Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (2003–2012)

A family that has faced hardship has their dilapidated house completely rebuilt while they are away on vacation for a week.

Stars:

Ty Pennington, Paul DiMeo, Michael Moloney

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 5 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Ty Pennington	...	Himself - Host (201 episodes, 2003-2012)
Paul DiMeo	...	Himself (138 episodes, 2004-2012)
Michael Moloney	...	Himself (136 episodes, 2004-2012)
Tracy Hutson	...	Herself (101 episodes, 2004-2012)
Paige Hemmis	...	Herself (97 episodes, 2004-2012)

Storyline

A family that has faced hardship has their dilapidated house completely rebuilt while they are away on vacation for a week. While early episodes renovated houses, the usual approach is to tear down the house on the first day and build a brand new, usually much larger, one, fully furnished. The houses are customized to the families, with rooms reflecting the interests of, especially, the children, and special technology for any unusual medical conditions. Host Ty Pennington usually has a "secret" project which is only revealed when the family sees it. The construction is accomplished with the help of a large army of blue-shirted volunteers and a wide array of sponsor-donated products and services.

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Plot Keywords:

construction | makeover | interior design | home improvement | non fiction

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Genres:

Reality-TV

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Details

Official Sites:

ABC [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 December 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

A nagy házalakítás

Filming Locations:

Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

ABC, Endemol Entertainment, Greengrass Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

O.A.R. ( ...Of A Revolution) sings the theme song.

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Quotes

Ty Pennington: Ripping down someone's house is fantastic fun!

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Connections

Referenced in The TV Set (2006)

User Reviews

Giving of itself or just self serving?

I occasionally see some of this show because my wife watches it sometimes. I try to enjoy it for it's basic idea which is helping a needy family, but several factors get in the way for me. Every episode follows the same format where many parts seem totally scripted (which they are) and tears flow seemingly on cue. The attempt to manipulate the viewer with a mixture of emotional breakdowns and sad music is a real turn off for me. The fact that everyone who donates something to the house, be it Sears or whoever, has to plug themselves for being generous is also annoying. Probably the biggest problem I have with it all is that what must be huge amounts of money and a small army of workers are combined to build an amazingly over the top home for a single family. Now I know that this amount of money is nothing but a drop in the bucket for Disney/ABC but how much more could be done for more people with the amount they are putting on one house? Instead of focusing on one family and getting them all to cry during the episode why not help 10 families and show highlights? Isn't life difficult enough for the average person? Why do I need help finding things to feel sad about, why not show something truly inspiring without being manipulative? I know what is being done for these families is good, but they are also being used for ratings. You can't tell me they aren't being coached sometimes on the crying. I guess when I see these people moving into a home that most hard working people in the U.S. could not afford for their children it really bothers me. I can't help but think of what could really be done with a small portion of Disney's money. Instead of giving each member of the family a flat screen TV and or personal shower that tells you the water temperature and shoots out of the ceiling why not help more people afford food, clothes, education and medical insurance? I know so we can be entertained and have a good cry. In terms of money, I feel the same about Oprah. I don't think anyone can actually conceive the amount of money she possesses. Yes her recent reality show did good things, but when she gave $30,000 to each losing "contestant" I'm sitting here thinking...that's a years salary for many, many people...if they're lucky. Don't get me started on game shows. So I realize that Extreme Makeover Home Edition is "doing good", but forgive me if I see it as more self serving than giving of itself. Is there anyone out there that feels similar?