The Untold Truth Of Fixer Upper

Though the Magnolia brand has become a juggernaut in the home and living space, it was not solely the brainchild of Chip and Joanna. In fact, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald, the entire thing started out as Magnolia Realty, a teeny tiny real estate firm founded by Chip, his lawyer buddy, John L. Lewis, and

Though the Magnolia brand has become a juggernaut in the home and living space, it was not solely the brainchild of Chip and Joanna. In fact, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald, the entire thing started out as Magnolia Realty, a teeny tiny real estate firm founded by Chip, his lawyer buddy, John L. Lewis, and another friend, Richard L. Clark. That's cool, right? A small business hit it big with a lucky break on a reality TV show. But ask yourself this: Have you ever seen Lewis or Clark on Fixer Upper? Right.

According to Chip's former business partners, that's because the Waco construction guru allegedly bought them out of the business—for $2,500 each—just two days before the announcement that HGTV had picked up the show, and despite allegedly negotiating with the network for more than a year. Four years later, Magnolia Realty, as we've previously mentioned, has ballooned into Magnolia everything, leaving Lewis and Clark feeling like they were left in the dust.

The result of the falling-out is a lawsuit filed by the jilted Magnolia partners. It names "Chip Gaines; Magnolia Realty; Scripps Networks, the company that owns HGTV; and High Noon Productions, the company that produces Fixer Upper," and seeks more than $1 million in damages. As of this writing, there hasn't been much movement on the suit, but Gaines' attorney has dismissed it as "meritless" and claimed it's just a product of "people try to take advantage of the hard work and success of Chip and Joanna Gaines."

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