Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Colorado Mountain House was only three episodes and fans are mad about it

Chip and Joanna Gaines finally took their signature “Fixer Upper” formula out of Texas and into the Rockies, turning a rundown retreat into a glossy Colorado getaway. You watched them fall in love with the mountains, gut the place, and unveil a dream-worthy family escape, only to discover the entire arc would wrap in just three episodes. That abrupt finish has left you and plenty of other viewers feeling shortchanged, and the frustration around the Colorado Mountain House is now part of a much bigger conversation about how the Gaines brand treats its most loyal fans.

The three-episode shock that set fans off

You went into “Fixer Upper: Colorado Mountain House” expecting a full season of snowy vistas, renovation drama, and family moments, only to realize the project was designed as a limited three-part special. The show, which you can find by searching for Fixer Upper: Colorado Mountain House, was billed as a compact arc from the start, but that detail did not fully register for many viewers until the finale arrived. Once the last episode aired, the realization that the Colorado story was already over hit hard, especially if you had settled in for a longer stay in the mountains.

Part of the sting is that the special was framed as a major milestone, the first “Fixer Upper” project outside Texas, which raised expectations that you were watching the launch of a new chapter rather than a brief detour. The marketing leaned into the scenic setting and the emotional pull of a family retreat, so when the credits rolled after only three installments, it felt less like a satisfying ending and more like a teaser that stopped just as you were getting invested. That mismatch between the scale of the hype and the brevity of the series is what turned a simple programming choice into a flashpoint.

How the Colorado Mountain House came to be

To understand why you cared so much, you have to look at how personally Chip and Joanna framed this property. In interviews around the special, Chip described how “Colorado has come to be a special place for our family,” explaining that somewhere between ski trips and spring breaks he started browsing listings until he found a house tucked into the mountains that he could not shake. That origin story, shared as he delivered what many saw as disappointing news about the show’s limits, positioned the project as a deeply personal retreat rather than just another flip, which you can see in his comments about Colorado.

That narrative built on a familiar pattern you have seen before, where Chip, as he is known to do, starts “casually” looking at real estate and ends up buying a property that becomes the centerpiece of a new series. Reporting on how Chip and Joanna have bought previous homes for “Fixer Upper” projects reinforces that this Colorado house fits a long-running habit. You were invited into that pattern again, but this time the emotional setup around family memories and mountain escapes made the quick wrap feel like being ushered out of a vacation rental just when you had finally unpacked.

HGTV’s big return, and why expectations were sky-high

Your frustration is also tied to the context of their return to HGTV. After several years of building their own Magnolia network and streaming presence, the couple’s comeback to the channel where “Fixer Upper” first exploded was treated as a major television event. One widely shared Reddit thread in the HGTV community captured that mood, with viewers saying they “Haven’t seen Joanna and Chip since they left HGTV for grander pastures” and admitting they “Used to enjoy them in their early days,” hoping this new project would help them reconnect with what they loved about the original series.

At the same time, the Gaines empire has grown into a sprawling business that analysts have valued at figures like $750 m, with some coverage pegging the broader brand at around $750 million. That scale, highlighted in reporting on $750 million, means you are not just watching a sweet couple fix up houses anymore, you are watching a powerhouse franchise make strategic choices. When that franchise returns to HGTV with a heavily promoted mountain special and then caps it at three episodes, it is easy to feel like the network and the brand are rationing access to keep you chasing the next project.

What HGTV actually promised with the Colorado special

If you look closely at how HGTV framed the show, the network did describe “Fixer Upper: Colorado Mountain House” as a three-part special from the outset. Promotional material emphasized that the limited run would follow Chip and Joanna as they tackled their first “Fixer Upper” renovation outside Texas, turning a dilapidated mountain property into a family retreat. The sneak peek highlighted the altitude challenges, the snow, and the logistics of renovating far from Waco, all of which signaled that this was a contained experiment rather than a full relocation of the franchise.

Still, the way the special was marketed to you leaned heavily on the emotional stakes and the novelty of the setting, which can easily blur the line between a “special” and a season in your mind. When you hear that this is the first time the couple has taken “Fixer Upper” beyond Texas, you naturally assume that milestone will get more than a handful of episodes. The disconnect between the technical accuracy of the three-part label and the narrative weight placed on the Colorado move is part of why you might feel misled, even if the fine print was always there.

Why three episodes felt like a bait-and-switch

From your perspective as a viewer, the problem is not just the number of episodes, it is the pacing and structure that came with that limit. The renovation itself was compressed into broad strokes, with fewer of the granular design decisions and budget trade-offs that used to define early “Fixer Upper” seasons. When Chip later acknowledged that episodes had been airing quickly and that the finale would land sooner than some fans expected, his remarks about how fast it all went underscored the sense that the story had been put on fast-forward, as reflected in his episodes comment.

