million", other Americans will be inspired to dream big, and recognize that everyone is on their own path.

"We never thought in a million years we'd be cast for this," said Dani. "What's cool is that it shows two couples. There's no one right way — there are two different stories, two journeys with one, the same, goal."