While they might be playing a little coy when it comes to their knowledge of the show, couples featured on the program are typically big fans of the show, which makes sense because how would you even know about the Gaineses without knowing about the show? So, everyone they select is naturally a fan.
However, in addition to having seen the show, you must disclose whether or not you have applied to be on other HGTV programs. Because it would be odd and totally sus if one couple showed up on multiple HGTV shows. That being said, you need to be a true, loyal fan of the show and not someone just trying to get on TV.
No, Chip and Joanna Gaines won’t just find you. You have to actually apply to get on the show. If you’ve ever dreamed of having a renovation like the ones they have on their show, you have a 0% chance of getting on if you don’t apply. As the quote goes, “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
To apply, you’ll need to provide photos of your home. Take pictures that really show there’s a lot of work to do in your home and if there are some rooms that need more work, be sure to include more photos of those rooms to really hit that idea home.
The application process isn’t easy and it isn’t quick. Even if they end up looking at your application and consider you for the show, there’s still a lot you have to go through before you are accepted. Think of it like a job application; handing out your resume is just a part of it.
You may be asked to fill out multiple questionnaires about your home during the application process. You will also be asked to do video interviews and/or phone calls on more than one occasion. And if you make it that far, it could be time for an in-person meeting.
There is an age requirement to be on Fixer Upper, but we're going to go out on a limb and say that the age requirement isn’t going to be much of a deterrent for people looking to apply. Why, you ask? Because the age limit is 21 years old—and how many people under 21 own a home?
Let’s face it: they might as well make the age limit 30 because most people are not going to be able to buy a home until that point. The age requirement is basically a non-issue until they start renovating people’s apartments, which is safe to say is not going to be a thing on HGTV.
Okay, brace yourselves. This may come as a shock but to apply to be featured on the show, you must have a computer and internet access. Oh, whatever will you do. Oh, right, you are on your computer right now (okay, maybe your phone.) The application process starts online.
For information on how to apply, you can visit the Magnolia website, owned by Joanna Gaines and you can talk to someone there. The website details all Magnolia network programs and there is also an online shop. Create an account and figure out the next steps, if you dare.
So, probably the biggest catch of them all is that you need to live in Waco, Texas to qualify to be on the show. Because the Fixer Upper couple only operates within a 30-mile radius of their home, you’ll need to be that close to be even considered for a spot on the show.
The reason for this, according to a Facebook Live Q+A is that the couple wants to be close to their family. Until the kids are grown up and out of the house, the Gaines family has said that all their renovations will take place in Waco. Though I’m betting with enough money offered that they might reconsider.
It should be no surprise, but in case it is, that you’ll be featured on camera on multiple occasions. Fixer Upper is in fact a television show and you obviously know that when applying because you probably want a chance to be on TV too. That being said, you need to be camera-ready at a moment's notice.
You never know when you’ll be chosen for the show and need to do an interview for the show or shoot the reveal segment at the end of the show. While the reveal is only a small part of the show, you’ll need to film from about 8 am in the morning to 4 pm – that’s almost a full day’s work.
You are going to have to put the pen to paper if you want to be featured on the show. This protects the producers from any liability and also you from changing your mind. We don’t actually know the specifics of the contract as this is undisclosed so we can only guess.
Contracts are part of pretty much every television, series, so it should not come as a surprise that HGTV wants to protect their interests. As with any contract, you should read it all, pay attention, and read a little between the lines. Always know what you are getting into.
Joanna and Chip Gaines will do nothing for you until you sign along the dotted line. They aren’t going to put any effort into a project unless they know it will be a fruitful endeavor. It’s not uncommon for people to change their minds and back out of a contract at the last minute.
Once you sign your contract, the first steps will begin, and that first step is the planning stage. Only after you sign the contract will you be given a blueprint for your renovation, so if you are thinking of backing out after seeing the blueprint, think again – because you just signed a contract.
Your home must be ready to renovate. In earlier seasons of the show, Chip and Joanna Gaines would help the featured couples find a home that they wanted to renovate. They would select from three different options and choose the one they thought best. This process was staged, of course.
The house hunting portion of the show has since been axed and now it’s all about the renovation. And that means in order for your house to be renovated, it needs to look like it needs to be renovated. Whether you buy new or are fixing up your old house, you need to own the home already.
