Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (EM:HE; sometimes informally referred to as Extreme Home Makeover[2][3]) is an American reality television series that aired from February 15, 2004, to January 13, 2012, on ABC and in 2020 on HGTV. The series is a spin-off of Extreme Makeover that features a family that has faced some sort of hardship, having their home completely remodeled to better suit their exact needs.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Logo for the HGTV iteration
GenreReality television series
Presented byTy Pennington
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
ComposersEric Allaman (2004-2009)
Rob Cairns (2006-2009)
Rudy Guess (2006-2008)
Brad Chiet (2004-2008)
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons10
No. of episodes212[1] (list of episodes)
Production
Running time43 minutes (86 minutes for 2 part episodes)
Production companies
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseFebruary 15, 2004 (2004-02-15) –
January 13, 2012 (2012-01-13)
NetworkHGTV
ReleaseFebruary 16 (2020-02-16) –
April 5, 2020 (2020-04-05)
NetworkABC
Release2024 (2024)

The series was produced by Endemol USA in association with Disney-ABC Television Group's Greengrass Television. The original ABC run was hosted by Ty Pennington; the HGTV season was hosted by actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson. The executive producers were Brady Connell and George Verschoor.

Team edit

Cast Role
Alle Ghadban Design (season 1)
Constance Ramos Architect (seasons 1–3)
Dawson Connor Landscaping (season 1)
Michael Moloney Interior Design/Glamour (seasons 1–9)
Paige Hemmis Carpentry (seasons 1–9)
Paul DiMeo Carpentry (seasons 1–9)
Preston Sharp Exteriors/Big Ideas (seasons 1–4)
Tracy Hutson Shopping/Style (seasons 1–9)
Ty Pennington Host/Design Team Leader/Carpentry (seasons 1–9)
Ed Sanders Carpentry (seasons 2–9)
Eduardo Xol Landscaping (seasons 2–8)
Daniel Kucan Interior Design (season 3)
Tanya McQueen Interior Design (seasons 3–5)
John Littlefield Carpentry (seasons 4–9)
Didiayer Snyder Design (seasons 5–7)
Rib Hillis Carpentry (seasons 5–6)
Jillian Harris Designer (seasons 7–9)
Xzibit Designer (seasons 7–9)
Leigh Anne Tuohy Designer (season 8)
Jeff Dye Designer (season 9)
Sabrina Soto Designer (season 9)
Breegan Jane Carpentry (season 10)
Carrie Locklyn Shopping/Style (season 10)
Darren Keefe Carpentry (season 10)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson Host/Design Team Leader (season 10)

Reaction and criticism edit

Despite the show's positive message, EM:HE has been scrutinized for several issues, including the show's ethics, its authenticity, and leaving some families with an increase in mortgage payments and property taxes due to higher assessments and worsening their circumstances.

Ethically speaking, the show has often been criticized by some viewers and the media for unnecessary contributions and glorifying excessive McMansion-like construction and lifestyles, such as in a Mother Jones article that questioned giving a 6-bedroom, 7-bath, 7-television house to a family of 4 in Kingston, Washington.[4] However, ABC countered this criticism by explaining their approach towards building homes for each family was to do so in a manner which best suited their own individual needs, noting the sizes of many of the homes is due to the fact a considerable majority were built for either exceptionally large families, families of individuals with certain accessibility needs and families who ran various types of organizations or small businesses out of their homes, the last of which was the case of the Kingston home. ABC responded to the Mother Jones article by noting they had failed to mention that particular home was also a functioning bed and breakfast.

Authentically speaking, one such claim was frequently made against the show's lead designers, particularly Ty Pennington. At several makeovers, they have been criticized for never doing any work at all, with anonymous contractors mostly doing the work and the designers performing only light work for the cameras. In 2007, during the makeover for the Carter Family in Billings, Montana, a local radio DJ accused Pennington of using a spray can of grease on his face to make it look like he was really working, only to be confronted over the air by Pennington himself, who called in from the construction site.[5] The largest piece of evidence to prove the design team's contribution to the house and the family is a severe hand injury that Ed Sanders received during a 2006 makeover in Ohio for the family of Jason Thomas. While creating a wood carving of the American flag, Sanders removed part of the guard for a hand-held wood grinder, which led to him slicing one of his hands open.[6] Sanders took a leave of absence for nearly an entire season to recover.

