The Best HGTV Couple Is Actually Brother-Sister Duo Steve and Leanne Ford

The premise of Restored by the Fords is the same as any of the channel’s other offerings. Leanne, the designer, and her brother Steve, an affable and relatable hot contractor with a very attractive dirtbag stoner vibe, renovate houses in the Pittsburgh area over the course of a half-hour. Leanne’s interior design style is not everyone’s cup of tea—she favors blinding white interiors over everything, and is not afraid to paint a foyer or a swimming pool black—but the results are always somehow livable, cozy, and work well with the space provided. For me, watching HGTV isn’t about the end results necessarily, because that’s a matter of taste. The interpersonal dynamic between the hosts is much more interesting to watch, and with that in mind, Steve and Leanne deliver every time.

What’s stressful to me about watching Fixer Upper, Home Town, or any of the various Flip or Flop spinoffs is wondering just how close these couples are to divorce. I can’t imagine that it’s very easy working with your partner on a reality TV show intended to sell not only the work that you do but also yourself. Sure, the couples on House Hunters almost always seem to be teetering on the edge of a legal separation, but the beauty of that show is that you can dip into their lives and then exit immediately after the show has ended, relieving yourself of any unneeded anxiety.

A couple like Chip and Joanna Gaines, who have become a franchise and a lifestyle brand, sometimes seem to be holding onto the illusion of a happy marriage by the skin of their teeth. That dynamic is not soothing television! If I’ve settled into the me-shaped hole in my sofa to watch five episodes of shiplap and the undulating fields of Waco, Texas, I don’t want my leisure time interrupted with intrusive thoughts about whether or not Joanna has divorce papers on deck and is just waiting for the right moment. But Steve and Leeanne Ford’s rapport lacks this tension because they’re siblings, and their interactions are more comforting, and therefore more enjoyable, to watch. No longer do I have to worry about whether or not their tenuous marriage will crumble, because they’re not married, and will probably, in one form or another, be in each other’s lives forever whether they want it or not.

The second season finale featured a very special client: Steve himself, who purchased an 1800-square-foot warehouse on the occasion of turning 40 and wanting a real home of his own. Generally, warehouse living is not my bag, but Leeanne’s design for her older brother was lovely, as was the moment when she revealed the design to her mother, their older sister Michelle, and Steve himself. Families other than my own are generally of no interest to me, but I have found myself wanting very much to be a part of someone else’s.