Chip and Joanna Gaines walked away from their home renovation hit as stars — but left behind a bunch of bitter clients who blast the former HGTV hit “Fixer Upper” for being built on lies! Now The National ENQUIRER is unearthing the truth behind the popular series featuring the remodeling couple. In fact, insiders blasted the home-hunting process that started each episode of “Fixer Upper” — when clients chose a property for the married stars to spruce up. Season three participant David Ridley claims that was all a sham, saying: “You have to be under contract [to buy a house] to be on the show. They show you other homes, but you already have one. After they select you, they send your house to Chip and Joanna and their design team…”
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But being on the program didn’t mean a free makeover. Participants on the show were required to have at least $30,000 to spend just to get in front of the cameras, say insiders. And even though homeowners were footing the bills, they had to agree to give Chip and Joanna creative control over the project.
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“The budget goes toward your wish list, but the design team will also make decisions about what they think the home needs to be a TV-worthy renovation,” dished former client Rachel Whyte. Joanna’s keen eye may have turned properties into picture-perfect residences, but the fancy furnishings featured on the show were solely for the final reveal. After the cameras disappeared, so did all those sofas, chairs and other decorative flourishes!
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If clients fell in love with any of the pieces placed in the home, they had the option to purchase them. Of course, many of those pieces were from Joanna’s store, Magnolia Market. That meant “Fixer Upper” families got to fork over more money to the megabucks moguls! But even before the show’s 2013 debut, the couple has been accused of sketchy behavior.
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Chip once ran Magnolia Real Estate Company with two pals, who charge he bought them out of the business for a measly $2,500 each — two days before announcing that he'd be starring on the HGTV show! “There was a sense of betrayal and frustration,” said former business partner John Lewis, who filed a $1 million lawsuit against Chip and others with colleague Richard Clark in 2017.
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“Once his show began to flourish,” added John, “I never heard from him again.” But the couple’s attorney slammed the suit as a product of people trying “to take advantage of the hard work and success of Chip and Joanna Gaines.” However, Lewis and Clark aren’t the only people who had harsh words for Chip.
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Before his lawsuit fizzled, electrician Gary Garner claimed Chip is a corner-cutting cowboy who ran out on his bills more than 15 years ago — and didn’t get proper permits while doing slipshod work. “Every time I hear something about Chip and Joanna Gaines,” said Gary, “it makes me want to puke because of the way they’ve treated a lot of people on their stairway to stardom, It’s just not right!”
But being on the program didn’t mean a free makeover. Participants on the show were required to have at least $30,000 to spend just to get in front of the cameras, say insiders. And even though homeowners were footing the bills, they had to agree to give Chip and Joanna creative control over the project.
Photo credit: Getty Images
“The budget goes toward your wish list, but the design team will also make decisions about what they think the home needs to be a TV-worthy renovation,” dished former client Rachel Whyte. Joanna’s keen eye may have turned properties into picture-perfect residences, but the fancy furnishings featured on the show were solely for the final reveal. After the cameras disappeared, so did all those sofas, chairs and other decorative flourishes!
Photo credit: Files/Getty
If clients fell in love with any of the pieces placed in the home, they had the option to purchase them. Of course, many of those pieces were from Joanna’s store, Magnolia Market. That meant “Fixer Upper” families got to fork over more money to the megabucks moguls! But even before the show’s 2013 debut, the couple has been accused of sketchy behavior.
Chip once ran Magnolia Real Estate Company with two pals, who charge he bought them out of the business for a measly $2,500 each — two days before announcing that he'd be starring on the HGTV show! “There was a sense of betrayal and frustration,” said former business partner John Lewis, who filed a $1 million lawsuit against Chip and others with colleague Richard Clark in 2017.
Photo credit: Getty Images
“Once his show began to flourish,” added John, “I never heard from him again.” But the couple’s attorney slammed the suit as a product of people trying “to take advantage of the hard work and success of Chip and Joanna Gaines.” However, Lewis and Clark aren’t the only people who had harsh words for Chip.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Before his lawsuit fizzled, electrician Gary Garner claimed Chip is a corner-cutting cowboy who ran out on his bills more than 15 years ago — and didn’t get proper permits while doing slipshod work. “Every time I hear something about Chip and Joanna Gaines,” said Gary, “it makes me want to puke because of the way they’ve treated a lot of people on their stairway to stardom, It’s just not right!”
Photo credit: Getty Images