That compressed storytelling also meant you saw less of the messy middle that makes renovation television satisfying. Instead of lingering on setbacks, budget overruns, or design disagreements, the show often jumped from problem to solution in a single cut. For a fan base that once watched entire seasons of “Fixer Upper” unfold over many weeks, the Colorado Mountain House felt like a highlight reel, and a short one at that. The result is a feeling that you were sold a full journey and handed a glossy brochure instead.

Backlash that goes beyond one mountain house

The anger around the Colorado special did not emerge in a vacuum. You have already seen growing criticism of the Gaines brand, especially around the perception that newer projects are more about showcasing wealth than about relatable renovation. Coverage of “Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse” noted that, unfortunately for the successful reality show hosts, the latest installment of “Fixer Upper” did not thrill audiences. Instead, many viewers accused the couple of drifting away from their roots and flaunting their riches in fans’ faces.

That discomfort has spilled into the reaction to the Colorado Mountain House, where some viewers see the three-episode format as another sign that the show is now built around protecting a luxury lifestyle rather than inviting you fully into the process. When you combine the sense of being rushed through the renovation with the knowledge that this is a private family retreat in a coveted destination, it is easy to interpret the limited access as a deliberate choice to keep you at arm’s length. The backlash is less about one programming decision and more about a pattern that many fans feel has left them behind.

How critics and online communities are framing the return

Online, you can see two parallel conversations unfolding. In fan spaces, especially on HGTV subreddits, some viewers are cautiously optimistic, saying they hope the couple “will grow on me again” even as they voice doubts about the new tone. Others are more blunt, arguing that the Colorado special confirms their fear that the show has become a commercial for the Magnolia empire rather than a genuine renovation series. That split mirrors the broader culture clash between nostalgic fans and those who feel the brand has simply outgrown them.

Professional critics have been equally unsparing. One widely shared piece described Chip and Joanna Gaines as “incredibly annoying” and “dreadfully boring” in their HGTV return, quoting viewers who said the new version of the show is no longer something they want to watch. That critique, anchored in coverage that featured photos by Steven Bergman of AFF USA, reflects a broader fatigue with the couple’s on-screen personas. When you layer that sentiment onto the frustration over the Colorado Mountain House’s length, the three-episode run becomes a symbol of a franchise that some viewers feel is coasting on name recognition rather than earning your attention.

Where Colorado fits in the expanding Fixer Upper universe

From a programming standpoint, the Colorado Mountain House is just one tile in a much larger mosaic of “Fixer Upper” spin-offs. In recent years you have seen “Fixer Upper: The Hotel,” which is available to stream on Hulu, and “Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse,” alongside other specials that keep the brand active without committing to long traditional seasons. Most of those projects were filmed in Texas, which makes the Colorado experiment stand out as a test of whether the formula can travel without losing its identity.

Seen through that lens, a three-part special is a low-risk way for HGTV and the Magnolia team to gauge your appetite for out-of-state adventures. If the ratings and social buzz justify it, they can always return to Colorado or another destination with a longer run. The problem, from your point of view, is that this strategic caution translates into a viewing experience that feels incomplete. You are being asked to invest emotionally in each new property, but the storytelling is increasingly structured like a series of pilots rather than the kind of deep, season-long arcs that first made “Fixer Upper” a phenomenon.

What you should watch for next from Chip and Joanna

As the dust settles on the Colorado Mountain House, your next move as a viewer is to decide how much patience you still have for the evolving “Fixer Upper” universe. If you are drawn to the design reveals and the aspirational travel element, you may be willing to accept more limited specials in exchange for seeing the couple tackle new types of properties. The official sneak peek for the Colorado project framed it as a fresh chapter in the franchise’s history, emphasizing that it was the first time “Fixer Upper” had left Texas, and there is every indication that similar experiments will continue.

If, however, you miss the slower, more grounded storytelling of the early HGTV years, you may find yourself gravitating toward reruns or older seasons instead of chasing each new spin-off. The backlash to the Colorado special, combined with the criticism that the couple are flaunting success rather than sharing the grind, suggests that the brand is at a crossroads. Your viewing choices, from what you stream on Hulu to which specials you prioritize on HGTV, will help determine whether future projects look more like the three-episode Colorado Mountain House or return to the longer, more immersive seasons that first made you care about a pair of renovators from Waco.

Supporting sources: Chip and Joanna Gaines infuriate HGTV fans after returning to ….

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*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.