Christina Haack's (formerly Hall) second ex-husband appears as the episode's guest judge and causes chaos with his totally biased method for selecting the winner
This post contains spoilers for episode 4 of HGTV's The Flip Off.
While Anstead seemed even keeled as he thoroughly evaluated the two projects, when it came time to pass judgement, he shocked the stars and viewers alike.
Seated outside Christina's Newport Beach, Calif. home, Anstead addresses Christina, Tarek and Heather. "I came into this endeavor thinking this was about assessing and judging based on the performance, the design, the execution, the house. But actually it dawned on me that it was so much more than that," he says.
He turns to Christina and continues. "Hudson is five now," he says, referring to the son they welcomed together in 2019 during their two-year marriage. "And in those five years, it's been really, really difficult. And that changed three months ago. The relationship that we have now is really, really important. And it's been a transformation."
Related: Ant Anstead Says Ex Wife Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa Can't Stop 'Flirting with Each Other' (Exclusive)
Christina and Anstead, who went through a bitter divorce and custody battle, unexpectedly reconciled in the summer of 2024, shortly after her split from her third husband, Josh Hall, 44. Fans watched as they re-followed each other on Instagram and slowly began sharing friendly messages on social media.
Related: Christina Haack Was Stunned by Emotional Embrace from Ex Ant Anstead After 3rd Divorce: 'He Said I'm So Sorry'
Earlier in Wednesday night's episode, Christina revealed that they had an emotional reunion right after her split from Hall.
"I walked up to [Ant's] door. He gave me a huge hug. We hadn't hugged in years," Christina said in the confessional-style clip. "He just said 'I'm so sorry for everything you're going through and I'm here for you no matter what you need.' It was a very nice moment. We had a long talk after and we decided to put all the BS aside and be good co-parents."
The revelation clearly had a profound effect on both exes as was apparent when Ant continued with his judging, telling Christina, "As parents, it took us four and a half years to get to that point, which is really shameful. You and I will be connected forever because we have a kid. So ultimately, I have to stand by the mother of my kid."
The camera cuts to Tarek whispering to Heather, "What's going on right now," before Anstead turns to address them too.
Related: Christina Haack Comes Face to Face with 2nd Ex-Husband Ant Anstead on The Flip Off After Brutal Divorce
"It's not gonna be something that you want to hear because unfortunately, it puts Christina and me on the same team forever," Ant says. "Because of that, this judge is swayed, she's on my team and you guys lose."
Tarek and Heather both react with shock and outrage, demanding a draw or a tie breaker.
Related: Tarek El Moussa Admits He Accidentally Called Wife Heather by His Ex Christina Haack's Name: 'I'm Lucky to Be Alive'
But Anstead stands by his decision: "My parents raised me in a way that says when you know who your family are you stick with your family. Regardless of rules, regardless of performance, when I left the house this morning, Christina had already won."
He then abruptly gets up and exits the seen with Tarek shouting "Come on!" after him.
Tarek seems to think of storming out as well but stops when his and Christina's daughter Taylor, 14, enters. The two parents argue about how the judging's results are relayed to her, but ultimately, Christina gets up and says she's taking the kids to dinner.
She throws Tarek and Heather a peace sign, as he shouts about a "tie breaker" simply responding "bye!" before she quickly leaves the patio as well.
Related: Heather Rae El Moussa Accidentally Calls Christina Haack's Home 'Our House' in Total Three's Company Moment
But neither Christina or Anstead actually exit the property as revealed in the following scene, in which they seem to be having a secret rendezvous in the kitchen. They don't discuss Anstead's proclamations about his lifelong loyalty to her as the mother of his child, but he does pull her aside to share some other crucial info.
It seems, since he'd already decided he was on team Christina before arriving on set, he used his time in Tarek and Heather's flip house as reconnaissance, because he sits his ex down to break some news: "Their house is better than yours. It's in a better location. They've done better mods," he says. "But what this has done is it's given you a fighting chance. You've basically got two more challenges to pull it out of the bag. You need to up your game a big." He them stands up and leaves again without another word.
While Anstead's warning delivers on drama, it's not entirely true.
The winner of The Flip Off is determined by whichever team gets the highest return on investment when they sell their house, not who wins the individual challenges week to week. Christina also already knows some of what Ant tells her. She'd snuck over to see Tarek and Heather's house in an earlier episode, so she's aware of the location and she's seen some of the completed rooms.
Still the unexpected judging has seemingly set everyone on edge and will almost certainly inform the intensity of the competition going forward. With Anstead awarding Christina the win this week, the score stands at 2-2 with 2 episodes remaining.
Related: Christina Haack's 3 Marriages: A Look At Her Relationships With Exes Tarek El Moussa, Ant Anstead and Josh Hall
Amid their rekindled friendship Anstead and Christina have both moved on to new relationships. The British born car expert has been dating Oscar winner Renee Zellweger, 55, for nearly four years after they met on his discovery+ show Celebrity IOU Joyride. After splitting from Hall, Haack began dating businessman Christopher Larocca. PEOPLE confirmed their relationship in December and the pair went Instagram official in February.