Chip Gaines Reveals That He Felt ‘Caged’ And ‘Trapped’ Toward End Of ‘Fixer Upper’

Chip Gaines is opening up about the highs and the lows of his hit show, Fixer Upper.

As fans of the show know, he and his wife, Joanna Gaines, called it quits on their hit HGTV show after just five seasons. Since they stopped the show, they’ve been busy with a number of things including a line at Target, a new baby, and a new book. Now, Gaines is opening up about the show and why they decided to leave in the January issue of Cowboys & Indians.

In the tell-all interview, Chip said that he has somewhat of a love/hate relationship with television, explaining that when things are natural and organic, he is totally in his element, but when something becomes staged on TV, it boxes him up and he is not in his element.

“I felt like toward the end of the Fixer Upper journey, I felt caged, trapped,” he explained.

The father-of-five says that he and Joanna genuinely enjoyed their first three seasons of the hit show, but didn’t particularly like the final two because they had become worn out and it felt forced.

“Jo and I couldn’t figure it out. I mean, why? You’re getting to have all this fun, right? But it’s like if I put a camera in your face and said, ‘Hey, say something funny.’ Or if I put a camera in your face and said, ‘Hey, be smart.’ I just struggled with that environment. Especially at the end of it.”

Gaines also explained that while he does appreciate everything that the show did for him and Joanna and their careers, it has been nice to “break out” and get excited about their future. The couple are currently focusing on their businesses since they’re naturally business people, Chips says.

“Most of our creative energy goes toward business-related concepts; and the TV part of it, it’s like, do we want to do that again? We are having so much fun enjoying our family and growing this business here in Waco,” the reality star dished.

And luckily for fans of Fixer Upper, the famous duo are in talks with the Discovery Network to bring content to the channel. They are just now working out all of the final details, but there is expected to be plenty of design tips from Joanna, as well as a lot of Chip’s sense of humor.

And, the pair told Jimmy Fallon that viewers will be able to watch the couple’s five children grow up before their very eyes.