Strange Things About HGTV Stars Tarek El Moussa & Heather Rae Young's Relationship

Tarek El Moussa might appear to be having slightly better luck in love than his ex-wife, Christina Hall, but the HGTV star's second marriage, to Heather Rae El Moussa (née Young), isn't entirely free of controversy — not even close. One of the strangest aspects of the celebrity couple's love story is how they met. Tarek and Heather often share how they first locked eyes on a boat, with him "beelining" right to her and infamously shouting, "Get away from my girl!" at another man just five minutes into meeting the "Selling Sunset" alum. However, the details of their first conversation make it even weirder.

In a joint interview with People, in 2023, Heather revealed that during their very first interaction, which took place on July 4, 2019, Tarek boldly asked her to embark on a couple of trips to Paris and Las Vegas with him. While some might find such a proposal romantic, it was a bit forward for a first meeting, and the "Fipping El Moussas" co-host evidently thought so, too, since she firmly declined the offer. "I said no. Then he asked me on a date," Heather confirmed. She eventually agreed to go out with Tarek, but ended up canceling. When they finally went out, the happy couple moved in together just four days later.

They say that when you know, you know. But how fast is too fast, even if your partner seems outwardly perfect? By the end of August 2019, barely two months after they first met, Heather Rae El Moussa had already met Tarek El Moussa's kids, made their relationship Instagram official, and even done a couple of interviews with him as a couple. The speed wasn't just on Heather's side either. Tarek bought her a white Ferrari for her birthday in September, a really grand gesture considering that he'd only known her for two months.

By July 2020, just one year after that fateful first meeting, Tarek decided it was time to propose. An ecstatic Heather, of course, said yes. As expected, the celebrity couple flooded social media with every last detail of their engagement, sharing post after post for weeks on end. Thankfully, despite the whirlwind pace of their relationship, the El Moussas actually slowed down and waited over a year before getting married in October 2021.

It's always better when exes and current partners get along, especially when there are children involved. There's less tension, more unity, and everybody can focus on what truly matters — the kids' happiness and wellbeing. But the El Moussa family seems to be taking "getting along" to an entirely new and, frankly, quite bizarre level judging by their Instagram videos, which lean hard into the fact that Christina Hall and Heather Rae El Moussa look alike, with both women dressed in the same outfits and participating in cringey skits. In one particularly odd clip, Heather and Christina are dressed identically and discussing what to order when Tarek swoops in and suggests they take his advice because he has "great taste."

It's obvious that Tarek has a type but do they really need to broadcast it this blatantly? In another video, Tarek "accidentally" confuses Christina for Heather and gets slapped for it before joking, "Well, I guess it really is confusing." In yet another awkward collab video, Christina Hall and Heather pretend to have forgotten their own names. While we're all for healthy, mature co-parenting relationships, the El Moussas might want to dial it back a bit since we're not sure anyone asked for this level of closeness. Plus, their friendliness does seem a bit forced, considering that Heather reportedly felt "second" to Christina when her romance with Tarek began.

One of the strangest aspects of Tarek and Heather Rae El Moussa's marriage is the odd dynamic they portray to the public, especially on their show, "The Flipping El Moussas." Tarek is often depicted as the ultra-capable, knowledgeable husband, while Heather falls into the role of the stereotypical "clueless blonde." And viewers have definitely taken notice, with IMDb user reviews often speculating about the truth about Heather's relationship with Tarek. Some critiques unfairly compare her to the "Flip or Flop" alum's former wife and co-star Christina Hall, but others hit on some pretty valid points. 

One reviewer highlighted Heather's apparent lack of knowledge despite her supposed real estate background: "They spend more time kissing and tweeting for publicity than working on the flip. [...] And the wife. She's supposed to be a realtor, but she's totally clueless about how much it costs to renovate houses. How is that possible?" 

Another user zeroed in on the celebrity couple's excessive public displays of affection, wondering aloud, "Who wants to watch a house flipping show that features a 40-year-old woman sprawled on a bed calling her husband 'daddy'?" One particularly harsh take on the show called out how mismatched the couple felt on screen: "How can she be a real estate agent but knows nothing about numbers or how to even sell a property? I feel like I'm watching a 10-year-old who is married to a grown man."

Heather Rae El Moussa is quick to praise her husband, Tarek El Moussa, at every opportunity as a loving and attentive partner, but her birthday post on Instagram told a different story. In what felt more like an ad than a genuine gesture, the "Selling Sunset" alum noted that her "amazing husband who rarely steps into the kitchen" would be making her a special birthday meal. Not a full-course dinner, mind you — just cupcakes.

The accompanying video only made things worse as Heather excitedly told their son, "Daddy has a surprise for me, he's going to cook for me for the first time in five and a half years." Five and a half years without a single meal from your husband? That's a long time. This definitely brings back the allegations that "Flip or Flop" ended because Tarek was uncaring and verbally abusive to Christina Haack, per an explosive TMZ report.

Worse still, he had to call his mom for the cupcake recipe and then proceeded to burn them. After two hours in the kitchen, Tarek presented Heather with just one sad cupcake and a milkshake. While she continues to sing her co-host's praises to anyone who will listen, the reality is that Tarek could, at the very least, use some cooking lessons. And considering it took a sponsored ad to get him into the kitchen at all, we're not exactly holding our breath for that to happen anytime soon.

In the age of social media, it's not terribly surprising that celebrities want to keep their followers in the loop. But Tarek and Heather El Moussa take it to an extreme, with their relentless focus on curating their lives for Instagram. The happy couple shares multiple posts weekly, often turning their day-to-day lives into a constant stream of content by creating small mysteries or teases to keep followers hooked. For example, the El Moussas intentionally turned heads with an Instagram post that hinted at an elopement during their engagement. They captioned it: "Does anyone know of a chapel [...] should we do it!!?"

Heather's Instagram, in particular, is saturated with endless photos and updates about her and Tarek's seemingly perfect life together. The El Moussas have blurred the lines between personal moments and publicity too. Interestingly, a study from Brunel University London found that "people with low self-esteem more frequently posted status updates about their current romantic partner," (via Science Daily). While there's no way to know what's truly behind the celebrity couple's need for constant posting, we can't help but wonder: Are they simply oversharing or seeking external validation for their relationship?

Of course, it's entirely possible that neither of them actually runs their account personally. But if that's the case, it still means they're selling intimate, private moments for likes. Then again, when you're a reality TV couple, maybe that's the whole point. If Heather and Tarek's social media strategy is all part of their branding, well, what can we say? Get that bag.