Extreme Makeover - Home Edition

[mrs_pell]

I had a thread about this on the WC, so I figured I'd start one over here. I know it's re-run season, but tonight's is an episode that I haven't seen, but I've heard about it. It's a little girl who is in remission from Leukemia, and her request is to make over the pediatric wing of the hospital, and not her own home. So...they are doing both. I'm excited to see this one. :)

[flygirl]

Don't have to mention it's a tear jerker ;). I didn't even realize there was a thread over there. It's still months off but I can't wait for new episodes!

[southerner]

I'm getting ready to go watch. I didn't get to see all of the shows this season (including tonight).

Please tell me I'm not the only one who cries every week??!! :rolleyes:

[mrs_pell]

One thing I'm shocked about so far is that they're re-doing their house without their knowlege, OR PERMISSION! Yeah, I know the father said "whatever you want," and that most people wouldn't mind AT ALL, but still! I wonder what the legalities of that were?

[PGirl26]

LOL, no Southerner, you're not the only one. I can't remember one episode that I HAVEN'T cried to. Tonight's show is great. I've seen it once already. It's only been on 13 minutes so far, and I've already cried.

[mrs_pell]

Please tell me I'm not the only one who cries every week??!! :rolleyes:

Ummm...no, you are NOT the only one! I cry EVERY single time. Most of the time I can make it till the end, but there are a few (like tonight's, and the one with Jessica Lynch and the soldier's family) that I was crying about 5 minutes into it! :o

[kmmommy]

I love this show! I also cry every time. I figure it lets me clean out my tear ducts at least.

I do have to say how happy I am that Ty Pennington is getting some opportunities from doing these shows. He's such a caring person and I'm glad that he was able to design his own line for Sears, which, BTW, I love!

[southhavenjen]

One thing I'm shocked about so far is that they're re-doing their house without their knowlege, OR PERMISSION! Yeah, I know the father said "whatever you want," and that most people wouldn't mind AT ALL, but still! I wonder what the legalities of that were?

If I remember that episode correctly, Ty told the dad they wanted to give the house a coat of paint, and the dad said they would appreciate whatever. I'm sure in order to do even that, they had to sign a major waiver that pretty much gave Extreme Home Makeover rights to do anything and everything. They probably just told the family it was standard procedure. That was a cool episode!!!

ETA: I cry every time too - and so does DH!

[flygirl]

Oh, no. I start crying right from the beginning. It's like I hold in all the sadness in the world and let it out when I see so much good.

mrs_pell, I wondered about that, too, but I'm pretty sure they got permission from the dad, even if they didn't tell the rest of the family. Maybe it'll be on "How'd They Do That" tomorrow. ALTHOUGH, I read somewhere that many of these families don't actually own their homes to begin with. The show basically buys the house from the owner/landlord before tearing it down, in which case they don't need permission from the family.

[KristyK]

2 more hours before it's on here, but I didn't see this one!

I know I'll cry, I do every single week, it's like all my sadness comes out and I bawl my eyes out!

Can't wait to watch tonite!

Kristy

[mrs_pell]

OMG...15 minutes left, and I'm just sobbing. This has to be one of my favorite episodes. When the CEO of that company was crying, it was over for me.

What a beautiful little girl!!

[kmmommy]

Wait until you see the very end of this episode and what they do to help with $$.

[KristyK]

Loved this episode! OMG, I was just bawling through it! That little girl, what a treasure!

Thanks ABC, I needed another good cry! :D

[heidi0622]

I agree...I totally bawl at every episode! I just love the human interest side.

Not to take away from the sentimental aspects of the show, but I am curious though, has there ever been any follow-up on the families and how they've maintained the house? I am just still shocked they can get such an expansive and amazing house up so quickly, has anyone ever heard stories about shoddy workmanship...there may not be any, but I'm curious?

Also, are the families responsible for the mortgage? I think I've seen some episodes where they get money to help them cover the mortgage, but does every family get that, or do some have to pay? Does anyone ever wonder how some of the extremely hard-luck families even pay all the utility bills, etc?

Just curious...has anyone ever seen a follow-up?

