LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – Nicole Curtis (photo above), when she’s not doing to the Minnehaha Project for DIY’s Rehab Addict, is giving advice to TV fans. Now Curtis has slowly driven her backhoe into becoming one of the true breakout reality TV stars of 2011.

Curtis is dubbed the “Rehab Addict” by DIY. But now fans including LALATE have become addictive to her show that airs often twice per day.

In a news statement issued in January, DIY called Curtis a “sweet-talking, hammer-swinging whirlwind.” While Curtis is not so much a whirlwind, she does impart an usual mixture of non-nonsense entertainment devoid of the idle personality gimmicks that dominate shows like Flipping Out and the Vanilla Ice Project.

The show’s episode structure is based upon a per-room theme. This week, Curtis showcase how she transformed a massive master bedroom at the Minnehaha Project to even carry over seventy shoes. But therein rests the reality of this program. Cameras capture Curtis, solo, late at night, inside a fireplace, hand staining a fireplace mantle. Gone are the TV production schedules, inserted are construction deadlines and constraints of raising a son at home.

How does one depict a reality TV star driving a backhoe?

It’s not with a full hair and makeup crew, Curtis explains to news. Curtis explains she even had to clash with production over insuring that she is depicted consistent with her true personality and appearance.

“Just to put a stop to all the questions I get about the hair and makeup in Episodes 2 and 3, somebody higher up than me thought I looked a bit scary on camera. So, they brought in a makeup artist.” Curtis fumed recently to fans on Facebook. “I was not a happy camper to say the least. I rolled with it for 2 days-they reviewed the footage and decided I was right. From then on, I look the way I look. …. I certainly do not pack lip gloss and mascara to tear apart houses.”

And while everyone from Kim Kardashian to Paris Hilton have been accused of faking reality TV, Curtis’ show is as real as it gets. Yet, Curtis admits to fans that she still has to defend herself against some skeptics. Unlike the stars of Flipping Out, Curtis won’t be hitting the red carpet for an awards show anytime soon. “I am not an actor. I didn’t get crowned “restoration expert” just for the sake of the show. Honestly, my life is a h-ll of lot crazier than what is in the show. I don’t believe that once you have done one house it gets easier.”

In the end, Curtis calls it a “passion to do right and pay homage to the talented craftsmen that built them”. Fans, including LALATE, call Curtis one of the best things to happen to reality TV in a very long time.