“There’s something about it… I love showing these families what they can get outside of the city,” Jonathan gushed before revealing whether he and longtime love Zooey Deschanel would consider a move out west.
HGTV’s favorite twins are trading in city skylines for open skies in their newest series Chasing the West — and it’s a personal journey as much as a professional one.
Jonathan and Drew Scott, best known for transforming homes across America, spoke to TooFab about their latest venture, which sees the pair reconnect with their rural roots as they travel through Texas, Arizona and California, with the aim of helping families escape the city and embrace ranch life.
“We’ve been chasing the West,” Jonathan proclaimed, before reflecting on the nostalgic return to a lifestyle the brothers knew intimately growing up. “We filmed in Texas and Arizona and California and it was pretty wild. Very, very nostalgic because we grew up on a 160-acre horse ranch with 30 head of horses and a bunch of crops. So, this was a lot of fun to showcase that lifestyle.”
The experience struck a chord, especially as the brothers guided families toward a major life change, one that they themselves are still drawn to.
“Would I live on a ranch full time again? Yeah,” Drew shared. “Maybe not exactly like it was when we were kids because that was a lot of hard work — shoveling stalls and all — but I love the idea of having space, being surrounded by mountains. I’d have a couple horses, not 30 or 40, but a couple.”
Jonathan agreed, telling TooFab, “There’s something about it… I love showing these families what they can get outside of the city — their money stretches further, their kids have room to run and play. But the bitter part of it was, I was missing that for ourselves. Even in L.A., Zooey and I have an acre — it’s nice — but it’s not like what we had growing up, right on the edge of the Rocky Mountains. That was the most beautiful country you’ve ever seen.”
While city life is still home base, the show opened up new possibilities, with Jonathan sharing that it even had he and fiancée Zooey Deschanel — who he lovingly called “more of a glamping kind of person” — considering ranch life.
“She’s an equestrian. She used to jump, she rides, our kids ride — so our whole family, we’re all equestrian,” Jonathan said before getting realistic about what a move like that would mean for their family. “But, like Drew said, would we wanna be hauling bales of hay again? Probably not.”
Though they may not be mucking stalls daily, the Scotts still got their hands dirty while filming.
“We’d compete to see who could throw a bale of hay the farthest. We did roping. Jonathan beat me at roping,” Drew said with a laugh. “But you’d be surprised how many city slickers think they’re ready for this life. There’s a saying: ‘All cowboy hat, no cowboy.'”
The show doesn’t shy away from the realities of ranch life, from budgeting and infrastructure to the sheer physical work involved.
“Some of these buyers had big dreams — they wanted horses, or chickens, or an event space, or a wellness retreat,” Drew explained. “But they hadn’t thought through the financials. A lot of them realized quickly that this isn’t just a Pinterest board — it’s real life.”
That authenticity is what sets Chasing the West apart from their usual renovation-focused series.
“This show is definitely not the deep dive into renovation with our team,” Jonathan said. “We’re showcasing properties, and I love that the audience can follow along and try to guess which one the families are going to choose. Sometimes they totally surprise us and pick the one we least expected because it had a lake or extra land.”
Property Brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott Reveal Past Rift Over Money
View Story
Drew added, “It’s very entertaining, it’s educational, and it’s also jaw-dropping when you see the views. It’s the most beautiful show we’ve ever shot.”
Even with the stunning scenery, the families on the show faced their fair share of challenges, and so did Drew and Jonathan.
“What ranch life is to us isn’t the same for everyone else,” Drew explained. “So we’d really dig in with each family to understand what was important to them. And we learned a lot, too — like in one region, if you keep bees on your ranch, you get a tax incentive. That was fun to explore.”
The most rewarding part for the pair, however, came after the cameras stopped rolling.
“My favorite part was seeing the ‘where are they now,” Jonathan said. “We’d follow up months later and see — did they do the renovations? Is it working for them? That was rewarding because all of these families were actually living that lifestyle.”
“I loved getting back on a horse again. It’s been years. I was a little sore on the butt, but it’s like riding a bike,” Drew noted. “And then there was this homeowner obsessed with chickens. She wanted hundreds… until we took her to a chicken farm and she realized she’s terrified of chickens. So you never know what’s gonna happen.”
The show may be a departure from their usual blueprint, but the Scott Brothers’ longevity on HGTV is no accident. With shakeups at the network seeing major programming shifts and cancellations, even the delay of their own show, Drew and Jonathan said they’ve survived as a result of their fans and their ability to adapt with the times.
“It’s our fans,” Drew maintained. “We listen to them constantly. Between Jonathan and I, we get half a million questions or comments a week. They tell us what they want to see and we adapt.”
That adaptability — and a global reach — is what keeps their empire thriving. “We distribute our content in 160 countries,” Jonathan added. “That allows us to keep the quality high across all of our shows and keep trying new things. Chasing the West feels very fresh and new, and I think everyone’s going to enjoy watching it.”
Chasing the West airs on HGTV and streams on Max.
Content shared from www.toofab.com.