[mrs_pell]

Not to take away from the sentimental aspects of the show, but I am curious though, has there ever been any follow-up on the families and how they've maintained the house? I am just still shocked they can get such an expansive and amazing house up so quickly, has anyone ever heard stories about shoddy workmanship...there may not be any, but I'm curious?

Also, are the families responsible for the mortgage? I think I've seen some episodes where they get money to help them cover the mortgage, but does every family get that, or do some have to pay? Does anyone ever wonder how some of the extremely hard-luck families even pay all the utility bills, etc?


We were just talking about this at work the other day. I'm *assuming* that if their mortgage isn't taken care of, then they would still just be paying their normal mortgage, since that was the loan that they took out. But, after every episode, I always think about the cost of the utilities, not to even MENTION property taxes. Can you imagine the hike in taxes? This last episode (the one that was ran this last week) was an increase from somehting like 2000 sq ft to over 5600!!! I ALWAYS wonder about that!

Another thing I think about is how hard it would be to change some of the stuff that they do. For instance, a lot of the kids rooms are VERY dramatic, and most likely they'll outgrow it and want to change it. There was also an episode that they put a huge ball pit in one of the rooms. I just think that sometimes they make things a little TOO dramatic. But...hey...they can come to my house ANY TIME THEY WANT! ;)

[anjuli]

mrs_pell : I've thought the same things about the rooms. Hopefully the families will have enough money to remodel the rooms when the kids outgrow them.

heidi0622 : They did a follow-up show a month or two ago. I think all the families have maintained their homes. There was no mention about the mortgages. Good point about the increase in utilities costs!

One thing I've thought about is whether all the houses they've built have security systems in them. They always seem to mention where the family lives and then they show us all the new stuff they received. Doesn't seem like a good idea when there are would-be burglars watching this show. Perhaps I've lived in a big city too long and have become way too paranoid. :(

[KristyK]

Apparently they did a follow up on the lady who's house had burned down after her DH died. She said she had trouble keeping up with the expenses etc, and that it was really kind of a pain. I didn't see it, but that's what was told to me by someone who saw the follow-up.

Ok, so here's my thing. They paid off her mortgage. She doesn't have a job, but they gave her an apartment to rent out as a B&B to make the extra money. There comes a time when you need to get back into real life, and GET A JOB! I'm sorry her DH died, so did my first DH, but I found out really quick that any government benefits (social security) didn't go very far and had to get a job. If she was smart, she'd rent the B&B, continuously, use that for utilities, etc, and then use a job as income to pay other expenses. She's living in a huge house, that's paid for. Actually, if she can't afford it, she could always sell, housing in that area is astronomical.

I don't know, apparently the interview was much more telling than I know about, but who knows! :confused: I tried to look up the inteview, I'll keep looking!

Kristy

[Noniitis]

I love this show. We have it programed to record every week.. I bawl every time. I think the show where the Mom died and the Dad had the 3 very very young children I cried from the begining to the end nonstop. Having a young child of my know made that a wee bit too close to home. I Also watch how'd they do that every week which is really just more of the same.

[PookiePrincess]

I love this show, too! I hadn't seen last week's episode either...it would be nice if more kids were as caring as that little girl.

I also cry every week. The funny thing though is most of the time my FH watches with me, and usually by the end, he is crying, too! (He would probably never admit it, but I think it's cute.)

[stevesbabygirl]

Huge fan of the show, it makes me all warm and fuzzy and weepy :D!

I just read something that said that the producers talk to the family to see what they can afford. So if they can't afford a huge jump in property taxes or what not, they aren't going to radically expand. Or something to that effect.

[ManteoChik]

OMG I love this show and watch it every week since the very first episode. I too cry my eyes out every time I watch it. Even my boyfriend watches with me and I see him cry too!

[mrs_pell]

Man! I haven't seen this episode, either!! Being a PT, this one I know is gonna get to me! 5 minutes in, and I'm already crying!

