Jonathan Scott Reveals Whether He and Zooey Deschanel Would Leave L.A. for the Country Life (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• Jonathan Scott opened up to PEOPLE about whether he and fiancée Zooey Deschanel would leave Los Angeles for a life more like his childhood

• Scott’s new HGTV show Chasing the West has made him miss the country life, as he grew up on a 160-acre ranch in the Canadian Rockies

• He and Deschanel currently live with her two children in an L.A. home that they spent two years renovating

Jonathan Scott may be daydreaming about a move out to the country thanks to his new HGTV show – but he’s got to get his fiancée Zooey Deschanel on board first!

While chatting with PEOPLE about his latest series Chasing the West — which also stars his twin brother Drew — Jonathan, 47, opened up about how filming the show was a nostalgic experience for him, and it even made him want to return to his ranching roots.

In fact, working on the project made him miss life out in the country so much that he says he “absolutely” would be down to leave Los Angeles and find a property with a lot more land, similar to the 160-acre ranch he grew up on.

The only problem is, his fiancée may not be up for all the work that goes into running a ranch, he says.

While referencing the New Girl alum’s passion for horseback riding, Jonathan notes that although Deschanel would love to be surrounded by open land, all the “dirty work” she’d have to do might deter her from fully embracing the ranch life.

“She’s an equestrian. She used to jump,” he explains. “So she loves having horses, loves having space.”

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He continues, “I think she’s not so much into the dirty work of the ranch, but she definitely is into having the space and room to run.”

While Jonathan is ready to rough it and leave the city life behind him, it may be difficult for the pair to part ways with their L.A. dream home that they spent years renovating.

After purchasing the property in 2020, Jonathan and Deschanel immediately got to work on transforming it into an oasis for their blended family. They made the perfect team as the actress took on the role of interior designer while the expert builder focused on construction for the 1938 build.

Nearly two years later, they unveiled the completed remodel in the June 2022 issue of the brothers’ magazine, Drew + Jonathan Reveal, and have since shown off their home’s quirky and colorful design details on social media.

The stunning home features a solarium, an outdoor fireplace, and a multi-functional office space that Deschanel uses as her glam room, music studio, closet and crafting corner. It’s also adorned with vibrant wallpaper, colorful tiles and an elegant grand staircase.

Almost a year after unveiling their home, Jonathan popped the question while the pair were on a vacation in Scotland together with Deschanel’s two children — daughter Elsie, 10, and son Charlie, 8 — in August 2023.

The milestone moment came four years after the Celebrity IOU host and Elf actress first met while filming an episode of Carpool Karaoke with Drew, and Zooey’s sister Emily in August 2019. The pair were spotted holding hands a month later, and went Instagram official in October that same year.

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While the couple might not be ready to leave their city life, Jonathan opened up to PEOPLE about how meaningful it was for him to work on Chasing the West.

The show follows the twins as they help families looking to trade their busy lives in the city for a slower lifestyle out in the country.

While they enjoyed browsing a number of properties in Texas, Arizona and California with each buyer, it was also “bittersweet.”

“It was sort of bittersweet because we could share what we loved about growing up on a ranch with all of these families,” Jonathan told PEOPLE of working on the new series. “On the flip side, I miss it. It was so fun to be in the mountains.”

Chasing the West airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on HGTV.

Read the original article on People