WACO, Texas – A couple who appeared on HGTV’s “Fixer Upper” are speaking out about their neighborhood and Magnolia Realty after a suspected drunk driver slammed into their home, which was featured on the show.
The owners, Ken and Kelly Downs, weren’t hurt after the incident early Saturday morning, but told the Waco Tribune-Herald the incident was just the culmination of a miserable yearand a half.
The Downses’ home on Alexander Ave., nicknamed the “Three Little Pigs” house on the show, was featured on Season 3, Episode 12 of “Fixer Upper.” The couple were looking for more space and fell in love with the layout and the beautiful interior that the show’s stars, Chip and Joanna Gaines, planned for them.
Once they moved in, however, they say their hopes for the neighborhood quickly fell apart.
“It’s like the Wild West here. There’s been a lot of commotion coming from the bars and the store across the street,” Kelly told the paper. “It’s been a problem from the beginning. We’ve lived her a year and a half and we feel deceived by the city of Waco and Magnolia Realty.”
The Downses told the Tribune they’ve also been harassed and intimidated by others in the neighborhood, many of whom feared their taxes might go up because of the “Fixer Upper” couple.
Until last weekend, the couple could at least enjoy the house’s beautiful interior, but that changed at about 1:20 a.m. when police say Allen Wayne Miller, 31, drove his Hyundai Accent through an exterior wall and into the house. Police arrested Miller on a charge of driving while intoxicated.
However, the alleged harassment and intimidation hasn’t prevented the couple from renting out the home on Airbnb, the Huffington Post pointed out.
“We purchased our home in Waco because of the incredible opportunity given to us to work with Chip and Joanna Gaines of Magnolia Homes,” the ad reads. “They were able to transform an old craftsman home with great potential into the incredible charming house that we live in today.”
According to a search on Zillow, the Downses are not trying to sell the property either.
Magnolia spokesman Brock Murphy did not return a request for comment Monday.