I've seen so many people go home in a wheelchair to houses that just aren't accesible. To see that a contractor would go in, demolish their house, and then leave makes me sick to my stomach. What bastards. :mad:

eta: The retiring of his jersey = WATERWORKS!! I'm seriously getting a headache from crying! :eek:

[mrs_pell]

OMG!!!!!!! That was the best episode I have EVER seen!! I can't believe I hadn't seen that one, or heard about it at work! I have NEVER cried as much during an episode as I did tonight! The jersey retiriment, the ring, the 911 call, the 2nd house, the WEDDING!! Wow! Amazing. Beautiful.

[southerner]

blowing the dust off......

Premiere is Sunday, September 25 :D

[sdianems]

Thanks southerner for the date of the season premiere...I was wondering when that was!

Did anyone catch the little Extreme Makeover Monday Night Football spot? Great! Ty, Page and Mike were called in to "makeover" both teams playing that night (can't remember which ones they were, but both had been performing poorly lately). Very tongue-in-cheek, they were "crying" at the story, talking about making over the uniforms, etc.

Fun, but I am totally looking forward to the new season :D

[framboise]

I love this show! It makes me cry every single week without fail. I can't wait for the new season in a month! Woohoo!

P.S. Ty is so hot! :D

[Natasha]

I adore this show! I am sure being 8+ months pregnant is going to make the crying even worse. I always make sure not to eat while watching, cause I know I'm gonna sob...

[bensgirl1222]

Was last night's show a re-run??? It seems SO familiar to me.

[stevesbabygirl]

Yep it was. The new season doesn't start until September 25th.

[Boopy]

I enjoy watching the show. Although I think all the product placement and guest spots are getting a little out of control.

I read the following article a couple weeks ago and thought it would be good to post here. It's interesting to see everything isn't as rosy after the show stops as ABC would want us to think.

'Extreme Makeover' siblings file suit
August 12, 2005

Five orphaned siblings whose sad story got a Hollywood ending on a reality TV show filed a lawsuit Wednesday that aims to rip the happy facade off the popular genre.

Months after losing both parents, the Higgins siblings were showered with gifts and presented with a new mansion on the ABC hit "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

ABC is continuing to air the episode, the lawsuit alleges, even though the siblings, who are ages 15 to 22, have been forced from the house and are effectively homeless.

Ultimately, the lawsuit stems from a break in the relationship between the siblings and the couple that took them in after the death of their parents. When relations soured, the siblings left the couple's home, which viewers saw constructed on television.

The lawsuit targets ABC, the program's production companies, the firm that built the house and the couple who helped the siblings, Phil and Loki Leomiti. The complaint alleges that the Leomitis engaged in "an orchestrated campaign" to drive the siblings from the house.

ABC issued a statement saying, "It is important to note that the episode was about the rebuilding of the Leomiti family's home to accommodate the inclusion of the five Higgins siblings, whom the Leomitis had invited into their lives following the death of their parents."

[MandyMaloo]

Oooh yay! I'm glad I saw this thread!

I love this show! I think it's amazing to see how people's lives change for the better when they are given a helping hand.

I know there is a TON of product placement, but many of those companies donate a ton of merchandise/money to this show...and they probably figure that at least with some advertising it can make up for the money they are giving away. I gotta say though, it works! I know at least my family takes to heart the things that the show and it's sponsors do. For instance, my parents are looking into buying a KB Homes new home since they have been one of the most generious on the show. My FH will only buy Craftsman tools now becuase Sears donates a ton of money to these families. It's shameless, but it works! :rolleyes:

Anyway--I'll be watching again this Sunday. I've seen them all, but I can't help but watch all the re-runs...and they STILL make me cry! :rolleyes: I'm such a sap....

[stevesbabygirl]

Have you all seen the commercials for the new season, where they play "Fix You" by Coldplay? I LOVE that song (it's my favorite on their new album), and I get chills whenver I see that commercial. I can't wait for the new season.

[southerner]

isn't the new season starting tonight? or is it next week??

[sarahh]

The two hour premiere is TONIGHT! :D Can't wait! After that is Desperate Housesives and then Grey's Anatomy!! I'll be glued to the tv all night! :p

[southerner]

sarah stop following me around ;)

[kugrrly]

I bawl like a baby every episode.

Tonights family was very sweet. :)

Next weeks family looks to be great!

[twainny]

Did Paige get a make over of her own? I swear she has new boobs!

