Chip Gaines Looks Totally Unrecognizable Now & 'Fixer Upper' Fans Are Freaking Out

Chip and Joanna Gaines are the quintessential HGTV couple. Their playful banter, eye for design, and undying love for one another makes for some serious couple goals. The last and final season of their TV show that introduced shiplap and farm house chic to the world is about to air in a few short weeks. And in the meantime, Chip has appeared to "let himself go." If you don't follow the couple on their social media pages, then you'll be surprised to see that Chip Gaines looks totally unrecognizable with long hair, giving fans a taste of what happens when one man finally feels unburdened by production crew following his every move.

On Tuesday, Chip and Joanna sat down in front of TV cameras for the first time in a long time to let fans now their reasoning behind making Season 5 of Fixer Upper, their last and final season. During an appearance on TODAY, Chip cited his relationship with his wife and family being a priority over their TV show, saying:

The most important thing is Jo and I's relationship, followed very quickly by these four beautiful kids. We didn't want to push it, redefine it for so long that we woke up and realized that we were at the point of no return. So we wanted to take a step back and realize what is absolutely the most important thing to us.

But let's be real, Chip and Joanna probably wanted to leave the show so Chip could finally grow those luscious locks of his.

During his appearance on TODAY, Chip did look a little different, with his hair long past his ears rather than in his normal cropped and baseball cap hairdo. If you haven't seen a picture of Chip in a while, you might be a little surprised.

The look he is serving is definitely that — a look. He looks like a freshly divorced man who just told his kids that he is moving to California to take up surfing. He looks like a guy who drives a Jeep and listens to a lot of Jack Johnson. So yeah, he looks like the man who just (practically) announced his retirement from TV and no longer has to worry about his hair interfering with his carpenter and remodeling work.

He also looks like a man who is about to have a lot of fun with the next chapter of his life — and he and Joanna are definitely about to do just that. Chip's new book, Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff has just been released and their new line with Target is set to hit stores in November. In the future, they'll have their magazine, their collection of stores in Waco, Texas, and renting out their properties to keep them occupied, among other things. Just because Chip and Joanna are leaving their TV show doesn't mean that the fun will be over.

But not everyone is a huge fan of Chip's new do. People took to Twitter to express their frustrations with his new long locks.

But these people obviously haven't been following Chip on Instagram. If you're a loyal follower of @ChipGaines, then you know that this long hair look has been a thing since May. Are there vitamins that can get my hair to look as long and thick as Chip's hair and beard? Because if so, sign me up.

The last time anyone saw Chip on HGTV (that wasn't a repeat) was in March, when the season finale aired. During the finale, according to People, Chip and Joanna transformed a dilapidated $12,000 ranch into a dream home. Chip was sporting shorter hair at the time.

In July, when Chip debuted the cover of his new book, he told TODAY that he really liked his new hair style. "I've gotten a little bit pompous," Chip said, according to People. "When I get out in public, I really notice myself looking at my reflections as I walk though. New York is not a great place for me."

When fans tune into Season 5 of Fixer Upper, airing next month, they will have to get used to Chip's new look. It might not be what they're used to, but this is a new Chip — a new Chip with a big future ahead of him, sans cameras.

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