Why Heather Rae El Moussa's House Hunters: All Stars Appearance Was An HGTV First

HGTV stars Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae El Moussa's relationship went public in 2019. Since then, they've made a number of TV appearances together, even participating in a wedding special for HGTV titled "Tarek & Heather: The Big I Do." Most notably, they have a show on HGTV called "The Flipping El Moussas" where they combine their talents to complete exciting house flips. Heather has reality TV experience of her own, thanks to her tenure on Netflix's "Selling Sunset," which follows real estate agents at the Oppenheim Group. In an episode of "House Hunters: All Stars" that aired in April 2024, Heather made her first HGTV appearance without Tarek.

"House Hunters: All Stars" features a new HGTV star each episode. In the Season 1 episode titled "From Inland to the Beach," Heather worked with Elizabeth and Richie to match them up with their dream beachfront home in California. The couple has three children — an adult son and two younger kids who live at home. Elizabeth and Richie's goal was to move closer to the water and their son's family, now that they are grandparents to his daughter. Besides a few brief clips from "The Flipping El Moussas" that played in the episode, Tarek didn't make an appearance.

However, Tarek wasn't completely M.I.A. during Heather's "House Hunters" shoot. He appeared in some behind-the-scenes content that Heather shared on Instagram. One brief clip showed Tarek and Heather embracing when the show's cameras weren't rolling.

In one instance during Heather Rae El Moussa's behind-the-scenes Instagram video, you can see her chatting with clients Elizabeth and Richie in her and Tarek El Moussa's Newport Beach home. In the "House Hunters: All Stars" episode, that's when Heather and her clients went over what they do and don't want in their new house. In another series of clips, Heather, Elizabeth, and Richie sat in a restaurant's outdoor patio, where they weighed the pros and cons of the houses and condos they explored before revealing the final decision. There's also a BTS clip where Heather shows off her outfit for the recap — a sleek, ankle-length halter dress and pointy boots. 

In another behind-the-scenes Instagram post, Heather shared additional outfits and moments from the episode. "I am SO excited for my episode of 'House Hunters: All Stars' to premiere tomorrow at 8/7c on @HGTV!" Heather wrote in the caption. "From network to network, show to show, I can't believe I'm an All Star! [starry-eyed emoji]." She said she enjoyed working with Elizabeth and Richie and asked her followers if they'd be watching. 

The couple was appreciative of Heather's hard work. In the episode, Richie expressed gratitude for her. Then Elizabeth said: "I don't think we could've done this without Heather. She's just been a great asset for us." Heather unequivocally proved she could hold her own as an HGTV personality with her "House Hunters" episode.

In July 2023, "The Flipping El Moussas" was renewed for Season 2. Although "Selling Sunset" shot Heather Rae El Moussa to fame, she prefers working with Tarek El Moussa on their show. Heather left Season 7 of "Selling Sunset" to give birth to her and Tarek's son Tristan, but after maternity leave, she wasn't asked back to the show (via E! News). A November 2023 interview with People confirmed Heather still worked at the Oppenheim Group despite her decreased screen time on "Selling Sunset." Filming "The Flipping El Moussas" was more peaceful. Heather said with that show, "the drama is in the houses, not with the people."

Heather and Tarek's joint interview on "The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast" was released April 2024, and Heather was harsher with "Selling Sunset" criticisms then. She and Tarek set their filming schedule for HGTV, compared to the rigorous and sometimes sporadic schedule on "Selling Sunset" In a clip on the podcast's Instagram, Heather said, "And with 'Selling Sunset,' I never knew when I was going to be filming. It was last minute. It took over my life. It was hard to do my real job, real estate, it was hard to do anything else." It also kept her from her family.

In a different clip on the podcast's Instagram, Heather and Tarek said she cried from stress nearly daily while on "Selling Sunset." Less stressful HGTV gigs are the way to go, and Heather has a bright future on the network.