[kugrrly]

Did Paige get a make over of her own? I swear she has new boobs!
That is very interesting.

I was not paying attention to her. I guess I will have to find out next week.

[southhavenjen]

I was really bummed out when they tore down the Rodriguez's house this week. It was such a nice house; it seemed like such a waste to completely tear it down.

[Natasha]

southhavenjen-- I felt the same way!

Man, I sobbed through this show BEFORE I was pregnant! It's pathetic now, I tell ya. This show is awesome... With everything that goes on nowadays, seeing really GOOD things happening to really GOOD people is so heartwarming! Can't wait for next week.

[stevesbabygirl]

Oh I know, and he doesn't even use his crutches now!

[kiddo]

Extreme Makeover is coming to our town! DH just got an email at work asking for volunteers this Thursday-Sunday. He called and asked me if he should do it. I said "Are you kidding me! Can I volunteer too?"

We don't know who the family is yet, but I'm sure we'll find out soon. While we live in a nice neighborhood, I could think of quite a fews homes that need help, so I don't even know where to start guessing.

I'll let you all know if we will get to volunteer!

[maplekitty]

The kid's play room in last night's episode was one of the best rooms they've done. That fish tank was amazing, and I'm glad they had the sense to include a pro to come clean it and take care of it too.

[southhavenjen]

The kid's play room in last night's episode was one of the best rooms they've done. That fish tank was amazing, and I'm glad they had the sense to include a pro to come clean it and take care of it too.

When they were installing that fish tank, my DH said, "I hope to hell they include a service to come and take care of that thing!"

Did you notice how relieved the mom looked when they told her that someone would be coming by twice monthly? Priceless.

[Regina Phalange]

I remember the first time my roomate and I watched this show last season. We were crying like babies and a guy friend of ours walked into our apartment and asked us what we were watching. Through our sobs we got out the words "Extreme Home Makeover". Our friend prompty began laughing at us for crying during a show that was about home improvements. He just didn't get it. :p

[kiddo]

Here is some info on the family in my town getting an Extreme Makeover.

Wells Family To Receive 'Extreme Makeover' (http://www.wmtw.com/news/5027731/detail.html)

Doug, a lobsterman, was alone on the water off Wells Beach, hauling in lobster traps, when the winch on his boat snagged the sleeve of his slicker. When he reached for the kill switch, a wave struck the bow, throwing him back. The winch took his arm, and Doug was forced to cut it off with a twine knife, then pilot his boat until he could find help.

Doug underwent surgery at Maine Medical Center in Portland, where surgeons were unable to save his arm. He was back on the lobster boat four days after being released from the hospital.

ABC showed up yesterday to announce it to the family. They spent last night at a hotel in Portland and then were flying out today to CA. They do the demolition tomorrow at noon.

It doesn't look like either DH or I will be able to volunteer, he replied to the email he got that he was interested, but he hasn't heard anything back yet. They are encouraging spectators, so I will definitely be checking it out!

[Txfish]

I'm glad others felt the same way about the Rodriguez family last week -- I was so annoyed that they ripped down that entire house. When the show began, they used to just remodel houses that were in decent shape -- and I remember how horrified they were at the first one they had to completely rebuild. Now it's just part of the circus, I guess, even if not necessary. Sure, I'm glad they saved some of the windows or whatever -- but seriously!

As for the Colorado family from this week, I was so excited to finally see a family that just needed more space and didn't have some horrible tragedy. I'm pleased to see a family get rewarded just for being good people and needing a little help -- "a little more room" -- to continue doing something that benefits others. They were such a sweet couple and I have a huge amount of respect for anyone who gives of themselves like that to make a difference in someone's life -- at least four kids' lives that they have completely turned around. Awesome.

I'm not heartless, and I cry every week, regardless. I just think it's gotten to be overkill. I'm glad when they can help a sick family, but I get so worn out with these enormous woe-is-me stories every week. How many amputees can you watch, especially ones where changing the house doesn't really benefit them physically? This show was supposed to be about making unlivable houses livable, or making extraordinary families fit into their home finally -- not this constant pity party. Gah.

