Fixer Upper fans will tell you how much they love the show's house-flipping stars, Chip
and Joanna Gaines.
How did they manage to go from just your everyday married couple to the power pair of HGTV's
most-watched program of all time?
Here some things you didn't know about Chip and Joanna Gaines.
Flipping the script
Though the couple seem like they were born to flip houses, both of them originally had
very different dreams in life.
Growing up, Chip wanted to play professional baseball.
"When I was in college, I was really hopeful that one day I'd be a pro baseball player.
I wanted to be the best baseball player I could be.
So this new path opened up and I really applied that same drive and determination and really
the discipline that I had learned from baseball.
I focused all that attention on flipping houses"
And while Joanna wanted to be on television, she hoped to do it as a broadcast journalist.
She told Popsugar,
"I always dreamed of the idea of television but never thought it would have to do with
design or renovations."
But she was actually selling tires at her dad's car shop when she met Chip, who helped
her feel confident enough to live out her dreams.
"If I didn't have Chip Gaines in my life, I'd still be dreaming in my head and not acting
out on any of that—not living it out.
You pushed me.
You pushed me out of my comfort zone."
The two of them soon made an unbeatable team, according to Joanna.
"When I met Chip, he was renting and flipping properties left and right to college students.
Once I caught on to the concept of buying something that is undervalued to then put
value into it and sell it for a profit, I was hooked, too."
They used to be broke
In an interview with People magazine, Joanna opened up about the tough financial times
they faced when they were starting out as small business owners.
"I remember when we were first married the only money that we had was what was in Chip's
pocket.
He had this wad of cash.
And so if i needed to go grocery shopping, if I needed to just go find a new shirt, it
was whatever was in his pocket.
We pretended like we were rich so my dad would be real proud, but we were broke."
The pressure to impress Joanna's dad affected Chip as well.
"Her dad spent the first two years of our marriage asking me if I was going to get a
job.
I was like, 'I've got a job.
I really like my job.
I flip houses, I've got some rental properties, I do some construction—that's a job.
It's a full-time deal.'"
We're guessing the TV show finally convinced him.
"That looks a lot farther than it is.
But it's not.
It's really two or three feet.
It's an optical illusion.
Watch this…"
"...oww!"
The newlywed game
The first property Chip and Joanna flipped together?
The house they bought when they got married.
Joanna recalled,
"We started renovations on it immediately after we came home from our honeymoon.
All I could remember is the smell.
The house was bad.
Chip did all the construction, and I remember many nights he was on his hands and knees
staining floors or laying tile."
She also confessed it took time for her to find her style aesthetic.
"I was experimenting with my design style at the time and every room had a different
theme.
The living room was nautical themed with cheap sailboats and prints as decor.
The kitchen was French themed with horrible mustard-colored walls.
The den was cowboy themed for Chip, of course…horns, leather, and lots of cedar.
It was all very interesting, to say the least."
Lessons learned
Chip and Joanna may be known for their incredible style and craftsmanship on Fixer Upper, but
that only came after years of learning valuable lessons—aka making mistakes.
Joanna told HGTV,
"For our first high-end flip, I chose a tan stucco color.
After it was painted, I pulled up to the house and it looked like a big yellow school bus."
As for Chip, well, he wasn't so perfect, either.
"I wanted to surprise JoJo with a bold backsplash at a flip property.
It took me all day to install this beautiful tumbled-stone backsplash, but when I went
to grout it… it soaked up the color and turned maroon.
It was horrible, and JoJo was surprised to say the least."
"Man down!
Man down!
Epipen to the heart!"
Accidental stardom
Even though Fixer Upper has millions of fans and Chip and Joanna run a number of profitable
businesses, they're still flabbergasted by how famous and successful they've become over
the last few years.
Chip told People,
"All of this sort of fell into our laps.
We were just living our life out here in little bitty Waco.
We had dreams and aspirations like most folks, but this has really been something else."
"Why can't anybody ever pick the easy one?
You know the one that's like yeah we gotta paint the bathroom.
"Well it's your fault.
You're the one who showed him the house."
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