From fixer-uppers to falling in love! Celebrity couples are a staple on home renovation shows, from Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines to Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae El Moussa (née Young).
Chip and Joanna, for their part, rose to fame in 2013 when HGTV premiered Fixer Upper. The reality TV series centered around the married couple’s construction and design business — featuring lots of shiplapped walls! — around their local town of Waco, Texas.
“One thing Jo learned from Chip is you have to take risks or you don’t get anywhere. They’re opposites that work really well together,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly of the Magnolia Network founders’ secret to a successful marriage. “Chip’s the creative one, she’s the practical one who’s good at organizing. He gets an idea for a project and she’ll bring it down to earth and do the math and they’ll come up with a plan and a budget.”
Fresh off the initial Fixer Upper success, Chip and Joanna — who share five children — saw their Magnolia boutique grow before opening up other businesses including a real estate agency, an interior design firm and a restaurant. The couple eventually announced in September 2017 that they were ending Fixer Upper after five seasons.
“The idea of leaving the show at the height of its popularity is probably pretty risky, almost irrational-sounding,” the Capital Gaines author said during a January 2018 profile for Success magazine. “Our oldest [child], who’s 12, is becoming a teenager, and Jo and I just realized in our hearts that as much as we love Fixer Upper, as much as we love the honor that we have felt with this show basically introducing us to the country, if not the world, we want to make sure that we’re here for our family during really crucial, pivotal points in its journey.”
He continued at the time: “Obviously Jo and I as a couple, we just don’t want to redline. You know, we don’t want to run so hard after some dream or some goal only to find out that we’ve neglected the thing that means the very most to us, which is our marriage and our relationship.”
The Texas-based pair have since launched their own TV network — released under Discovery+’s umbrella — and debuted their own Magnolia Journal magazine. They later returned to their Fixer Upper roots in late 2022, chronicling their restoration of Waco’s “The Castle” residence in a six-part HBO Max special. (HBO Max and Discovery+ merged before Fixer Upper: Welcome Home premiered.)
The Gaines duo is far from the only happy couple to star in a renovation show together. Tarek and Heather, who wed in October 2021, rose to fame with their own reality TV appearances on Flipping 101 and Selling Sunset, respectively. After the real estate investor and Heather tied the knot, they inked a deal with HGTV to flip homes together.
“Onto the next chapter!!! As one door closes with Flip or Flop, another opens with The Flipping El Moussas so get ready to see A LOT more of us next year 🤍🤰🏼,” the former Playboy model — whose first child with Tarek is due in January 2023 — wrote via Instagram in December 2022, teasing the new show. “Get ready for a season of not only growing our businesses but also growing our family!! And don’t worry, you’ll still see plenty of us … So: Who’s ready for new flips, beautiful designs, behind-the-scenes, lots of laughs and babies!?! ❤️❤️❤️.”
Tarek previously starred on Flip or Flip with ex-wife Christina Hall (née Haack) before their September 2016 split. The exes — who coparent children Taylor and Brayden — announced in March 2022 that Flip or Flip would conclude after 10 seasons.
“[Taylor and Brayden] were, they were a little shocked by it. They didn’t really understand it, but you know, they know we work on a lot of different things, so they’re excited to see what’s next,” he exclusively told Us that May of ending the longtime program. “I think we’re gonna have to have a Flip or Flop binge week from season 1 to show the kids. I think that’s on the schedule.”
Scroll below to see more celebrity lovebirds who’ve tackled design TV series:
From fixer-uppers to falling in love! Celebrity couples are a staple on home renovation shows, from Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines to Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae El Moussa (née Young).
Chip and Joanna, for their part, rose to fame in 2013 when HGTV premiered Fixer Upper. The reality TV series centered around the married couple’s construction and design business — featuring lots of shiplapped walls! — around their local town of Waco, Texas.
“One thing Jo learned from Chip is you have to take risks or you don’t get anywhere. They’re opposites that work really well together,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly of the Magnolia Network founders’ secret to a successful marriage. “Chip’s the creative one, she’s the practical one who’s good at organizing. He gets an idea for a project and she’ll bring it down to earth and do the math and they’ll come up with a plan and a budget.”
Fresh off the initial Fixer Upper success, Chip and Joanna — who share five children — saw their Magnolia boutique grow before opening up other businesses including a real estate agency, an interior design firm and a restaurant. The couple eventually announced in September 2017 that they were ending Fixer Upper after five seasons.
“The idea of leaving the show at the height of its popularity is probably pretty risky, almost irrational-sounding,” the Capital Gaines author said during a January 2018 profile for Success magazine. “Our oldest [child], who’s 12, is becoming a teenager, and Jo and I just realized in our hearts that as much as we love Fixer Upper, as much as we love the honor that we have felt with this show basically introducing us to the country, if not the world, we want to make sure that we’re here for our family during really crucial, pivotal points in its journey.”
