Why Teen Mom Fans Were Upset With Chelsea DeBoer's HGTV Show, Down Home Fab

Summary

Chelsea DeBoer transitioned from Teen Mom to HGTV with new show, Down Home Fab, featuring home renovations in South Dakota.
Chelsea and husband Cole DeBoer's design choices on the show have sparked criticism from some viewers.
Chelsea's ability to cater to her close friends' style preferences in home renovations has been positively received.

Viewers may remember Chelsea DeBoer (formerly Chelsea Houska) from her days on Teen Mom 2. Now, the 32-year-old reality star has moved from MTV to HGTV with a new reality tv show and her own home renovation show.

The series, called Down Home Fab, stars her and her husband Cole DeBoer, and features the couple as they renovate homes in their home state of South Dakota. What started out as a hopeful pitch has since turned into a full-fledged series, now entering its third season. The former Teen Mom couple are making waves in the home improvement universe, even if not everyone agrees with their design decisions.

How Teen Mom's Chelsea DeBoer Landed Her HGTV Show, Down Home Fab

Chelsea and Cole DeBoer on Down Home Fab

That might seem like quite a pivot from baby mama drama to ship-lap walls, but the couple seems to have found success in their new venture. The show has run for two seasons, and was recently renewed for season three.

HGTV describes the show as the following - "Chelsea's bold vision will punch up each design plan, while Cole will serve as the hands-on project manager and jack-of-all-trades. Throughout the series, fans will get a glimpse of their busy family life raising four children on a beautiful Midwestern farm with sweeping views and lots of animals."

While that may sound like your typical home improvement show, but Down Home Fab's origins are pretty untraditional. Chelsea landed the show by sliding into HGTV's DMs.

Chelsea messaged the official HGTV Instagram account in March 2020 and let them know that she thought she and her husband's renovations had the makings of a great show. The pair had recently renovated their own South Dakota home and were taking on new clients. Let this be a lesson in shooting your shot, because three years after Chelsea sent that DM, season one of Down Home Fab aired on HGTV.

"We have a design business showing clients how to take risks and go bold with their design," explained Chelsea, according to HGTV. "Life with Cole, our four kids and our business is all I've ever wanted."

"This is what I want to do forever."

"I've always worked with my hands. Since I can remember I've helped my dad and grandpa with projects," added Cole. "I'm happiest when I have tools in my hand."

Chelsea and Cole DeBoer were married on October 2016 and share four kids together: Aubree (from Chelsea's 16 & Pregnant relationship), Watson, Layne and Walker.

Why Down Home Fab Has Been Criticized By Teen Mom Fans

Despite the relative success of the show, some viewers are irked by Chelsea's design and budgetary choices.

One reddit user complained about Chelsea's go-to color palette of black and gold, writing, "No interest in watching Chelsea paint everything black and highlight it with gold accents." Another user agreed, saying "Literally EVERYTHING is black! That’s not design talent. That’s a one trick pony."

While that may sound harsh, there's no denying that Chelsea relies heavily on those two colors in her design aesthetic.

Chelsea admits to the preference herself, telling HGTV when asked what her go-to color palette was, the reality star said "Black, some more black, some neutrals, gold, cowhide. Cowhide counts as a color, right?"

The price tag of some of these choices are also sending their audience into a tizzy. In one episode, a viewer took to reddit to complain that Chelsea and her husband spent $100,000 on a renovation project, writing "The wall in the living room with the library shelves and the fireplace crammed in the corner, not sure how anyone would find that appealing."

Another viewer gawked at the $15k price tag for repainting cabinets, you guessed, it - black. "I have to know how it cost $15k to paint cabinets." The show doesn't seem to be a hit with viewers overall, with season one scoring only a 45% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Do Chelsea's Design Risks Pay Off?

Cole and Chelsea DeBoer on Down Home Fab — A scene from the HGTV show Down Home Fab of Cole DeBoer looking at his wife Chelsea DeBoer as she speaks and gestures with her hands

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? While Chelsea may have a particular aesthetic, as long as her clients are happy, that's all that matters. When remodeling the home of her close friends Landon and Ty, she seemed to ace the assignment.

“It’s really emotional to think that you guys were the ones that were able to bring this to us,” Ty said. “You know, it’s all just above and beyond what we could ever hope for."

The design, which included a velvet skull wallpaper ceiling and disco ball clad fireplace, may not have been for everyone. However, it seems that when it comes to her close friends, Chelsea is able to hone in on what makes them happy in their home, and deliver.

Chelsea also had some solid advice for when a home renovation isn't going your way, telling HGTV, "When you have your heart set on changing something and you get into the process and it’s not possible — whether it’s wanting to take a wall down and finding electric [wires] in it … anything. You have to be able to pivot and figure out a new plan, and avoid getting hung up on what’s not working. Don’t dwell on it — think of a new plan. It’s going to turn out beautiful no matter what. Being able to let it go and move on is just part of the process."

Given her ten seasons on Teen Mom 2, Chelsea knows a thing or two about battling through tough times on screen. Luckily, the drama on her home renovation show will likely be a lot less personal than what was featured on her other reality show.