Latest news with #BackToTheFrontier
Fox News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Chip and Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Network backlash puts home renovation star in hot seat
The backlash towards Chip and Joanna Gaines' new Magnolia Network reality series "Back to the Frontier" has put a spotlight on the couple's sprawling lifestyle empire. The couple was criticized last weekend after Chip promoted the new series, which features three families living like pioneers. People flooded his post promoting the show with frustrations over a same-sex couple being cast as one of three couples on the reality series. Reverend Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, called the casting decision "very disappointing." "While we are to love people, we should love them enough to tell them the truth of God's Word," he wrote on social media. "His Word is absolute truth. God loves us, and His design for marriage is between one man and one woman. Promoting something that God defines as sin is in itself sin." Chip was quick to respond to the criticism, writing on X: "Talk, ask qustns [sic], listen.. maybe even learn. Too much to ask of modern American Christian culture. Judge 1st, understand later/never It's a sad sunday when 'non believers' have never been confronted with hate or vitriol until they are introduced to a modern American Christian." The Gaines first gained fame more than 10 years ago when they were cast on the HGTV series "Fixer Upper" in 2013, which showed the couple revitalizing dilapidated homes through their Magnolia Homes business in Waco, Texas. After five seasons, they decided to leave the show, and then signed with Discovery + and started the Magnolia Network in 2022. Along with the network, the couple also have the five-acre Magnolia Market at the Silos, which includes the shops at the Silos, the Silos Baking Co. bakery, the Magnolia Press coffee shop, and they also own the Magnolia Table restaurant several miles away. They also own the Magnolia Journal magazine, have written a series of lifestyle books, including Joanna's "Home Body" and Chip's "No Pain, No Gaines," they have their own Magnolia Home, furniture and accessories line, and a home line created by Joanna called Hearth and Hand for Target. The couple also opened a boutique hotel, Hotel 1928, in 2023, after renovating a historic hotel in Waco with 33 rooms. The pair also offer vacation rentals in Waco, including Hillcrest Estate and Hillcrest Cottage, the original carriage house for the estate. "TV shows impact the culture, but Chip and Jo impact people's lives," Discovery CEO David Zaslav told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021. "They provide something very rare in America today: a sunshiny hopefulness that you can make things with your own two hands and your life will be better for it."
CNN
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Chip Gaines responds to criticism about ‘Back to the Frontier' casting
Chip and Joanna Gaines are responding to backlash over the latest show in their media empire. Chip Gaines took to social media on Sunday to defend their new Magnolia Network reality series, 'Back to the Frontier.' The show drew criticism from some Christian conservatives for featuring a gay couple, Jason Hanna and Joe Riggs. 'Talk, ask [questions], listen.. maybe even learn. Too much to ask of modern American Christian culture. Judge 1st, understand later/never,' Gaines wrote on his X account. 'It's a sad sunday when 'non believers' have never been confronted with hate or vitriol until they are introduced to a modern American Christian [broken heart emoji].' The post came in response to comments from Franklin Graham, the son of the legendary evangelical pastor Billy Graham. 'It is very disappointing,' Graham wrote on X of the casting. 'While we are to love people, we should love them enough to tell them the truth of God's Word. His Word is absolute truth. God loves us, and His design for marriage is between one man and one woman. Promoting something that God defines as sin is in itself sin.' Gaines and his wife have built off the success of their HGTV show 'Fixer Upper' to build several other businesses, such as a line of home goods. Their partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, which is owned by CNN's parent company, resulted in the launch of the Magnolia Network in 2022. The new show features three families attempting to live like homesteading pioneers in the 1880s without modern day conveniences, including electricity. Hanna told Queerty he and Riggs, who are parents of 10-year-old twins, welcomed the 'amazing opportunity to normalize same-sex couples and same-sex families.' 'I'm super honored that when they were choosing three modern-day families, they did choose a same-sex couple as a modern-day family, because we are,' said Hanna, who also shared that when he first saw the flyer advertising the forthcoming series on social media it featured a gay couple. 'We are your neighbors and your coworkers.' 'Back to the Frontier' airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on Magnolia Network and streams on HBO Max.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Two gay dads join HBO's 'Back to the Frontier,' and Bible Twitter melts down