Prepare your home to be renovated. Create a blank canvas for Chip and Joanna to work on. That means removing all the clutter and everything else that is going to get in the way. You can’t make them work around the mess that you want them to clean up for you.
Clear out any furniture pieces from the home, although you don’t necessarily have to trash them but we’ll get to that later. You want to clear out shelves, closets and anything else that might get in the way of their work. The area must be prepped when told so that the filming can begin.
Let’s be clear on one thing: Fixer Upper is not a sweepstakes. It’s not a prize you win for being the biggest fan of the show. You aren’t like to gain anything from being on it other than publicity and well…a freshly renovated home. That being said, all the work they do on your home is going to cost you money.
There is one major advantage, however. Compared to hiring a contractor to do the job, your renovation will cost a lot less money. That is because the materials are charged at cost. That means you aren’t overpaying for anything not getting charged for interior designer talent fees.
Some of the rooms in your home will be in more need of renovation than others. That being said, not every room will receive a major makeover. Some renovations may be far less dramatic than in other rooms. But that’s not to say you won’t notice a difference – because you will.
The rooms that will likely receive the most renovation will be the most lived in areas of the home such as master bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens and all those rooms of the sort. Less likely to be renovated are guest rooms and basements as these areas typically don’t need it.
If you think you will have any creative control during the renovation process, guess again. By putting your home in the hands of Chip and Joanna Gaines, you are surrendering your control over what happens next. You have to trust them and hope for the best, and leave your home in their hands.
While you may be asked about certain things, they aren’t going to go every paint color, wall feature, flooring or any other choice as if you were wedding planning. This show is about the Gaines and whatever happens to your home after they’ve had their fun is exactly what you signed up for.
This is television and it should go without saying that you don’t have any control over the cutting room floor. Did you do something embarrassing during filming that you wish you could undo? Too Bad. It’s not up to you and to the Magnolia team, it was probably hilarious.
On the same note, you also can’t control which footage you want them to use. This is not your show. You are just a bystander who will benefit from it. The production team will condense a ton of footage into a mere 60-minute episode and what you see after they are done is what you’ll get.
Okay, admittedly we are making it sound as though you are letting television executives and celebrities take over your life but that’s not entirely true. Chip and Joanna Gaines do care about what you think. They will ask you about some things and you don’t necessarily have to agree to them.
You will eventually meet with the design team and when you do, you will have some input and you will be able to share budget constraints at this time. Be sure to be honest with the design team or else you may be very unhappy. This will occur before everything is set in stone. It’s your last chance.
To get a better idea of who you are and what you want in a home, you may be asked by Joanna to create a Pinterest board. She will use this board to determine a décor style that she will utilize in your home. If you have never used Pinterest, it’s pretty easy to learn.
Pinterest is just another kind of social media platform that’s super user-friendly. You just save images from all over the net in folders, so you can look at them whenever you want. Pinterest can help you plan feasts, decorate your home, craft, and give you all sorts of ideas from just about anywhere.
Answering personal questions can be integral to renovation design, so do not avoid Joanna’s personal questions. If Joanna asks you about your intimate life, of all things, you better have an answer for her. Capiche? Of course, she probably won’t because it’s a family-friendly show. But you never know.
While usually just a small piece, like some wall art or a piece of furniture, Joanna Gaines has been known to provide some personalized touches to your renovation. It might likely be related to a hobby or interest that you have, but it is designed to be something you can connect with and it’s free.
It’s not like you sign a contract and never find out what happens to your home until it's done. There are some discussions with the design team that are integral to the process. The show itself is split into segments and one important part of that is Design Day.
On Design Day, Joanna Gaines gives the homeowners an update about the plans. At first, you hear about the plans verbally but on design day, you get some kind of visual representation about what’s in store for you and your home. So, essentially, you aren’t totally in the dark – but also there are plenty of surprises in store.
You don't get to sneak a peak or get a preview of the work being done on your home until the renovation is complete. If you are worried about just what is going on with your home while you are away, you'll just have to suck it up and get over it.
There's of course, another reason for this besides the team wanting you out of their way. For the sake of the show, not seeing the house before it is complete is going inspire a more enthusiastic reaction when you see it the first time. Your reaction to the reveal at the end would also be more genuine.
HGTV is notorious for decorating homes on TV and taking all the furniture back to use on another show. On Fixer Upper, the featured couple or individual in need of renovation will receive at least one furniture item that they can keep. All of the other furniture is just part of the stage.
