Chip and Joanna Gaines will not return for 2017 Home Show; enter another HGTV duo
If you were among the thousands of spectators who saw Chip and Joanna Gaines, the wildly popular stars of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper,” the last two years at the Greater Kansas City Home Show, count yourself lucky. They won’t be back in 2017.
The Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City announced Monday that Jonathan and Drew Scott of the hit HGTV show “Property Brothers” will be the star attraction at the March 17-19 event at Bartle Hall.
“As you know, they’re doing less and less appearances based on how busy they are,” said Dawn Allen, the home builders association’s director of membership and events, of the Gaineses. “We didn’t reach out, because we were one of the ones who got them last year.”
During this year’s show, the area in front of the main stage at Bartle Hall was standing room only, with thousands of spectators eager to see the Gaineses, who are married and have four children. Their Magnolia Market store now serves as a main tourist attract in Waco, Texas, where they live.
And the pair didn’t disappoint. While answering questions from the audience, Chip, a goof ball and chatterbox, interrupted his beleaguered wife several times to add long-winded, animated descriptions, forcing her to swipe the microphone several times to keep the presentation moving.
The Gaineses did mention during a pre-show media appearance that they’d had a lot of offers for speaking engagements and that Kansas City was one of the few they chose because of its ardent fan base.
Allen thinks that will carry over to a show without them.
“From a market standpoint, Kansas City has the opportunity to look at different talents,” Allen said. “We want to be flexible and versatile. We feel confident that the show will be as good as the last few years and hopefully better. And we have other surprises coming from a talent standpoint that we’re not ready to announce yet.”
The twin Scott brothers, Jonathan, a contractor, and Drew a real estate agent, help home buyers purchase and renovate homes during “The Property Brothers.” They punctuate the shows with shenanigans and sibling rivalry.
This story was originally published July 18, 2016 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Chip and Joanna Gaines will not return for 2017 Home Show; enter another HGTV duo."