Chip Gaines 'Humbled' to Be Part of Marine's 'Fixer Upper' Marriage Proposal
This week's episode of "Fixer Upper" focused on more than home renovation, but the life-changing moment when one marine proposed to his girlfriend on the show.
The HGTV series that is currently airing its last season on Tuesday nights features married home improvement mavens Chip and Joanna Gaines working together to remodel homes throughout Waco, Texas. In the episode titled "All-American Farmhouse," the Gaineses were tasked with renovating a home built into a barn that still had dirt floors.
Injured U.S. Marine Corps. veteran T. J. Brooks said he dreamed of having land and saw the potential for a home for him and his girlfriend, Stephanie, when purchasing it.
"When we first saw the house, we really didn't know what to expect," Brooks said on the show. " But when we walked in and we saw the amazing views, we really both fell in love at the same time."
Brooks expressed more than his love for the home, but decided to let Stephanie know just how much he loved her by proposing after the renovation was complete. After doing a tour in Afghanistan where he was impacted by an IED explosion, Brooks met his future wife when recovering from a leg amputation at the Walter Reed Medical Center. Stephanie was working with a nonprofit organization called Wounded Warriors when she crossed paths with her now fiance.
"I just love you so much, and I know we've been on a lot of great adventures and I think this marks the beginning of our greatest adventure," he said. "Will you marry me?"
Other than the proposal, another touching moment took place on the HGTV show when local businesses and people in Brooks' community raised money for the couple's home. The pair had about $45,000 saved but needed about $100,000 for the renovation.
Chip Gaines took to Twitter to honor the newly engaged couple after the show aired, saying he was humbled to participate in the experience.
"Nobody deserved this place more than TJ and Stephanie," Chip tweeted this week. "The sacrifice these two have made to keep us all safe...#humbled! Beautiful setting to start their new life together!"
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