[jwplayer 0AWmKdqv-zhNYySv2]
He continued at the time: “Obviously Jo and I as a couple, we just don’t want to redline. You know, we don’t want to run so hard after some dream or some goal only to find out that we’ve neglected the thing that means the very most to us, which is our marriage and our relationship.”
The Texas-based pair have since launched their own TV network — released under Discovery+’s umbrella — and debuted their own Magnolia Journal magazine. They later returned to their Fixer Upper roots in late 2022, chronicling their restoration of Waco’s “The Castle” residence in a six-part HBO Max special. (HBO Max and Discovery+ merged before Fixer Upper: Welcome Home premiered.)
The Gaines duo is far from the only happy couple to star in a renovation show together. Tarek and Heather, who wed in October 2021, rose to fame with their own reality TV appearances on Flipping 101 and Selling Sunset, respectively. After the real estate investor and Heather tied the knot, they inked a deal with HGTV to flip homes together.
“Onto the next chapter!!! As one door closes with Flip or Flop, another opens with The Flipping El Moussas so get ready to see A LOT more of us next year 🤍🤰🏼,” the former Playboy model — whose first child with Tarek is due in January 2023 — wrote via Instagram in December 2022, teasing the new show. “Get ready for a season of not only growing our businesses but also growing our family!! And don’t worry, you’ll still see plenty of us … So: Who’s ready for new flips, beautiful designs, behind-the-scenes, lots of laughs and babies!?! ❤️❤️❤️.”
Tarek previously starred on Flip or Flip with ex-wife Christina Hall (née Haack) before their September 2016 split. The exes — who coparent children Taylor and Brayden — announced in March 2022 that Flip or Flip would conclude after 10 seasons.
“[Taylor and Brayden] were, they were a little shocked by it. They didn’t really understand it, but you know, they know we work on a lot of different things, so they’re excited to see what’s next,” he exclusively told Us that May of ending the longtime program. “I think we’re gonna have to have a Flip or Flop binge week from season 1 to show the kids. I think that’s on the schedule.”
Scroll below to see more celebrity lovebirds who’ve tackled design TV series:
Credit: Rob Latour/Shutterstock
Chip and Joanna Gaines
Chip and Joanna are renovation royalty with their tasteful designs and a sweet focus on their family.
“Chip has this amazing instinct and intuition and then I come in and do the fine-tuning and do the details, and that’s why I think we’re a great team,” the HGTV matriarch gushed during a July 2020 presentation at the Salesforce Presents Stories of Resilience virtual conference.
Credit: Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae Young
The Flipping El Moussas premieres in January 2023 as Tarek and Heather renovate tear-down properties in California and manage their growing family. (The Oppenheim Group broker has been pregnant while filming season 1.)
Credit: Courtesy Chelsea Houska/Instagram
Chelsea Houska and Cole DeBoer
The Teen Mom 2 couple is jumping into the renovation game with their Down Home Fab program. The reality TV series premieres in January 2023 on HGTV, showcasing the pair’s plans to decorate their farmhouse.
“We can’t wait to take our fans along this next crazy journey of building our business from the ground up — with four kids in tow — showing all of the highs and lows on the renovation site and at home,” Houska explained via Instagram in February 2022.
Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Erin and Ben Napier
The college sweethearts have shown off their own design prowess on HGTV’s Home Town, which premiered in January 2016. Home Town is filmed around their Laurel, Mississippi, hometown.
Credit: SAG Awards/Shutterstock
Drew Scott and Linda Phan
Before the Property Brothers star married Phan in 2018, they aimed to fix up their newlywed home in Property Brothers at Home: Drew’s Honeymoon House. The limited series, which debuted in November 2017, updated one room per episode until their dream house was move-in ready.
Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent
The two designers costar in TLC’s Nate and Jeremiah by Design, which first premiered in April 2017. In addition to fixing up clients’ residences, the docuseries also highlights their marriage and life with two children: daughter Poppy and son Oskar.
Credit: Youtube
Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa
Tarek and Christina, who initially met through their real estate connections, launched Flop or Flop when daughter Taylor was 3 years old. The former couple continued to team up for TV flips following their divorce until its finale aired in late 2022.
Credit: AFF-USA/Shutterstock
Shea and Syd McGee
The Utah residents launched their Studio McGee design firm in 2014. As the brand continued to grow, the couple’s business was profiled on Dream Home Makeover. The Netflix series, which premiered in 2020, has aired for four seasons.
Credit: Youtube
Andy and Ashley Williams
Following Tarek and Christina’s Flip or Flop success, HGTV sought house-flipping couples in cities such as Las Vegas, Nashville and Fort Worth. Married veterans Andy and Ashley helmed Flip or Flop Fort Worth upon its 2017 premiere. The show ran for one season on HGTV.