HBO Max's new reality experiment, Back to the Frontier, just premiered, but the show has already become a culture-war flashpoint thanks to the presence of Texas husbands Jason Hanna and Joe Riggs with their 10-year-old twin sons. The series, produced by Magnolia Network's Chip and Joanna Gaines, drops three modern families into an 1880s homestead and strips away every 21st-century convenience. Over the weekend, evangelical heavyweight Franklin Graham called the casting 'very disappointing,' warning that 'promoting something God defines as sin is in itself sin.' — (@) The American Family Association, an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group, piled on, accusing the Gaineses of abandoning 'biblical values' by showcasing what it calls the 'sanctity of marriage.' — (@) Gaines, a longtime darling of Christian viewers from his HGTV Fixer Upper days, fired back in his own thread. 'Talk, ask questions, listen.. maybe even learn,' he wrote. 'Too much to ask of modern American Christian culture. Judge 1st, understand later/never.' — (@) He added that it was 'a sad Sunday when 'non believers' have never been confronted with hate or vitriol until they are introduced to a modern American Christian.' For Hanna and Riggs, visibility was the point. 'We're your neighbors and coworkers,' Hanna told Queerty, 'so it was an amazing opportunity to normalize same-sex couples and families.' The couple, who wed in Washington, D.C., in 2013 and spent years fighting Texas law for parental recognition, say reliving 19th-century hardships was nothing compared to the legal battles they faced back home. While detractors rage online, the inclusion has galvanized queer viewers and stoked fresh interest in the show. The dads' Instagram, @2_dallas_dads, gained thousands of followers after Thursday's premiere, and hashtags like #FrontierDads and #ChipStandsUp trended over the weekend. Beyond the backlash, Back to the Frontier offers a rare snapshot of LGBTQ+ representation in historical-style reality TV. Riggs noted that same-sex couples escaped city ostracism by homesteading together in the real 1880s—a stark reminder that queer families have always existed, even if today's critics refuse to see them. New episodes drop on Thursdays on HBO Max and Magnolia Network. Whether angry tweets help or hurt ratings, the Hanna-Riggs clan is already homesteading squarely in the national spotlight. For many viewers, that's the win that matters. This article originally appeared on Pride: Two gay dads join HBO's 'Back to the Frontier,' and Bible Twitter melts down
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
EXCLUSIVE: Stars of Chip and Joanna Gaines' ‘Back to the Frontier' Reveal What It Was Really Like To Live as 1880s Homesteaders
The stars of Chip and Joanna Gaines' latest on-screen project, 'Back to the Frontier,' have lifted the lid on what it was really like to abandon all modern conveniences and live like families in the 1880s. Though Chip and Joanna, who rose to fame starring on the hit HGTV series 'Fixer Upper,' did not brave the social experiment themselves, they enlisted three families to travel back in time and take up the lifestyles of 1800s homesteaders in a bid to show that the simple life can really be the best one. The Magnolia Network series, which premiered on July 10, follows Stacey and Joaquin Looper from Alabama, Jason and Joe Hanna-Riggs from Texas, and Florida natives Jereme and Lina Hall, and their respective children, as they attempt to live in the wilderness without running water or electricity. The families 'must live on the frontier for eight weeks, reinforcing their own shelters, raising livestock, collecting food, and rationing their supplies,' the network says of the series. 'Through this immersive experience, the families will have to reflect on their relationships and navigate the challenges that come with an 1880s lifestyle.' 'This exciting new series invites viewers to step back in time and experience the challenges of the American frontier,' added Magnolia Network President Allison Page. 