Fixer Upper

This show is entertaining for the first few times you watch it. Then after while you realize that these two are one trick ponies.

They certainly seem like wonderful people and they are very talented. The houses they renovate are done beautifully. But the problem here is that, like the Property Brothers, everything they do looks alike.

They love shabby chic. They love beige and gray and taupe. Looking at one of the houses they do is like looking at a black and white or sepia photo.

I would be impressed if they could show a little range. If they could do something other than shabby chic/country and if they could use some color in their houses.

I was really into the show at first, I was addicted. They really brought some damaged homes back to life. However, after a while, it was the same exact thing over and over again. Painting the bricks outside the house (which is usually ugly), opening up a wall, crown molding, painting the fireplace white, putting in hardwood floors, putting in white counters all the way to the ceiling, putting in black counter tops, putting in french doors, and spending every penny of their money even though in EVERY single episode there is an issue where they have to spend more money. Everything in this show is WAY overpriced. Any charm that is in the house is taken out unless it's the hardwood floors or french doors. It's not a very informative show: it teaches you nothing about renovations except that Joanna does the same design in every single episode. I am from Texas and know that area, and I know that with as much money as these people spend, they should get something more spectacular.

I just love this show!! I think Chip is hysterical! Those who don't are just boring people that live boring lives. Joanna is priceless and so talented. I love how she decorates and she seems to find the most unique decorations. Plus, her eye for how to improve the layout of a home is amazing. They take a dilapidated house and turn it into a true dream house. I don't see how they do all that they do for really...such a small amount of money. They are just magicians. Chip's skill and craftsmanship is amazing too. It is so rewarding to see a loving, funny and talented family on TV. I can't get enough of it! I hope this show stays on the air for a long time!!! Kudos to Chip and Joanna Gaines.

Like many of the other reviews, I DO like the show, but I want to echo some of the comments.

I have no problem with their personalities; Chip jokes around but he knows what he's doing. Joanna is a bit serious, but has design talent. Their clients are all hetro couples, unlike other HGTV programs. Their apparent strict rules about life styles makes the program stick out as not being typical of HGTV's mission.

On the design side, I find that taking down walls and creating a typically fashionable great room look is boring as hell. Does everyone in Waco want the same style? Why must all brick be painted? Why is there typically a lack of color and style flair? Perhaps they select clients with the same style aesthetic as the Gaines have. Who knows? Other HGTV shows like Property Brothers and House Hunters VARY the type of people looking for properties, as well as VARY the style of the clients. "Fixer Upper" does not.

Finally, I understand that none of the furnishings remain with the clients, unlike "Property Brothers", where the clients often use some of their old furniture.

The hosts are entertaining enough and they at least have some chemistry as a couple. I prefer watching this show to Flip or Flop.

The problem is every house is given the exact same treatment. They do find plenty of actually cool houses in their area, some of which are very old. They throw the word character around, and then proceed to strip the character out of every home they find, unless that character is hardwood floors. They bust down all the interior walls to make room for the massive, trendy, all-white kitchen with the white cabinets and the marble counters and the bin pulls. If there's wood trim, they paint it white. If there's brick, they paint it white. White, white white. Gray, gray, gray. Everything ends up looking like their own house.

What really annoys me most is when some unforeseen cost comes up, and they ask their clients for more money to fix it. It never occurs to them to accommodate the new problem within the budget, or to leave a cushion in the budget for unexpected costs, or to compromise on some of the renovations. Or, god forbid, to *not* gut a kitchen full of perfectly functional cabinets. A lot of the houses they fix are actually move in ready, and they do a ton of unnecessary work. They could save money by keeping some of the stuff in the house and working with it. But it's like there's a rule that the client's money has to be used up totally. If the client is willing to give them 100k, then by god they will come up with a renovation plan that costs 100k.