Chip Gaines Talks Falling Behind on ‘Fixer Upper’ Production: ‘We Were Screwed’
Fans know Chip and Joanna Gaines for HGTV’s Fixer Upper. And they’ve built a multimillion-dollar empire since the beginning of their journey. While Chip and Joanna have seemingly perfected the art of juggling reality TV, several other businesses, and having a family, they’ve both admitted to their struggles. Here’s what Chip once said about how he and Joanna fell behind on Fixer Upper production in their later years filming the show.
Chip Gaines said he and Joanna Gaines were ‘screwed’ for falling behind on ‘Fixer Upper’ production
Fans adore Chip and Joanna Gaines’ hustle in Fixer Upper. The couple managed to change many homes through their tenure with the series, but they struggled with time management behind the scenes. Chip spoke to the Kennebec Cabin Company about how he and Joanna took on too many projects toward the end of their time with the show.
Chip and Joanna often would have 10 projects going at once, but Chip explained that having three to five projects was the “sweet spot” for Fixer Upper. He and Joanna felt like they were falling behind in later seasons of the series due to the number of projects they took on.
“There were seasons to where we would scale back to 10 projects at a time, and I will say, that expedited our need to take a break,” Chip said. “The reason we took a break after that fifth season was we were just lit. I mean, we were burned out, we were exhausted. It was nobody’s fault. We were all building something, they didn’t know but kind of acted like they did. We knew what we were doing but certainly didn’t know anything about television, so that was complicated.”
Chip then said that working on three projects was extremely doable. “Five felt comfortable to us in short stints,” he continued. “But when we got into that particular season, and I think it was the third or fourth, we were behind on the season we were wrapping. We were trying to get ahead on the season we were about to do. We were screwed. We were doing projects backward.”
Why did the couple leave ‘Fixer Upper’?
Chip and Joanna Gaines left Fixer Upper to refocus their efforts on their personal lives and family. But they also didn’t love the direction that HGTV tried to take the show.
“The advice was more like, ‘We need you to always be together. Chip, if you’re hanging drywall, we need Joanna to be standing there making cupcakes,'” Chip said, according to Fox News.
“The show was limiting our involvement in what was taking place here in this office,” Joanna said. “We were pouring so much time into doing this thing that had to fit in this format, and it was a conflict with our growing business.”
Chip then mentioned that he knew ditching the show could come with consequences. But he and Joanna knew that whatever happened, they could handle it. If need be, Chip planned to continue running his construction company in Waco, Texas, which could sustain them. “And, as soon as we accepted that, much greater opportunities started presenting themselves,” he stated.
Today, Chip and Joanna still have numerous businesses in Waco, Texas, separate from their TV stardom. They own Magnolia Table and the coffee shop Magnolia Press. The couple also owns a home store, the Silos for events, and Magnolia vacation rental homes. Their new series, Fixer Upper: The Hotel, follows Chip and Jo as they restore an old boutique hotel. The series airs in November 2023.
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