‘Windy City Rehab’ Star Alison Victoria on Changes to HGTV Show, Finding Love & What’s Next

Alison Victoria is taking bigger swings than ever with a new season of her Emmy-nominated HGTV series Windy City Rehab. A growing client list and desire to expand her business means it’s time for the Chicago designer to bring new members of the team on board. She’ll need the extra help as she takes on 12 renovation projects. 

Never one to stop adding things to her already full plate, Victoria has also turned her attention back to flipping properties. Of course, that takes capital, which puts the TV personality at a crossroads. Does she sell her newly renovated multi-million dollar dream home and Atlanta condo? The season premiere sees her meet up with clients Maribel and Noah, who reached the end of their rope on their 1890 home in Little Italy. The couple have enlisted the help of Victoria to bring the project to the finish line before they run out of time and money. 

We caught up with the hard-working businesswoman on what’s to come this season and what’s happening in her personal life. 

Last season, it felt like you were undergoing this next big chapter of your life. How do you think this one compares? 

Alison Victoria: This season for me is definitely a breath of fresh air. I’m through the weeds and really just putting everything into the client game. With the market, it wasn’t the right time to buy again at the beginning of the season. Going back to where I started in the client business just felt like a nice reset. I had so many people reaching out to me to design their houses. I just wasn’t in a place to do that because I was doing my own stuff. I had all these clients in a backlog. I thought, “You know what? I’m trying to make something work that’s not working right now. Why not go back to how it all started?” So, that’s what I did. I’m working with so many amazing clients who have purchased or lived in homes I would buy. It’s right up my alley, but they are going through these renovations that they don’t necessarily understand or know how to handle. 

They are bringing me in knowing I’ve been through it all and that I can help them navigate this extremely frustrating, yet rewarding, process. I want to give them their dream home. These are not homes I’m purchasing myself. These people are going through hell and back to get their dream homes. They are not all rescue stories, but there is so much heart to this season. There are so many amazing designs this season. The transformations are so good. I’m beyond proud. I can’t wait to show people. The fact we were able to do 12. It was like what can I really do this year to come back to the last couple of years so I can afford to do it yourself? 

HGTV

You’re bringing new faces to join your team this season. Among them is your good friend Britt.

Building a team for me was the most important thing for me to do. It’s nice to stay small. I don’t ever want to be managing hundreds of people, but I needed to grow my team to be able to grow my brand. If I can’t diversify and divide and conquer, I will get stuck. It was important to me to start with a personal assistant who can help me and who I can trust. That person was Britt. She and I have been friends since seven or eight years old. There is nobody I trust more. Someone who has my back, but it’s a risk too because she is my best friend. She and I tried to do this 20 years ago. It didn’t end well. It was making sure we were set up for success this time around. It’s a very fun, funny season of me putting together this team and finding new talent to add to the roster. You’re going to get to meet new faces and watch the business grow as I grow. 

You put so much time, effort, and money into your condo and dream home. What was it like going through the decision process whether to sell or not? 

For me, it’s the struggle a lot of people go through in life. The feeling that if I’m not able to do something in life, what can I sell to make it happen? I I don’t want to go through the banks. I don’t want to get construction loans. I want to do this on my own. So, what does that look like for me? There is the question of whether I want to sell something I love so much because it is part of my business. That is a difficult part of the business. Trying not to become attached to things. 

You think, “Okay, this is the dream home. However, in order to live the dream, I have to sell this one.” Then you think about what that looks like and if I can sell it because the market is so rough right now. I feel like everyone is just waiting for this election and interest rates are so high. There is a lot of drama because selling is not easy. I think the surprises that can happen at closing happens to people every day, and it happened to me. You get to follow me on that horrible journey because that’s what it was and you’ll have to see the rest of it. I vow to be very honest with the fans and viewers. They are going to get to see the whole truth of the business as it unfolds for me to try to free up finances to get back into the flipping game. 

What are some of the challenges you face in terms of the projects and weathering relationships with the contractors and other workers for the client? 

It comes down to the fact I’m not employing these people. I’m not paying these people. They don’t necessarily have to answer to me. So, trying to play this middleman and keep everyone happy is hard. Designers will understand this. Viewers and homeowners won’t. It is such a delicate dance because, on one hand, I want to fire this person. And if it was my contractor, I would. At the same time, I don’t get to make those decisions. I try to handle these people the best way I can to make sure the project continues. This happens every day to people, and we’re just shining a light on this. It would be easy for us to just ignore that part of it and not show that part of the process. Then we’d be lying. I don’t want to do that. I want to show everybody everything. These are difficult decisions they have to make. I have to play so many different roles. I have to play the role of designer, middleman, babysitter, and therapist, and trying to do it all. 

This was a lot. This last year-and-a-half has been a lot. It has been so much work. That’s great. I definitely proved I can do it. This is watching my life unfold and the process of bobbing and weaving in this industry. It’s an industry where nothing stays the same. The way you get to your dream is always different. This last year and a half has definitely taken me to a whole new level of understanding and empathy. I feel total growth. Watching it all unfold and my dreams come true will be a nice ride for me and everybody. It’s scary for me because the last year-and-a-half is going to go by over three months on television. It’s a crazy life.

Alison and Brandt attend the 50th Deauville American Film Festival  in France on September 08, 2024 (Francois G. Durand/Getty Images)

There is such a relatability to you and all you’ve been through. Fans were excited to see you found love in Brandt Anderson. What does it mean to have that person to lean on in those rough times? 

Just even today this morning as I’m getting ready for my big premiere party. To have him, my best friend and partner. To support me the whole way. Not only support but understand what I’m going through. Our businesses are very similar. He’s in film. I’m on television. He is on the production and director side. He is such a sounding board for me. To have me look at things differently and be that second set of eyes for me is great. I feel very protective and fulfilled in that area in my life too. I never knew what it felt like to have that. So, it’s amazing. 

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You launched your own production company Briefly Gorgeous. Tell me about the idea behind this move and what we can look forward to from it. 

For me, why I did it was I’ve been in the development game for so long. I developed Windy City Rehab. I developed Alison’s Dream Home. I’m constantly thinking of new shows and meeting new people in all my travels. I’m thinking that somebody gave me a chance 14 years ago, and look at where I am now because of that chance they took on me. I want to do the same thing. Nobody ever gave up on me. In this business, people want to change you. I’m just so grateful and feel so lucky I had a team of people who wanted to embrace me and all that I am. I want to do the same for other people. I want to be authentic. 

I want to show the truth in any business. I’m not just going to be staying in the design arena. This production company is going to be really unveiling talent all over. I’ve been pitching shows actively with Briefly Gorgeous and developing shows for the last year. We have some really big things coming. This will be a pretty proud moment for me when this news breaks. It’s going to be very soon. I can’t wait for it. 

Windy City Rehab Season 5 premiere, September 24, 8/7c, HGTV