The Untold Truth Of Fixer Upper

HGTV's Fixer Upper is our favorite home improvement show to marathon on a lazy Sunday, and that's thanks, in large part, to the dynamic husband-and-wife duo of Chip and Joanna Gaines. He's goofy and lovable; she's laid back but all business. On every episode, Chip combines his real estate and construction know-how with Joanna's eye for design (and shiplap) to transform dilapidated homes into real estate and reality TV gold. That's lovely, but let's mine for the lesser known details about this record-breaking series and the couple who makes it all happen.

Chip first set eyes on the love of his life in a family photo her father hung behind the counter of his automotive repair shop. "I knew I'd marry her one day just by the picture on the wall," he told Popsugar, but he needed an excuse to make his move. One day, Chip reportedly came into the shop to have his brakes fixed. Joanna was working in the office.

"We met in the waiting area and hit it off immediately," she told Popsugar. "He was genuinely engaging and he had such a sincere smile." While Chip was smitten, Joanna said she took a few months to let her guard down. "At first, I couldn't believe how kind Chip was—he had kind eyes, and made me laugh a lot. I knew he was the one because I knew I could trust him," she said. Oh, Chip, you sly dog.

Fixer Upper's big break began in January 2012, when the Design Mom blog published a post titled, "Living With Kids: Joanna Gaines." A production company reportedly saw the blog, liked a photo of one of her and Chip's designs, and reached out. "They called us and just said, 'Hey, we love that you guys do real estate and you guys work together, that's intriguing,'" she told Glamour. "From there, that's where the whole courtship began."

Fun fact: Joanna was a communications major. Her first design project was the fixer upper she and Chip bought the first year of their marriage.

Even occasional watchers of Fixer Upper will quickly notice a reoccurring theme: magnolia. The couple's real estate business is named Magnolia Realty, and its property renovation company is called Magnolia Homes. The gated community they're building is known as Magnolia Villas, and Joanna's retail store is the Magnolia Market. Their bakery? Magnolia Flour. Their 40-acre home sweet home is called Magnolia Farms. Their bed and breakfast is the Magnolia House. It's safe to assume the word bears significance.

"When we were just dating, I would pick these blooms from Magnolia trees," Chip told Glamour. "If you've ever seen them, they are almost just bowl-like, and that whole thing just always inspired us. So when we had the opportunity and were trying to figure out what to name her little boutique, Magnolia Market just stood out to us."

Now that you are fully prepared to answer Fixer Upper trivia questions about Joanna and Chip, let's talk about some things that happen—or don't happen—on the show itself.

Unlike ABC's former behemoth, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, nobody on Fixer Upper is donating their services or materials to the show. However, HGTV might throw in some money if the property lacks curb appeal. According to the Waco Tribune-Herald, the show, "doesn't fund the renovations, though producers may throw in some extra landscaping or design flourishes."

When most people think of Waco, Texas, the first image that comes to mind is the U.S. government's 1993 siege of the Branch Davidian compound. During the siege, 76 followers of cult leader David Koresh died in a fire that was broadcast live on television. You may also recall the 2015 biker shootout that left nine dead. The city's battered image may be improving thanks to Fixer Upper. In a 2016 article in the The Dallas Morning News, residents of Waco credited the show's popularity with rejuvenating the community's public image. "...all around the world, you can say Waco and people automatically have images." said Baylor Professor Robert Darden. " I think, now, there's more Fixer Upper than David Koresh."

In November of 2016, Buzzfeed ran an article titled "Chip And Joanna Gaines' Church Is Firmly Against Same-Sex Marriage." The article centered mostly on a 2015 sermon by Antioch Community Church Pastor Jimmy Seibert delivered shortly after the Supreme Court's reversal of DOMA, which effectively legalized same-sex marriage in the United States. In his remarks, Seibert claimed the church's position aligns with that of the Bible, alleging that "marriage is between 'one man and one wife.'" Buzzfeed reported that Seibert advocates for so-called "conversion therapy"—the controversial practice of faith-based counseling to reverse homosexuality. Given their connection to the church, are the Gaineses against same-sex marriage?

The backlash to the story was immediate. Conservative-leaning media outlets slammed Buzzfeed for shaming HGTV's famous hosts over their alleged religious views. HGTV issued a statement saying they "have a crystal clear, consistent record of including people from all walks of life in its series," and there is no discrimination against the LGBT community in any of its shows.

As for Chip and Joanna, they never publicly responded to the article. Chip, however, did respond to the general controversy in a post on the couple's At Home blog in January 2017. He wrote about his and Joanna's desire to "help initiate conversations between people that don't think alike," adding, "Disagreement is not the same thing as hate, don't believe that lie." He also stressed that they "operate from a position of love in all things [his emphasis]," but that they "are not about to get in the nasty business of throwing stones at each other."

One of the byproducts of being featured on a reality show is the inevitable heightened interest from fans. In the case of Fixer Upper, this apparently applies not only to the stars of the show but also to the owners of the flipped properties, some of whom, have turned their renovated gems into vacation rentals, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald.

Having your property featured on the show is essentially a free one-hour commercial should you decide to rent it. The problem with that, according to Magnolia spokesman Brock Murphy, is that it goes against "the true intent" of the show, which is "to do remodels for clients' homes," not for their investment properties. Murphy also says that while the company has no problems with their non-TV clients turning their renovated homes into investment properties, they do intend to address the issue in "contracts involving Fixer Upper clients moving forward."

After a drunk driver plowed into Ken and Kelly Downs' Fixer Upper-featured home, the renewed media interest in the property revealed that the couple wasn't exactly happy with their dream flip. According to the Waco Tribune-Herald, the homeowners, whose home was nicknamed "Three Little Pigs" on the show, said they "feel deceived by the city of Waco and Magnolia Realty" because of problems they've had with the surrounding neighborhood.

Among their complaints, they cite "late-night noise from nearby bars, suspicious activity," and "anti-Fixer Upper" pushback from neighbors who became upset when Ken and Kelly complained to police. The homeowners questioned "why Magnolia Realty showed them a property in such an area." Of course, one could ask the homeowners why they didn't take a peek around the hood before buying the house—after all, a bar across the street should be pretty noticeable—but we'll leave the witty responses up to Chip and his Twitter account. As of this writing, neither Magnolia nor the the Fixer Upper stars have responded to the Downs' complaints.