I did love the one they did last year where they built the duplex for the two homeless families -- absolutely what this show should be doing! Not just helping two families, but giving the community another resource for future use to help others get back on their feet. Plus, the side trip to take the rest of the shelter to Sears just killed me -- dh and I sat there and just bawled the whole time.

Other great ones:
The sick daughter, where mom & son moved across the country for her treatment and couldn't move back home due to the health conditions of the house.

The deaf couple with the blind and deaf son, where they completely teched out the house so it was safe for everyone and the older son could have some advantages.

The girl with the sun allergy, where they made her house safe for her to be able to walk around and even swim & be outside.

The guy in the wheelchair that had been screwed over by the previous contractor.

All of those were so great, because even though the houses were pretty grand, the key was that it was something the family simply couldn't do for themselves and was somewhat necessary to a decent way of life.

Geez, I better not get on any political threads -- I am on my high horse today! :eek:

[stevesbabygirl]

I actually kind of agree with you Txfish. My DH won't even watch it anymore because he says the stories have gotten way out of control. I remember how at the beginning of last season, it was like, there was a family with two boys and the mom was expecting triplets so they needed more room.

Not that I would complain if they came and tore down my house and started over from scratch, but I see where you're coming from.

[southhavenjen]

If you go to their website where they list the criteria for nominating families for an Extreme Home Makeover, they basically say they don't do houses for families whose sole reason for needing a home makeover is that they've outgrown their current living space. So pretty much you have to have a serious "sob story" (on top of needing more space) for them to consider you.

The more I think about the Rodriguez family's makeover, the more it ticks me off. There are homeless people in America, and they tore down a perfectly good house when it turns out he didn't end up needing his crutches anymore and his old house would have suited them just fine.

[stevesbabygirl]

Well isn't that why they did the one on Sunday? Because they had outgrown their living space? I know they wanted to adopt more kids too, but that still has to do with living space.

[southhavenjen]

I think they felt the family on Sunday had done something extraordinary by taking in 4 "unadoptable" kids and turning them around. They still wanted to take in more, but couldn't because the state said they had didn't have enough room. That's a little different than having a bunch of your own bio kids and oops, suddenly your house is too small.

[HeatherFL]

I am bumping this up from long ago rather than starting a new thread. Did anyone watch this last night? I missed the first fifteen minutes and I am pretty angry over this episode. I just don't know if I have the "right" to be. Does anyone know why this family was given the home makeover? I know their house caught on fire (I live in Tampa and we know of this family,) but did they explain anything about lack of insurance or why they couldn't afford to rebuild? Davis Island is pretty affluent and I am surprised that they wouldn't have homeowner's insurance. On top of that, they run a business that seems to do pretty well. I know that television can't give us the whole story, but even our morning deejays are talking about (I had thought of this on my own before hearing anything on the radio.) Waterfront property on Davis Island -which is what they have and where they live- is a lot of money. Those lots go for in the millions without houses on them. I just feel there are other families who may have deserved this more knowing of this family and the area they are from and running their business in. Maybe I am way off, so if anyone could fill me in I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

~H.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Tom and Cynthia Tate are well known in their tight knit community of Davis Island. Tom is the co-owner of Tate Brothers' Pizza and is responsible for giving most of the kids in town their first jobs, while Cynthia is extremely involved with the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and the PTA. The Tate Brothers are involved with almost every volunteer or charity event around Davis Island, and it's been said that many of the island kids have grown up in the Tate house. In that respect, June 12, 2006 was a rare day when the house was not filled with neighborhood kids. Out of the entire Tate family, only Cynthia was at home when a plane crashed into the house. The pilot was killed, along with the family pets, and the co-pilot was badly burned but survived. Cynthia miraculously escaped without any injuries, while the house and everything inside it was destroyed. To make matters worse, because of a clerical error, the home was not insured, so the Tates are unable to pay off the existing mortgage, let alone rebuild their home.

The Tate family has gone above and beyond in helping their community, and now it's time for Ty and the gang to lend a helping hand in return. This episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will feature the restoration of the home of one of Davis Island's most beloved families, so that once again it can be a gathering place for the entire community.

