Chip and Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper TV Show arrive to AOL Build in New York City. Chip signed for a few people on his way into show while Joanna arrived in a separate car and ran right into the show. 18 Oct 2017 Pictured: Joanna Gaines.

Chip and Joanna Gaines Pull 'Homework' From Their New Network Lineup After Accusations Of Damaged Homes

Home / News / Chip and Joanna Gaines Pull 'Homework' From Their New Network Lineup After Accusations Of Damaged Homes

By Favour Adegoke on January 9, 2022 at 11:00 AM PST

Chip And Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Network is pulling down a show two days after its debut on Disney+. The show, "Homework," featured Utah-located couple Andy and Candis Meredith after the pair renovated a school to their family home. It also included their work on other people's homes in their area.

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The show, whi thought up, was meant to be their next "Fixer Upper." However, it was pulled down after some homeowners accused that the Merediths destroyed their home and had them renovate, which ran into hundreds of thousands.

The pair, however, denied the accusations on their Instagram page and in a statement released by Insider.

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Aubry Benion Says His Collaboration With The Couple Came With A Lot Of Issues

Aubry Benion, who said she had her kitchen renovated by the couple in 2019, shared her experience on Instagram on Monday.

Initially, the Merediths told her that they could help renovate her kitchen in less than a month for $20,000. However, Benion shared that the whole process took about five months and eventually cost $39,000– with a bulk of that spent on repairing issues caused by the renovation.

She also included that the couple added a deck at the back of her kitchen. They also built a sprinkler system, resulting in a drainage issue. She explained that her home almost got flooded due to the deck in the same post. To repair that, she had to pay $18,000 to fix it.

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Benion also mentioned that the pair never showed her a budget during the renovation, despite her constant request for one. She said she repeatedly spoke to the couple about the challenges she faced with the renovation process, and she was mostly fed with excuses or promises. According to Benion, none of the pledges came through.

The house owner said she reached out to Magnolia Network for help during the renovation. Although they gave the pair a stern talking, this didn't change anything.

She also expressed how disappointed she felt in the Magnolia brand. "I want Magnolia to be accountable," she said. "It's mind-blowing to me that they would put Magnolia's name and reputation on the line or that they would allow these people to represent them without any sort of oversight or mentoring."

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Other People Narrate Similar Experiences

After Benion shared her experience, another homeowner, Teisha Satterfield Hawley, detailed her experience with the Merediths.

She explained on Instagram that she and her husband gave the couple $45,000 to renovate their house for a month. Ten weeks later, little to no change was done in their apartment. Despite that, the Merediths told the Hawley's that they'd need another $40,000 to make a follow-up renovation.

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"Hopeless is the word that comes to mind when I think of that day," Hawley captioned the post of the incident. "We had been living in our basement for months at this point, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and birthdays. We were exhausted, we had just been told all of our funds were used, and our home was torn apart with bubbling floors laid."

However, they told the Merediths not to come back as they figured out how to fix their home without their help. "People with 'celebrity' status can't have power over others just because they feel like they can," Hawley explained and added that "the Magnolia name (as well as Chip and Jo's)" gave them "a sense of safety and security" in doing business with the Merediths. "There are many families and even businesses that these people have harmed," she added. "It all needs to be put to an end."

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The Goates' Experience

Vienna and Rob Goates', who share five kids, explained via their Instagram account that they gave the Merediths a down payment for their renovation in February 2020. Per their Instagram post, they sent the money after the Merediths asked them for deposits to secure contractors.

Months passed, and no work had begun on their home. When Rob Goates got laid off three months after, the couple told them that they shouldn't bother about payments for now.

"We had faith in the reputation of Chip and Joanna and their beloved Magnolia brand, and Candis repeated assurances that everything would work out," Vienna wrote on Instagram.

The Goates mentioned that the Merediths hadn't begun working on their home by September. They decided to ask for a refund, but the couple kept delaying payments, even after getting a lawyer.

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Magnolia Network Is Investigating The Situation

In a statement provided by the Network, Allison Page, president of the Network, confirmed that the show would be canceled.

"Magnolia Network is aware that certain homeowners have expressed concerns about renovation projects undertaken by Candis and Andy Meredith," the statement said. "Within the last day, we have learned additional information about the scope of these issues, and we have decided to remove 'Homework' from the Magnolia Network line up pending a review of the claims that have been made."

The Merediths also denied the allegations levied against them. "Although we cannot speak for anyone but ourselves, we can say that we have always tried to give everything we have to make anyone we work with happy," the couple wrote.

They also included a denial of theft of clients' money. "Indeed, we are sometimes left with outstanding balances, but we always pay, even if it takes some time for us to make arrangements," the post on their Instagram read.

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