HGTV-heads clamoring to watch more of the ecofriendly, gentrification-themed, marital-tension-filled home-renovation show from hell Fliplanthropy — also known as the fictional show within the show featured in Showtime’s The Curse — are officially in luck. On December 15, The Curse co-creator Nathan Fielder caved to the public’s insatiable appetite for more Fliplanthropy by uploading the “pilot episode” of the show to his YouTube channel in full. (Presumably, this episode was shot before Emma Stone’s Whitney character suggested changing the show’s name to Green Queen.)
In this “pilot,” hosts Whitney (Stone) and Asher (Fielder) forcibly relocate an elderly local woman named Elizabeth from her long-term property, a home she notes multiple of her grandparents died in, so they can tear it down to build one of their ecofriendly “passive homes” for a new resident named Topher. But not to worry, because Whitney and Asher assure Elizabeth they’re going to be with her every step of the way during the transition. How so, you ask? By subsidizing her rent in her new home for 18 months, explaining to her in detail how energy-inefficient her last home was, and coordinating a consolation-prize care package from a jeans retailer featuring “the classic Yoshaka skinny jean with a dark indigo wash” and a combined total of four scented candles and bath accessories.
If, against all odds, you enjoy watching this pilot and are wondering who the true mastermind behind it from The Curse universe is, the end credits do not leave this up to mystery. As soon as the show fades out, it cuts to a title card saying, “Executive Producer Dougie Schecter” (co-creator Benny Safdie). In fact, he’s the only contributor who gets any acknowledgment here, as right right after this, the show cuts to a second title card that reads, “Other credits TBD.”
