Joanna and Chip Gaines are the power couple behind Fixer Upper , the home renovation show that ran on HGTV from 2013 to 2018.
The Gaineses seem like down-to-earth people who genuinely care about their participants.
That being said, this list may shock you!
1. Reality
Most of the reactions and conversations that are shown are genuine.
This one might surprise you the most so keep it in mind as you read on.
2. Lead paint
In June 2018, Fixer Upper’s parent company, Magnolia Waco Properties LLC was slammed for not doing enough to prevent lead exposure when renovating.
They were fined $40,000 by the Environmental Protection Agency and had to pay $160,000 to clean up lead from the community. They did everything to rectify things immediately.
3. What a steal
Their farmhouse chic aesthetic has inspired some to “reclaim” wood from old barns for their own renovations.
Kentucky, in particular, has seen a spike in barn stripping crimes.
4. Participants can keep one special thing
Participants are allowed to keep the poster used in the big reveals.
Some have declined while others reported the poster was not offered to them.
What would they do with it anyway?
It is quite literally the size of their house!
Where would they store it when it rains? It’s so unpractical.
5. There was a lawsuit
Chip was sued by his former Magnolia Real Estate business partners for buying them out without telling them that Fixer Upper had been picked up by HGTV .
6. Some people felt they were being misled.
Some participants felt misled by Magnolia Real Estate .
They felt that they were not clear about the neighborhoods they were promoting.
They were told how beautiful and quiet it was.
In one instance, on the family’s first night living there, a car crashed into their home and they witnessed firsthand how much crime was in the area.
7. Is Chip a slacker?
Apparently , he does the heavy lifting when the cameras are around but after that, he leaves it to Joanna and the contractors.
8. The entire house doesn’t get remodeled.
Not every single room of the participants’ house gets remodeled by Chip and Joanna.
Some are simply left for the owners to handle.
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9. Renting a renovated home
Many participants rent out their renovated homes because of their elevated profile.
What would you pay to live in a house renovated by Joanna and Chip Gaines?
It looks like Chip and Joanna aren’t huge fans of that, though.
In an interview on Facebook Live, the Gaineses revealed that they made the application “more strict” to not appeal to “this new vacation trend” of people renting out the houses they renovate.
10. Furniture foolery
After the cameras are turned off, Joanna and Chip pack up all the furniture used to stage the home (aside from the custom pieces by Clint Harp of course).
However, participants can buy them back at a discounted price.
Most of the furniture used is from Joanna’s store, Magnolia Market .
So if you end up really liking it, at least you know where you can buy it.
11. Hunting for houses
Before participants appeared on Fixer Upper , they must have already had a property chosen.
All that house hunter drama? Fake .
12. Raising their children
USA Today published a column questioning the couple’s parenting skills given all the time they devote to their show.
The author later apologized, stating he ” regretted writing it .”
13. Getting something changed can be pretty cheap
One contestant on the show revealed that when she didn’t like the color they’d chosen for her roof, Joanna offered to change it at half the cost!
14. You might have to use up vacation days to be on the show
“We did have to take time off to film,” one contestant on the show revealed . “We did all our shots in one day. It was exhausting.”
I think my boss would probably be pretty understanding of that excuse!
15. Your house can be too good for the show
The application process to be on the show states that your house must “require at least $30,000 in renovations to be done,” according to a show participant. People have been turned away because their houses were too nice to start with!
16. Very Pinteresting…
Show participants have revealed that Joanna has them put together a Pinterest board before the show starts so she can get a feel for their taste: “I put a white house with grey shutters on my Pinterest board and they really went with that concept,” they said .
17. Not your new best friends
Those who end up on the show only meet Chip and Joanna once or twice, and usually only on camera, since they’re so busy, participants have said .
Not that they always get along with everyone anyway.
During a Facebook Live interview, Chip revealed that some projects “didn’t go as expected” and resulted in “inappropriate thoughts about the homeowners” that were pretty negative!
I guess you can’t expect them to like everyone they meet!
18. Drive by
One couple who was on the show said that a tour takes fans of the show by their house “four to six times a day” and added, “I guess that’s the price you pay to have your house on TV.”