The furniture on display after the renovation is a bit like the furniture in a model home. It may be better quality and built to last, but all that stuff goes back into HGTV’s vault to be used on another show. The good news is that the furniture piece you can keep will be something nice and expensive like a dining room table.
Now, suppose you just fell in love with all the furniture provided for your renovation and you would like to keep it all. What are your options then? Well, there is a way for you to keep it all and that way is to just buy it from them. That is to say, you do have the option of keeping everything but it’s going to cost you extra.
Once the filming of the show is done, HGTV will provide an itemized list of everything staged in your home and that list will come with discounted prices listed next to each item. If you need new furniture, you can keep everything and maybe even save some money by doing so. You’ll certainly save time not needing to assemble or move anything in.
While it always looks like the interior designers on HGTV are constantly in contact with the subjects of each episode, that’s not really the case. Most of the time, as someone featured on the show, you won’t deal with Chip and Joanna directly. Most of the time, you’ll be talking to design associates.
While at first, Chip and Joanna might have been a little more involved with the homeowners, that has changed over the years. This is most likely due to them being so high-profile and extremely busy these days. Thus, you won’t really have a direct line of communication with them.
Moving out is essential as you probably could have guessed. Since you aren’t allowed to see the home before it’s complete, you can’t really stick around, can you? Besides that, however, the entire Fixer Upper team must have access to your home and you being in it at the time is problematic.
So you aren’t getting in their way, you’ll have to find some other accommodations and that will be up to you. Sorry, they won’t put you in a five-star hotel resort as you wait out the renovation. It’s going to come out of your pocket, just like pretty much everything else.
Just because you are remodeling, doesn’t necessarily mean all your furniture has to go. If the show’s designers can find a use for your existing furniture, they can and will use it. Not all of the furniture has to go, especially if it’s in good condition or the furniture piece has special meaning to you.
Whether it’s a family heirloom or an antique, there’s always a little room to showcase your most cherished pieces. An item here and there doesn’t have to look out of place, it can add a personal touch or some much-needed character to a room. But the Gaines team will decide.
As anxious as you will be to be able to go back home after waiting so long, you may have to play the waiting game just a little longer after your renovation is complete. Although you will be able to see your home for the big reveal segment at the end of the show, you might not be able to settle in then.
The actual work on the house is only a part of the renovation process. It’s not enough to make everything old look new again, you also have to make sure it’s inhabitable, meaning that it is safe and pristine. The home will need to be inspected and the Magnolia crew may add some finishing touches.
Filming can sometimes be sporadic. The producers of the show do their best to condense filming into a specific timeframe but in the television business, anything can happen. Sometimes filming can be delayed due to weather, illness, and any other unforeseeable emergency. You need to be ready to film when you are needed.
If you have vacation time, use it. You’ll need it during the time filming and if you take more days off than you actually needed to, just enjoy your time off. It’s not a big deal. Some people never take vacation time and end up regretting it. Just tell your employers how you are going be on TV and they’ll probably encourage you to take all the time you need.
There’s a fantasy element to most reality shows that we are pretty sure everyone is aware of. It should come as no surprise that they are often staged and drama is almost always played up. You will be required to do some acting during filming so that you seem more surprised than you really are.
And sometimes its not just pretending to have a certain reaction to something. Sometimes, you may actually need to repeat lines for the camera, so that the teams can get different angle shots. So the staged element is definitely going to be there and you are going to have to sound the same for every shot.
To get your home renovated by the Magnolia team, you’ll need to shell out about $50,000 at least but more is certainly welcome. That’s a lot and the process of getting on the show is a lot, and leaving your home and signing a contract…it’s all a lot but in the end, it’s worth it.
Once you’ve forked out the money and gone through the renovation process, you’ll discover a newfound love for your home. The work that Chip and Joanna Gaines do on homes is amazing and it’s worth every cent of your money and all the stress associated with a television production.
If you aren’t really into your renovated home enough to stay in it, there’s always another option: sell it. Turn your Fixer Upper into your very own episode of Love It or List It (not literally) by putting the home on the market. HGTV does not restrict homeowners from listing their homes after the renovation is complete.
The best part is that with a newly renovated home that was also featured on a high-profile TV show, you can actually sell it for a lot of money. There are no doubt buyers who will be interested in a home renovated by Chip and Joanna Gaines and even if you don’t like the look of the home, someone else certainly will.
