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Magnolia has pulled its series “Homework” two days after the network’s cable premiere.
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Some homeowners included in the show claim that hosts Candis and Andy Meredith destroyed their houses.
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They said renovations went over budget by tens of thousands of dollars and in some cases were not finished.
Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network removes a show from its lineup just two days after its cable launch on Discovery +.
“Home Work” was to star in the Utah-based couple Andy and Candis Meredith, following the couple’s renovation of a school to their family home, as well as their work on other people’s homes in their area, as People reported. The show, originally Joanna Gaines’ idea, was poised to become the next “Fixer Upper,” according to Decider.
But “Homework” was pulled out of the network after some homeowners in the series claimed that Merediths had damaged their homes and that renovations went over budget by tens of thousands of dollars in some cases.
The Meredith family has denied the allegations on Instagram and in a statement to Insider. Allison Page, president of the Magnolia Network, confirmed to Insider that the network pulled the show, saying it reviewed the allegations against the couple.
Aubry Bennion says working with Merediths led to a number of issues
Bennion, a homeowner in Utah who said she got her kitchen renovated for the series in 2019, shared an Instagram story on Wednesday with 18 posts about her experience.
Bennion wrote in an Instagram post that the Meredith family originally told her they could renovate her kitchen in three weeks for $ 20,000. They ultimately decided on a budget of $ 25,000 during the first recording of the show, Bennion told Insider.
But the process ended up taking five months, Bennion said, adding that it cost her over $ 39,000 – with much of the money spent solving problems created during the renovation, according to the homeowner.
Bennion wrote in another Instagram post that Merediths added a deck to the back of her kitchen, but they built it over a sprinkler system and created a drainage problem. In the same post, Bennion wrote that her home was also almost flooded due to the deck, which lowered the value of her home. Bennion told Insider she had to pay $ 18,000 to repair it.
Bennion also said Merediths never showed her a budget during the renovation process, despite her multiple requests for one.
Bennion said she talked to Merediths about the issues she had with the renovation throughout the process, and that Candis typically responded with apologies or promises that things would arrive the following day. But those promises rarely came true, according to Bennion.
The homeowner said she contacted manufacturers at Magnolia Network for help during the renovation. They gave Candis a “strict talk with” after her call, according to one of Bennion’s Instagram posts, but no real change occurred.
Bennion said she had developed confidence in Chip and Joanna’s brand after building a professional relationship with Magnolia Market by attending its vendor events through her small business, so the experience with the network disappointed her.
“I want Magnolia to be in charge,” she said. “It’s amazing to me that they would put Magnolia’s name and reputation at risk, or that they would allow these people to represent them without any oversight or mentoring scheme.”
Others mentioned in the show describe similar experiences
After Bennion shared his story, another “Home Work” homeowner, Teisha Satterfield Hawley, described his experience with Merediths.
Hawley wrote on Instagram that she and her husband Jeff gave Merediths $ 45,000 to renovate their home in four weeks. Ten weeks later, with little work done on their home, the Meredith family told the Hawleys that they would need an additional $ 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 to the same post about the experience.
“We had been living in our basement for several months at this time, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthdays,” they later wrote in the caption. “We were exhausted, we had just been told that all our funds had been spent and our home was torn to pieces with bubbling floors laid.”
In another Instagram post, Hawleys wrote that they told Merediths not to return after asking for the extra money, and chose to figure out how to fix their home without their help.
“People with ‘celebrity’ status can not have power over others just because they feel they can,” Hawley told Insider, adding that the “Magnolia name (as well as Chip and Jos)” gave them “a feeling of safety and security “in the work of Merediths.
“There are many families and even businesses that have been harmed by these people,” she added, talking about Merediths. “It all has to have an end.”
Vienna and Rob Goates also shared their “Homework” experience last Friday via Instagram.
The Goateses, who have five children, wrote in an Instagram post that they gave Merediths $ 50,000 for the $ 100,000 renovation they were to make to their home in February 2020. According to the same post, the goats got the money transferred after Candis asked them for the amount to secure deposits for subcontractors working on their housing.
According to another Instagram post from Goateses, months passed and work did not begin on their home, and when Rob was fired in May 2020, Candis told the couple she could help pay for the renovation. The couple said they were trying to give Candis the benefit of the doubt, especially because she was approved by the Gaines.
“We had faith in the reputation of Chip and Joanna and their beloved Magnolia brand and Candis’ repeated assurances that everything would work,” Vienna wrote on Instagram.
The Goateses told Insider that by September 2020, the Merediths had still not started working on their home, and they decided to ask for their money back. They said Candis agreed to pay them back, but she continued to delay payments – even after the couple hired a lawyer.
To date, according to the Goats’ Instagram, Merediths has paid them $ 14,000 of the $ 50,000 they owe.
Goateses told Insider they were hesitant to publish their claims, but it felt like the only option they had left. “We have done everything in our power to resolve this privately for the last two years,” Vienna said. “We got a lawyer. We went through all the right channels. We tried our best and it just never happened.”
The couple said they also contacted a Discovery + lawyer, but that the lawyer “brushed” their concerns.
“They said ‘we think they intend to pay you back and you already have a lawyer involved, so we do not feel it is something we should get involved in,'” Wien said of his e-mail exchange with lawyer.
“Knowing that we are right here, that we were kind, and that we always took the great road is a certain consolation,” the goats wrote in an Instagram post about the experience. “That kindness and our extreme patience were exploited, and it’s such a great offense that we feel so deeply, but our conscience is pure, and it’s no small thing.”
Magnolia Network says it is investigating the allegations against Merediths, even though the couple denies the allegations
In a statement to Insider, Allison Page, president of the Magnolia Network, confirmed that Merediths’ show would be pulled from the network.
“Magnolia Network is aware that some homeowners have expressed concern about renovation projects being carried out by Candis and Andy Meredith,” the statement said. “Within the last day, we have received additional information on the extent of these issues and we have decided to remove ‘Homework’ from the Magnolia Network line pending a review of the allegations that have been made.”
In a statement to Insider, which was also shared on Instagram, Merediths denied the allegations made by Hawleys, Goateses and Bennion.
“While we can not speak on behalf of anyone but ourselves, we can say that we have always tried to give everything we have to make everyone we work with happy,” the couple wrote, adding that they “strongly denies” that they stole money from customers.
“It is true that we are sometimes left with outstanding balances, but we always pay, even if it takes some time for us to make arrangements,” the statement read.
Merediths also provided Insider with a link to a satisfied customer’s Instagram page. The user, who walks past @hotcocoareads, shared photos of a reading cabin designed by the duo and wrote that “Andy and Candis did beautiful work” and that even though the project “took longer than I hoped, I ultimately feel that Candis really wanted me to love space. “
In their statement, Merediths also questioned the timing of the public allegations, saying the allegations that came out in the week their show was due to premiere were intended to “hurt us the most.”
“The fact that this story is coming out now is extremely calculated,” they added. “One day we may have the courage to publish everything, to defend ourselves against the ‘Instagram mafia’ that was called up. But in this moment we know that everything we say will only be turned against us and hurt so many more .”
Read the original article on Insider