While Ty and the designers, national homebuilder WCI Communities and hundreds of volunteers and workers are rebuilding their home in a remarkable seven days, the Tate family will go on vacation to Costa Rica on a Disney Adventure.

From http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/bios/416.html

[HeatherFL]

To make matters worse, because of a clerical error, the home was not insured, so the Tates are unable to pay off the existing mortgage, let alone rebuild their home.


Thanks. I was aware of the plane crash and the fire (it was all over the news here) and I am aware of the things that the family does for the community. I am surprised regarding this clerical error and that the local government didn't do anything to help this family. If this was an error through no fault of their own, someone really should have done something for them.

Thanks for clearing this up for me. I wonder if the radio deejays know about this too. It just doesn't add up. In my case at least, in order to buy a home I had to provide proof of homeowner's insurance. Just doesn't seem right.

Thanks again,

~H.

[HeatherFL]

P.S. Had they been paying their insurance and keeping it current, and it really was just an error through no fault of theirs, then there would have been proof of it somehow. Through their bank records or check slips, etc.. It just doesn't make sense to me is all. I think they would have had legal grounds to sue or to pursue why this error happened.

[BrownEyedGirl]

My question is...why didn't the airline have to pay for anything?

[Ericka_Jarett]

It was a small plane, not a commercial airline

[sdianems]

Well, we can get angry over the fact that a clerical error caused their lapse in coverage, but the fact is that insurance companies (or the government for that matter) couldn't care less and it is what it is. They were without coverage at the time of the incident. It is just a cosmic "fluke" that their house was freakin' hit by a plane in that time frame. Talk about a Garp kind of event...

I gotta say though that I totally hated Ty's special Marine room. I mean, as an adult I would get super tired of that camoflauge decor very very quickly. JMHO...

[jesseybell]

I have pretty much stopped watching this show, except the beginning where all the tears are shed over the family's stories. But like most reality shows I have started overanalyzing everything, but mainly it is the kid's rooms that drive me crazy. Why does every kid room have to be completely over the top on one thing and not allow the kid to grow at all in the room without spending a ton of money (which the families don't have) to get rid of all the stuff that was put into the room? A Candyland room for a 2 year old girl isn't going to last very long and then what is going to happen?

[sdianems]

I have pretty much stopped watching this show, except the beginning where all the tears are shed over the family's stories. But like most reality shows I have started overanalyzing everything, but mainly it is the kid's rooms that drive me crazy. Why does every kid room have to be completely over the top on one thing and not allow the kid to grow at all in the room without spending a ton of money (which the families don't have) to get rid of all the stuff that was put into the room? A Candyland room for a 2 year old girl isn't going to last very long and then what is going to happen?
ITA! Although it is great that a 3-year-old has a barnyard theme room, he/she is NOT going to be into it in 3-5 years, and sure as hell not into in 10!

I always thought that; but the parents room and master bath are usually gorgeous and thoughtful and fantastic; go figure...

[Adaya]

I didn't like last night's show. Well I guess that's not a fair assessment b/c I didn't watch the whole thing. After I saw the first 10 minutes, I turned the channel. I don't know....I just wasn't interested.

[HeatherFL]

I gotta say though that I totally hated Ty's special Marine room. I mean, as an adult I would get super tired of that camoflauge decor very very quickly. JMHO...
Agreed. Yeah, we have alligators in Florida :rolleyes: but the alligators all over the room mixed with the camouflage didn't do it for me. I wonder if he'll paint over it.

Well, we can get angry over the fact that a clerical error caused their lapse in coverage, but the fact is that insurance companies (or the government for that matter) couldn't care less and it is what it is. They were without coverage at the time of the incident. It is just a cosmic "fluke" that their house was freakin' hit by a plane in that time frame. Talk about a Garp kind of event...

I was talking to my friend Bill today at lunch and telling him all about this. His family has been in contracting/construction for years and years and he knows so much about insurance, contracts, you name it. He pretty much said, "Heather the insurance companies don't care. Unless they had the money to sue and give the lawyers 60% then they probably needed the help. Insurance companies are asses."

~H.

[imagirliegirl]

I thought last night's episode was sweet. Their house is WAY better now than it was before!