"Fixer Upper" fans can’t get enough of Chip and Joanna Gaines – but are some of the scenes on their hit show faked? While you may know everything about the couple from Waco, Texas, here are a few surprising moments that Chip and Joanna staged.
The truth behind ‘Fixer Upper’
According to Closer Weekly, there are moments in each episode that are staged for the camera. This includes the furniture and décor featured in each big reveal, which doesn’t stay in the home after Chip and Joanna leave. In fact, Jamie Ferguson, who appeared on Season 3 of "Fixer Upper," shared a few images of what her home looked like after the cameras stopped rolling.
Although the house still looks gorgeous, the design elements are completely different from what was displayed on "Fixer Upper."
“When it came time to pack up all their beautiful staging furniture [my husband] and I had to decide what we really loved because our budget at that point was pretty spent,” Ferguson explained. “We decided to keep the coffee table from Wayfair.com, two striped chairs from Wayfair and the dining table. Joanna gifted some of the music room items that she had custom made for Kyle. So special!”
‘Fixer Upper’ homes are worth the drama
Staging furniture isn’t the only surprising element on "Fixer Upper." K Cen TV reports that the appraisal values of the renovated homes featured on "Fixer Upper" are skyrocketing like crazy.
Some homes have witnessed an increase of over $100,000 after they were featured on the hit show. Why are these homes worth more?
Chief appraiser for McLenna County, Andrew Hahn, Jr., says one reason for the hike in prices is because the homes are being lumped together – even if they aren’t in the same neighborhood. “When we look at that, we look at the overall neighborhood, see how many sales we have within that neighborhood and see what they’re selling for and adjust accordingly,” he shared.
For the homeowners, the increase in appraisal value doesn’t hold up when taking the age and size of the houses into account. They are also afraid that the values will plummet once the show declines in popularity.
How to get on ‘Fixer Upper’
While the fluctuation in value is a concern in the long run, many fans still dream of having Chip and Joanna renovate their home.
Unfortunately, getting on "Fixer Upper" is a little harder than you might think. For starters, Today reports that your home needs to be located near Waco, Texas, where Chip and Joanna’s business is based. More specifically, all houses featured on the show are within a 40 mile radius of the town. If you aren’t anywhere near Waco then you’re out of luck.
If you meet the first criteria, then you’ll need a pretty large budget to meet Chip and Joanna. After all, the show is best when the renovations are dramatic, and this only happens when the homeowners have enough money to spend on the makeover. If you really want to appear on "Fixer Upper," then plan on having around $30,000 just for renovations.
The last requirement to land a spot on the show is to trust Chip and Joanna with all the major design decisions. While the personal taste of the owners is considered, the application says, “you will have to accept that some final renovation choices may differ from your original decisions or desires.”
