WATCH: Chip Gaines Confesses That He Didn't Immediately Know Jo Was "The One"
Gaines' revealing book gives fans new insight into the celebrity couple's relationship.
By Perri Ormont Blumberg
When The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond spotted her "cowboy" across the room, "he was a vision," and it was as if her heart knew they would be each other's forever. Indeed, it was love at first sight for Ree Drummond and her husband Ladd.
As for HGTV faves Chip and Jo? Not exactly, it appears, at least for Mr. Gaines. With Chip Gaines' new book, Capital Gaines, officially out now, the entrepreneur spilled some juicy intel about their relationship's shaky origins.
In fact, six months into their courtship, Jo told Chip she would break up with him if he didn't return from Mexico, where he was attending a language immersion program. Jo gave him the ultimatum: "…You have three days to get back to Texas, or this relationship is over," as E! Online revealed in excerpts from the memoir.
"My heart broke. There are hard moments in life when you see yourself for the tonto [crazy person] that you are. This all felt so much bigger than a few bounced checks... It became my mission to prove to Jo, my parents, her parents, and myself that I could do this—that I was the real deal, and I wouldn't stop until I made this entrepreneurial dream of mine a reality," Chip wrote in the book.
As for knowing whether or not she was "the one" from the start? It also was far from that storybook fantasy. "The first time I saw Joanna, I knew for sure that I wanted to date her, but I wouldn't say I knew for sure that she was 'the one.' Several dates in, I still wasn't plotting to buy the ring," Chip admits in the memoir.
Sure, we could sit here bummed that our beloved Fixer Uppin' couple didn't have a fairytale beginning. But we salute Chip's bravery in conceding the stars didn't magically align when the duo met. After all, the fabled Tortoise mindset sure does win the (relationship) race.