HGTV TO BEGIN PRODUCTION ON "MARK & DEREK's EXCELLENT FLIP" FEATURING DEREK HOUGH AND MARK BALLAS

New York (For Immediate Release - July 28, 2014) Instead of dancing a perfect paso doble, champion dancers Derek Hough and Mark Ballas from ABC-TV's Dancing with the Stars will be kicking up dust on their latest project -- a home renovation series on HGTV. Mark & Derek's Excellent Flip, a four episode series, will follow along as the multi-talented entertainers who recently co-purchased a house in Southern California completely gut and rehab the property before flipping it for profit. Currently slated to premiere on HGTV in early 2015, the series will be produced by Scott Sternberg Productions.

Hough and Ballas are ready to tackle the challenge of a total home renovation and say the finished residence will be a stunning showcase for the property's amazing mountain views. Each will play an active role on the work site -- participating in everything from demolition to décor.

"Mark and I have worked together for years, but flipping a house is uncharted territory for us," said Derek. "At the end of the day, this house is a significant investment in more ways than one, so we have to make this flip work. We're putting our own blood, sweat and money on the line."

Mark added, "When we bought this house Derek and I both had BIG ideas. Since I am not much of a DIY guy, I'm really grateful that HGTV has stepped in to lend some expertise. We have good creative vision within several areas of the rebuild and I am really looking forward to seeing some of these ideas come to fruition. It's an important summer project for both of us!"

About Derek Hough

Derek Hough, an Emmy Award winning choreographer and the winningest champion in franchise history of the hit ABC show Dancing with the Stars, started dancing in his hometown of Salt Lake City, UT, at age 11. Just one year later, he moved to London to live and train with the top dance coaches in the world and attend performing arts school where he studied theatre, music and dance. During his time in London, Hough performed in London's West End where he starred as the male lead in the stage version of Footloose. With celebrity partners on Dancing with the Stars that have included Brooke Burke, Ricki Lake, Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Grey, Kellie Pickler, Amber Riley and Amy Purdy, Hough's innovative and daring choreography has garnered him a total of five Emmy Nominations. In 2013, he paired with World Champion Ice Dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White to choreograph their Short Program for the 2014 Winter Olympics. In Sochi, Russia, the duo was awarded the Gold Medal after performing that routine to record setting scores and rave reviews. Currently on a nationwide tour, MOVE Live on Tour with his sister Julianne, Hough's first book, Taking the Lead, a biography is set to hit shelves in August of this year.

About Mark Ballas

Emmy-nominated Mark Ballas is a multifaceted performer and singer songwriter. Known for his dynamic energy and bold choreography, Mark stormed the U.S. scene over seven years ago, captivating over 20 million viewers per week on the ABC-TV mega-hit Dancing with the Stars.

In May 2014, Ballas released his debut single Get My Name produced by Timbaland protégé producer, Wizz Dumb and Missy Elliott mentored writer Jo'zzy. The single broke Top 40 in its debut release on the iTunes pop chart landing #24 while the Get My Name music video debuted #1 on multiple MTV platforms. As part of the pro cast of Dancing with the Stars for the past 14 seasons, Ballas is a two-time champion (Season 6 with Kristi Yamaguchi and Season 8 with Shawn Johnson), and caused a media frenzy when he took performance newcomer Bristol Palin all the way to the finals in Season 11. In Season 14 Ballas took Candace Cameron Burre, who had never had any type of formal dance training all the way to the finals and a third place finish

ABOUT HGTV

America's leading home and lifestyle brand, HGTV features a top-rated cable network that is distributed to more than 98 million U.S. households and the HGTV website, HGTV.com, the nation's leading online home-and-garden destination that attracts an average of four million unique visitors per month. The brand also includes the HGTV HOME(TM) consumer products line which showcases exclusive collections of paint, flooring, lighting, furniture, plants, fabrics and other home-oriented products. In partnership with Hearst Magazines, the HGTV Magazine, a home and lifestyle publication, is currently available on newsstands. Viewers can become fans of HGTV and interact with other home improvement enthusiasts through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., HGTV is wholly owned by Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (SNI).