HGTV Boss Says ‘Fixer Upper’ Will Not Resume Without Chip and Joanna Gaines

While HGTV is making Flip Or Flop shows without Tarek and Christina El Moussa, the network has no plans to do the same with Chip and Joanna Gaines‘ Fixer Upper.

“What made the show special was Chip and Jo,” HGTV chief Kathleen Finch told TheWrap Thursday. “I don’t see that we would ever make it with someone else.”

The Gaines chose to end their popular series after five seasons to focus on their new business ventures in Texas and to raise their new son, Crew Gaines. The last episode aired in April, allowing the show to end on a high note.

“Obviously, we didn’t want them to go because we love them,” Finch said, adding that the network understood their decision. “We’re never going to stand in the way of talent… we understand that when family calls we don’t want anybody to be unhappy in their job.”

The decision to not continue the Fixer Upper brand is in stark contrast to HGTV’s announcement of five Flip Or Flop spinoffs without the now-divorced El Moussas. The new shows are based in Chicago, Nashville, Atlanta, Texas and Las Vegas, and all follow the same format, complete with a couple as the hosts. The Las Vegas spinoff debuted in April 2017. Christina El Moussa also landed a solo spinoff, Christina on the Coast, which will debut in early 2019.

Fixer Upper ran five seasons and was nominated for the Outstanding Structured Reality Program in 2017 and 2018. It also inspired a Gaines-starring spin-off, Fixer Upper: Behind The Design, which airs on Saturdays at 7 p.m. ET.

“This season of life has been rewarding, challenging, unbelievably fast and furious and nearly everything in between. Back in September when Chip and I posted the blog announcing that this season would be our last, it still seemed so far away,” Joanna wrote on her website in April, before the series finale aired.

“At the time, we were knee-deep in the restaurant renovation, we had filming left to wrap up, and we were working toward finishing up several projects,” she continued. “April felt like it was forever away, but somehow it snuck up on us. Time is funny like that, the days sometimes seem long, but the weeks, months and even years fly past us when we least expect it.”

Crew was born on June 22, more than two weeks ahead of his due date. The Gaines are also parents to Emmie Kay, 8; Duke, 9; Ella, 11; and Drake, 13.

Photo Credit: Getty