The new Magnolia Network, the vehicle fronted by Fixer Upper superstars Chip and Joanna Gaines, has taken one of its series off the schedule just two days after its launch.
Home Work has been pulled after allegations of shoddy work and overcharges by its hosts surfaced from two homeowners. The show was previously available on the Magnolia Network tab on Discovery+, but was elevated to the cable channel upon Magnolia’s launch this week.
The show stars Utah-based Andy and Candis Meredith, who renovate homes in their state. The series was reportedly originally Joanna Gaines’ idea, and was touted as the next Fixer Upper by at least one media source. Andy and Candis Meredith also appeared on the HGTV and DIY Network show Old Home Love.
That all unraveled on Wednesday, when accounts surfaced detailing alleged overcharges and shoddy work by the Merediths on some prior renovations. While all of the shows on Discovery’s roster have demonstrated that renovation projects often can run into delays and overages, the specific charges against the Merediths also allege poor communications when things went south on their dealings.
The Merediths have fired back, denying the accusations on Instagram. “We have always tried to give everything we have to make anyone we work with happy,” they wrote, adding, “We can only say that there are two sides to every story…”
Allison Page, the president of Magnolia Networks, also issued a statement.
“Magnolia Network is aware that certain homeowners have expressed concerns about renovation projects undertaken by Candis and Andy Meredith. Within the last few days, we have learned additional information about the scope of these issues, and we have decided to remove “Home Work” from the Magnolia Network line up pending a review of the claims that have been made.”
The news that derailed Home Work was posted to Instagram Wednesday.
Aubry Bennion, a Utah homeowner, shared an 18-post Instagram tale about her experience on Wednesday. Bennion contracted with the Merediths in 2019 to have her kitchen renoved. They originally told her that the project would take three weeks and cost $20,000. That was elevated to $25,000 during the show’s taping.
The project vastly overshot that projection, Bennion said. It wound up taking five months and cost her more than $39,000. She claimed much of that money was spent fixing issues created by the renovation.
Bennion wrote in another Instagram post that the Merediths added a deck onto the back of her kitchen. That went awry when they built it over a sprinkler system and created a drainage issue. Bennion’s home allegedly almost flooded because of the deck issued, an incident she claimed lowered the value of her home and cost $18,000 to repair.
That disaster was exacerbated by a lack of communication, Bennion said. She claimed she spoke to the Merediths about the issues throughout, and was often given excuses or promises of things arriving the following day that never happened.
Bennion said she contacted producers at the Magnolia Network for help. They allegedly gave Candis a “stern talking to” after her call, according to one of Bennion’s Instagram posts. But nothing changed, she alleged.
Ultimately, Bennion said her trust in the brand of Chip and Joanna Gaines was misplaced and damaged.
“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.”
Bennion was not the only complaint. After she posted her details, another homeowner, Teisha Satterfield Hawley, came forward with similar complaints about the Merediths.
Hawley wrote on Instagram that she gave the Merediths $45,000 to renovate their living space. The project was slated for four weeks, but ten weeks later, little work had been done. The Merediths then told the Hawleys they needed another $40,000 to make the project work, according to a follow-up post shared on Hawley’s Instagram account.
“Hopeless is the word that comes to mind when I think of that day,” Hawley wrote in the caption of the post. “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.”
The Hawleys said they told the Merediths not to come back after the money request.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYb-tnoF8GZ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYb-tnoF8GZ/
A post shared by Andy and Candis Meredith (@andyandcandis)
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