Key Takeaways
- Participants on Fixer Upper need to have a house in escrow prior to appearing on the show.
- Furniture used for staging during the final reveal does not belong to the homeowners.
- Some elements of Fixer Upper, such as Chip and Joanna being hands-on, are not entirely accurate.
In HGTV’s Fixer Upper, a huge part of the reality tv show involves participants house hunting. However, these scenes are not entirely accurate. Despite focusing on people hunting for their dream home, the clients have already made up their minds about the property they want renovated.
To appear on the popular home renovation show fronted by Chip andJoanna Gaines , you must have already chosen a home. This is just one of the ways the popular reality show twists the truth to make the show more engaging to viewers.
Fixer Upper uses Joanna’s interior design background and Chip’s construction experience to help the worst houses in the neighborhood turn into a client’s dream home.
Why A House In Escrow Is A Must To Appear On Fixer Upper
Every episode of Fixer Upper starts with hosts and real-life married couple Chip and Joanna Gaines showing clients three prospective properties. The client must then decide which one could be their dream home, which Joanna and Chip will renovate. This is not accurate to the reality, where clients must already have chosen the right house for their project.
When you apply for the popular reality TV show, you are asked if you are in the escrow process and how much you paid for your home. The 71-question application form includes detailed questions implying that those participating in the show should have already purchased the property.
The budget for renovations starts at $30,000, and Fixer Upper participants have to agree on the final budget before they are allowed to appear on the reality TV show.
Former Fixer Upper participant David Ridley says that having a house in escrow is a prerequisite. “You have to be under contract to be on the show,” the season 3 star revealed. “After they select you, they send your house to Chip and Joanna and their design team.”
“They show you other homes, but you already have one.”
Despite the fake setup, Joanna promises that the numbers showcased on the reality show are real. “Yes, the house price is real, the budget is real, and the clients are real. As Chip likes to say, ‘This is a real business, doing real projects, for real clients.’”
Rachel Whyte also admitted that not only did she and her husband already own their home before applying to appear on season 3 of Fixer Upper, they had already moved in before renovations started. “We were unique in that we lived in the home for five weeks before renovations began, so that was interesting,” she said.
Who Does The Furniture Belong To On Fixer Upper?
While the owners have to buy the house, the furniture displayed during the final reveal are not theirs to keep. Due to budgetary constraints, the items placed in the renovation are not permanent and can’t be kept by participants unless they purchase them.
Joanna Gaines even addressed this on her blog: “Our show features real clients with real budgets. The furniture budget is not part of the renovation budget, it’s something some clients add at the end,” she wrote. “About half of our clients already have all their own furnishings, some of which I use for the reveal, and others buy the items I decorate the home with.”
Once Joanna has staged the house, the furniture gets returned to her storefront, Magnolia Market. The furniture placed on the property gets itemized, giving clients the option to buy it.
“The main reason I decorate the rooms for the reveal is because I want the clients to get the full picture of how to maximize their newly renovated space.”
Former Fixer Upper client Jaime Ferguson, who appeared in season 3 alongside her husband Kyle, also explained how the process works. “When it came time to pack up all their beautiful staging furniture, Kyle and I had to decide what we really loved because our budget at that point was pretty spent.”
Jaime, fortunately, loved most of the furniture Joanna chose; they ultimately kept the coffee table, dining table, and two striped chairs. As Joanna custom-made items for Kyle’s music room, the couple was allowed to keep the items. Joanna also incorporated some of Jaime and Kyle’s existing furniture, updating it to suit their newly renovated home.
“We bought it when we were first married. It was cherry wood. One day in Austin, I decided I wanted to jazz it up, so I painted it blue, antiqued it, and added gold gilding. So when Joanna wanted to use that piece in our final design, it made me giddy! … She also used our antique gray and black dresser … and our old sofa in the music room. She hung a few of our things up as well, like a mirror and some framed music sheets in the music room.”
Some eagled-eyed fans of
Fixer Upper
have noticed that Joanna reuses some of the bigger furniture items, like couches, armchairs, and dining room tables. You can see them in multiple episodes of the HGTV show.
Other Elements Of Fixer Upper That Are Fake
Like most other reality TV shows, Fixer Upper uses some fictional elements to create an engaging narrative.
Joanna and Chip Gaines are not as hands-on as the show portrays. While Joanna does stage the property and Chip is involved in the construction side of the renovation, they mostly communicate with clients via text or phone calls.
While Chip only does the dirty work when the cameras are rolling, the finished result should not be criticized, according to people who have been on the HGTV show. “Chip Gaines may not have driven every nail, but you would be hard-pressed to find a single flaw in our home.”
The couple also does not update every room in the home; it all depends on the budget. Joanna explained that their client’s budget determined whether they could transform the whole property or just prioritize certain rooms. Sometimes the couple will continue working on a home after the cameras stop rolling. “We finish the spaces for them after the reveal, and this is separate from the budget shown for TV.”