ICYMI: Chip and Joanna Gaines recently announced that they’re rebooting Fixer Upper after a two-year hiatus. In honor of the new revival, we’re taking a look at some of the most frequently asked questions about Fixer Upper. For example, how much do they get paid per episode? And will Jo ever grow out of her giant clock obsession? And finally, does HGTV pay for renovations on Fixer Upper?
Keep reading for all the details.
Surprisingly, the answer is no. The couple (or person) is responsible for paying for their own renovations, but that doesn’t mean they walk away totally empty handed. While HGTV doesn’t fund the renovations, they do pay for one big ticket item. This can include anything from an expensive dining room table to a sectional couch, but it’s restricted to one piece.
To top it off, the homeowners aren’t required to pay Chip and Joanna for their design services, since HGTV covers the talent fee. This means they get a full-blown renovation and pay only for the furniture, so it’s a pretty solid deal.
Nope. Apart from the HGTV-funded item, the couple is required to either purchase the pieces or return them. This includes everything from the rugs and the tables to the small trinkets Joanna uses to decorate the bathroom. Built-in fixtures—like chandeliers and cabinets—are likely pre-purchased by the customer and, therefore, permanent.
Joanna will sometimes gift the homeowners a piece or two from the staging. Everything else, however, gets taken out of the home after filming wraps, so Chip and Jo can use it for their next renovation.
It’s supposedly random, but there are several requirements that one must meet in order to apply. For example, applicants must be located no more than 40 miles outside of Waco, Texas. If they don’t already have a home, they must be ready to buy one. The purchase price must be under $200,000, and the residence must require at least $30,000 in renovations.
Not every room undergoes a full-blown demolition, since Chip and Joanna typically focus on one area of the house. However, the other rooms will likely undergo a brief touch up, which may be as simple as applying a new coat of paint.
As expected, it takes way longer than the 60-minute episode, but it’s a case-by-case basis. To give you an idea, the big reveal that’s shown at the end of the episode takes an entire day to film.
According to Business Insider, Chip and Joanna reportedly made around $30,000 per episode. The income accounts for the majority of their joint net worth, which is about $18 million. In addition to Fixer Upper, the couple also has several other revenue streams, including their entire Magnolia franchise.
Fixer Upper originally premiered in 2013 and ran for five successful seasons until airing its final episode in 2018. At the time, the show was the number-one unscripted series across all networks, with a cool 75 million people tuning into the final season.
The series follows Chip and Joanna Gaines, a husband and wife duo who have mastered the art of flipping houses. Each episode, they team up with a new set of homeowners to turn their fixer upper into a worthy investment.
Earlier this month, the couple announced that Fixer Upper is returning for more episodes. The new season will be broadcast exclusively through the couple’s company, Magnolia Network, which is set to premiere sometime in 2021.
“The day we wrapped our final episode of Fixer Upper, we really believed it was a chapter closed. We knew we needed a break and a moment to catch our breath. But we also knew we weren’t done dreaming about ways to make old things new again,” the couple said in a statement.
According to Allison Page (president of Magnolia Network), the reboot was a no-brainer. “We are thrilled to welcome back the very show that introduced us all to Chip and Jo in the first place,” she said. “Fixer Upper is a cultural phenomenon that took an entire programming category by storm when it launched in 2013, and we can think of no better way to launch this network.”