'By immersing three families in the realities of 1880s life, we provided them—and our viewers—an authentic glimpse into the resilience and grit required to survive. Making this series has been an unforgettable journey, and we trust audiences will find it both captivating and inspiring.' The series will roll out one episode each week over the course of eight weeks. In the final episode, fans will learn which families succeeded as homesteaders—and which failed to handle the pressure of their retro lifestyle. In each episode, the families will be seen tackling different challenges and tasks, from sourcing their own food to laundering their clothes by hand, and all without any way of connecting to the outside world. For some, the brutal reality of their new life greeted them as soon as they arrived on set in the Canadian Rockies—and were informed that they had to hand over their clothes, accessories, gadgets, and even beauty products. Absolutely nothing from the modern world was allowed into the homestead, a separation that caused more than a few tears. Ahead of the series release, sat down with the three families as they lifted the lid on the challenges they faced while on the frontier and how they managed to overcome their fears. Jason and Joe Hanna-Riggs explained that they were first inspired to embark on the journey with their children after spotting a flyer on social media. Initially, they weren't entirely aligned on whether to sign up. 'What really inspired me was when I saw the flyer on social media, and I saw a gay couple on the front of that flyer, and so, looking back, I initially thought it would be a great opportunity for representation for same-sex couples,' Jason explained. 'The other component is that we are so connected to our day-to-day devices that an opportunity to disconnect from modern-day living and really kind of reset in terms of focusing on what's really important, which is our relationship and our boys, Ethan and Lucas.' Despite his husband's enthusiasm, Joe admits that he was 'very hesitant' to take part in the experience. 'I was very hesitant, though, like, 'Why are we going to do this? Why are we going to have no running water, no electricity. Like, 'What are we signing up for?'' he said. And the family struggled to come to terms with living without their devices, admitting that they even experienced 'phantom rings.' 'There's kind of this withdrawal initially, but then you just were so busy, it is a nonstop lifestyle. Just to start your day, you have to go get water from the well, and you have to start a fire, and you have to heat that water in order to cook. Everything is a huge process and very, very physical. So you quickly forget about devices because you're very focused,' they revealed. The parents also said it was harder to discipline their children without using cellphones. They noted that although they began to adjust to life on the homestead about 'halfway' through the experience, things were always changing, so they were always on their toes. The Hanna-Riggs family revealed that they walked away from the experience with many lessons that they have adapted into their modern lives. 'We don't take things for granted as much as we did before. Just the basic things, running water, and electricity are huge. Source of food was also an important lesson for us, having our own garden as well as our livestock. 'It changes your perspective because we had choices: Do we sacrifice one of our chickens to eat it? Or do we let that chicken continue to lay eggs. So food source was a really important thing, waste as well. We basically had no waste because you're not buying anything from a grocery store with plastic or anything,' they revealed. They emphasized that the experience brought their family closer, admitting that their friends thought they were 'crazy' for embarking on the wild journey. 'It was a mixed bag. We had some family, for example, Joe's sister and her family were excited and intrigued, and wanted to be involved in the show, if possible, and then we had other sides of the family who were, like, 'Oh, there's no way I could ever live on the frontier.' So it was a mixed bag of, like, 'What are you doing?'' they explained. However, despite the contrasting opinions from their friends, the Hanna-Riggs family revealed that they were excited for their families to tune in to the series. Echoing the sentiment of the Hanna-Riggs family, Stacey and Joaquin Looper, who hail from Alabama, admitted that their children kept them strong in times of distress. Reflecting on how they made the decision to go to the frontier, the Loopers explained, 'The opportunity came across my wife's desk and she brought it to me, and the more we talked about it, the more we felt that it was good for the family, especially our kids, to see the progression of prosperity that we've come from.' Although Joaquin was prepared for life on the frontier, he confessed that no one believed he would be taking Stacey with him because of how much she adores her modern lifestyle. 'Oh, [our family and friends] did not believe it. They understand who I'm married to. So they didn't believe there was a way I was taking this woman away from her 21st[-century] lifestyle and doing that,' he teased. The couple noted that their 'living situation' was a huge challenge for them, adding that it took them about 'four weeks' to adjust. 