‘Sin City Rehab’: Alison Victoria Addresses Conflicts & Dramas in New HGTV Show

Over eight episodes, viewers will follow the 43-year-old as she rolls the dice once again building business from the ground up. With funds tied up in other properties, Victoria needs a client base quickly. She’ll do all she can to make deadlines, stretch budgets and transform multi-million dollar projects to the liking of those she serves. 

Here Alison opens up about the conflicts and dramas ahead in her new show.

What was your mindset going into the move to Las Vegas as you begin this new chapter of your life and show? 

Alison Victoria: Vegas has always been home to me. I moved here when I was 19. I went to college here. I started my design firm here and got my first big jobs here. This is such a place of happiness for me. When I’m in Chicago, I would only be able to come back a couple of times a year. Those times were just the happiest times. For me, it was a sense of trying to get back out West. I’ve been really longing for it for a while and working towards it. When your life is all in Chicago, it’s very difficult. It’s almost like you need to have a hard stop and fully dive in. At this place in my life, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I’m not going to be able to show up and be like, “you know I’m on television, so I should get jobs.” I’m established as a designer. I’ve been designing since I was a little girl. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. 

What stood out about Las Vegas? 

Going back home, the landscape of Las Vegas has changed so drastically. I ultimately want to get back into flipping houses. So, you’ll get to watch my journey trying to get in wherever I can to get back into the flipping game. In order to do that, my bread and butter is obviously clients. I’m about trying to change the look of Las Vegas from one house at a time because as a local, I know that everything tends to marry together in the valley. The houses start to all look the same on the outside and not all that different inside. I thought I would love to show people how to infuse history into these homes, even though they may not be as old as the homes in Chicago. They absolutely have the potential. Vegas is on the map. This place is booming. I left Las Vegas because I wanted the culture of Chicago. I wanted history and architecture and sports and all that. Now I have all that in Vegas. 

During the premiere you secure your first client, which can be a make or break situation. I love watching you handle a difficult contractor. 

Listen, it is a small town. To have my first private client and deal with a contractor who was not going to budge, where it was his way or the highway. He didn’t make it fun for my clients. Watching the clients have their excitement drained. When you’re building this dream home, it should be all excitement. That’s why designers have big jobs ahead of them. Facing that pressure and anxiety and taking the headache of a contractor off of their hands. This was a big headache. It was nothing but conflict and pushback. This is how he has always done it and always will do it. Not be able to think outside the box. It was a huge hurdle to face right when I got here. 

It was almost like a test. I don’t know, but everything happens for a reason. You’ll have to wait and see what happens because it was not what I expected when I started. I’ve had my fair share of difficult contractors. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years. I’ve seen guys like him over and over again. They don’t scare me. They scare my clients. I watch that fear in them. Unfortunately, that’s part of the job. I absolutely work too hard to be treated so poorly by someone. There is nothing easy about that job. I know people might think it’s a cakewalk, but it is a lot of conflict. It shouldn’t be. It should be a team effort. It should flow a little easier. 

You talk about this on the show. You have money tied up in your dream home and other properties elsewhere. How is it managing that as you’re trying to find your footing in Las Vegas? 

My money being tied up is what is stopping me from going all-in on flipping. You’ll get to watch all that where my Atlanta condo won’t sell. My Chicago dream home won’t sell. I’ve got three mortgages, three sets of utilities. I’ve got the Homeowners Association to pay. I’m at my limit. It’s making it very difficult for me to flip my own houses. I’m trying to link up with local flippers and get my foot in where I can with sweat equity and with what I bring to the table. You’ll get to see it all. I can’t believe the last year of my life is about to air and will go by in a matter of eight weeks. That to me is just insane. 

What can you say about the projects we’re going to see? What stands out to you when it comes to what you’re doing here that you haven’t really done in Chicago? 

The greatest part, especially with people that know me and my team, is all these projects you see so much of me in them. You also see so much risk and more glamour and a little glitz, but in a very sophisticated way. I’m able to take risks out west that I can’t do in the Midwest. It was a little safe out there. Chicago was beautiful and wonderful and historic, but out here it’s dreamy. I watched my design dreams come true out here. 

What I love about your show is it feels authentic and raw. That has resonated with viewers. There has been a lot of change on the network with personalities moving on. How is it being one of those constants? 

When I first had an opportunity to be on television, I said no. I said no because that format didn’t feel authentic. When I finally found what I would have a full yes to, it was because it felt like me. I wasn’t fitting into a part. I was the part. I was the designer living my life with what I know and how I know how to do it. Never steering clear of that or listening to those who wanted to change who I was or how I was. This network and the way it has evolved in the last 15 years I’ve been here. Watching them take risks with my show Windy City Rehab, that was a big deal at that time because Scripps had been acquired by Discovery. Discovery was willing to take risks to say, “let’s see the real side of this business. Let’s do a docuseries with a designer showing all of it. The good, the bad, the ugly, the realness.”

It’s very interesting to me that somehow authenticity has been trending. It has just been how I am and who I am.  A lot of people love it. A lot of people can see through when people are not being authentic. Some people want that. Some people want to just feel good. Some people want to see real life. People have real struggles in life. There is good, there is bad, and they have been there with me through all of it. Rooting for me, watching me. I know it resonates with people because who wants to watch a bunch of bullsh*t where everything is happy and pretty. Not in this business. It’s never that way. Some shows may hide that. I don’t. I’ve never wanted to shy away from things that might feel icky because they feel icky to me and I’m going through them. Why do I want to hide them from my viewers? I will never change that about me. This is just more of the same. I love that somehow it’s trending, so hopefully that’s a good sign. 

Also, premiering September 19 is Scariest House in America. How has it been working with Retta on that show? 

Retta and I are such good friends in reality, whether it’s texting constantly or going to dinners when I’m in LA or she is in Vegas. We help each other however we can. It became a real friendship right out of the gate. The show I have the most fun with and on. We get to laugh nonstop. We get to transform the ugliest and scariest houses. I love seeing Retta get more into design. I love her getting into antiquing because she never went antiquing before me. Now it’s one of her favorite moments on the show. I love watching the house come together. I don’t just get to reveal the house to the clients. I get to reveal the house to Retta. We’ve created something beautiful together. I love watching it grow and watching people love it. It’s a show for all ages. I love watching it with my nieces and nephews. Kids and parents can sit down and watch that show together. I hope everyone laughs. That’s the most important thing. There is going to be a lot of shock factor with these houses she toured. The Scariest House in America is the scariest this year. The transformation is the biggest. 

Sin City Rehab premiere, September 17, 9/8c, HGTV

Scariest House in America premiere, September 19, 9/8c, HGTV

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