'The gender roles were also a challenge for us. They were a challenge from both parts,' the couple said. The parents revealed that even in the moments that they struggled, their kids helped them through it. 'If it weren't for my kids' resilience, their determination, and their drive, I don't know if I would have made it,' Stacey admitted. 'Our children's determination and their drive showed me that they have it,' Joaquin added. 'That was one of my fears coming on to the project was actually, 'Have we done enough as parents to prepare them for certain things of struggle, and how they would handle those adversities?' 'They really stepped up to the plate. It was a challenge for me to step out of the way, to allow them to show them that they had it. I really realized on this frontier that I am a helicopter parent. If it were not for this experience, I never would have uttered those words not about me. 'I would encourage any families out there, don't handicap your kids. Despite their age, allow them to be what they need to be for the family.' The parents noted that they pushed ahead by thinking about all the people that came before them. Lastly, the Hall family revealed that they opted to join the experience to shake things up in their life. 'We were all looking for change, and to grow and learn in our life. This was an adventure of a lifetime for us. When the opportunity was there, we took it, and yeah, we loved it,' the family revealed. Their teen daughter, Mia, confessed that she thought it was a bit odd when her parents first presented her the idea. However, she quickly came around. 'Well, my mom found it and she presented it to me. I was like, 'Are you sure this isn't a scam?' It was a hard pitch, it was really weird. But the more we got into it, the more I thought it could be fun. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,' the teen said. Similarly to the Looper and the Hanna-Riggs families, the Halls revealed that their friends and family didn't quite understand why they wanted to head back in time. 'Nobody really understood. No one understood why we would even want to do that. A lot of response I got from other moms were like, 'Oh, my kids would never do that. No way. I couldn't drag my kids to do that.' And I was like, 'No, I took my kids and they embraced it. You really sometimes have to try, and you have to give them the opportunity to see something different,'' Lina explained. The parents noted that they didn't realize the 'convenience' of having running water, food, and electricity at their fingertips in the modern world. It was a 'slap in the face' when they arrived to the frontier, they recalled. Although many people struggled to let go of their electronics, Jereme, confessed that he loved the chance to disconnect from his devices. 'For me, it was amazing. I wanted to disconnect. I couldn't wait to get rid of all that stuff and not have to think about anything, not have to check emails, or get back to anyone,' he revealed. Like her dad, Mia admitted that she appreciated the chance to get away from social media. 'It was nice taking a step back from social media in general, especially someone from my generation. It seems like sometimes our life is just revolving around the phone or just devices in general. It was just really refreshing and really nice to take a step back from all that noise,' the teen said. The family revealed that they had 'no choice' but to adjust to the experience right away, noting that even the living situation presented a challenge for them. 'Honestly, we had no choice but to adjust right in the beginning, because it was like, 'Here you are. This is what you have, make the best of it.' We didn't have enough beds for our family of five in the beginning, so we had to adjust and get used to it right away,' the parents confessed. They joked that they constantly questioned why they chose to partake in the experience. Jereme noted that the cameras added another layer to the mix, adding that it was challenging at times. 'The cameras were a challenge. Being a dad and raising your kids, your daughters with people around in a weird environment, in someone else's clothes, it was very challenging,' he admitted. Unlike the other families, the Halls revealed that they didn't want to leave the homestead. 'I was really suffering because we made this a home. We had created a bond with the land and our home and everything, and we embraced our roles, and we were having fun, and we were learning, so the satisfaction of learning every day, and you had to accomplish so much just to survive. So that sense of accomplishment became addictive,' Lina confessed. This Housing Market Is on Fire—Even as the Cost of a Single-Family Home Hits Nearly $1 Million Is the 'Taylor Swift Tax' Coming to Maine Next? New England's Second-Home Owners Are Facing a Reckoning Historic Cape Cod Estate That Sits Next to Famed Kennedy Compound Returns to the Market—With $6 Million Price Increase