In an article entitled "ABC's 'Extreme Exploitation'", The Smoking Gun published an e-mail sent on March 10, 2006, from an ABC employee sent to the network's affiliate base, relaying a message from the program's casting agent detailing specific tragedies and rare illnesses sought by the show. Included were a "Muscular Dystrophy Child", a "Family who has multiple children w/ Down Syndrome (either adopted or biological)" and a child with a CIPA disorder. This last request included a parenthetical remark stating, "There are only 17 known cases in US - let me know if one is in your town!"[7] This e-mail has led some major media networks and blogs to accuse the show of opportunism in seeking out the most sensational stories in a push for higher ratings.[8][9]

Another criticism aimed at the show surrounds financial issues that some of the families have had after receiving the home makeover, which following the onset of the Great Recession, received media attention. As of 2020, nine of the original show's recipient families have given up their homes due to financial issues, which included two foreclosures.[10][11] While most cases were reported as resulting from instances such as unemployment, accumulations of medical bills or property tax rate increases, the most widely publicized cases featured families who had defaulted on home equity loans taken out on their homes since receiving them, one of which resulted in a foreclosure. In a 2018 interview with The Wrap, Pennington explained the nature of these cases. “There’s a couple of stories that families lost their home. We left them with a financial adviser. However, if the family chooses to triple-mortgage their house to start a business that they’ve never done before just to see if they can get into it, that’s their own demise. That’s how you lose your home, is you’re like, ‘Oh, let’s use it as a lottery ticket and see what we can get out of it. And then you lose it because you can’t make the payment. But that’s what press does. They were like, ‘This is too good to be true, what is really happening?’ But with ‘Extreme’ it really was that good.”[12]

The five children of the Higgins family, aged 14–21, filed a lawsuit against ABC after they were evicted by a family that had taken them in before the show came to renovate the family's house. The five kids "say that the producers took advantage of the family's hard-luck story and promised them new cars and other prizes to persuade them to participate in the program", according to the LA Times.[13] On July 17, 2007, Judge Paul Gutman ruled against the siblings, stating that the plaintiffs failed to prove their case.[14] The decision of the trial court was affirmed on appeal.[15]

Questions arose when Theresa "Momi" Akana was picked for a Hawaii-set episode. The Honolulu Advertiser investigated their tax records and found out that she and her husband each made over $100,000 in salary. Denise Cramsey, the executive producer of the show, responded with "I think Momi certainly fits the bill." She defended the pick by stating that they look beyond the family's finances and consider other factors, including family plight and contributions to the community.[16]

Spin-off edit

Another spinoff, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition: How'd They Do That?, aired for one season between November 1, 2004, and May 23, 2005, and featured extra behind-the-scenes footage of what had happened in that week's episode.

Broadcast edit

On December 15, 2011, ABC announced that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition would end its run on January 13, 2012, but continue to air network specials.[17]

On January 15, 2019, HGTV announced that they would be reviving the series;[18] the revival premiered on February 16, 2020,[19] running for 10 episodes until April 5, 2020.[20]

Reruns of the series aired on Discovery Family from April 2020 to September 2022.

On June 5, 2023, it was announced that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition would be revived and return to ABC. The revival is slated to premiere during the 2023-24 television season.[21]

International versions edit

This list includes both officially licensed versions and so-called copies of this show, mostly inspired by that, but not licensed by Endemol Shine Group, the current owner of format.

Country Title Broadcaster Host Original run Source(s)
  Albania Nga e Para Vizion Plus Anila Çela April 16, 2019
  Argentina Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Argentina Telefe Andy Kusnetzoff November 11, 2013
Belgium Extreme Makeover: Vlaanderen Play4 James Cook 2022
  Brazil Extreme Makeover Social RecordTV Cristiana Arcangeli September 25, 2010 – December 15, 2012 [22]
Extreme Makeover Brasil: Casa dos Sonhos GNT Otaviano Costa March 10, 2020 – present [23]
  Bulgaria Бригада нов дом bTV Maria Silvester March 10, 2016 – present
  Czech Republic Jak se staví sen TV Prima Pavel Cejnar September 12, 2007
Mise nový domov TV Nova Tereza Pergnerová October 16, 2016
  France Tous ensemble TF1 Marc-Emmanuel Dufour October 3, 2009 – June 20, 2015
Tous pour un NRJ 12 Alexandra Holzhammer, Valérie Aparicio, Laura Olivier January 1, 2017 – June 20, 2017
  Italy Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Italia Canale 5 Alessia Marcuzzi January 23, 2013 – June 23, 2014
  Israel Extreme Makeover Israel Channel 10 Amos Tamam June 12, 2013 – 2014 [24]
  Norway Ekstrem oppussing TV3 Asgeir Borgemoen April 3, 2005 – December 18, 2005 [25]
  Philippines Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Philippines TV5 Paolo Bediones ?
  Poland Nasz nowy dom Polsat Elżbieta Romanowska (2023-)
Katarzyna Dowbor (2013-2023)
September 29, 2013 – present
  Romania Visuri la cheie Pro TV Dragoș Bucur October 29, 2014 [26]
  Serbia Radna akcija Prva TV Tamara Grujić December 11, 2010 – July 15, 2016 [27]
S Tamarom u akciji/Radna Akcija sa Tamarom RTS 1, Prva TV Tamara Grujić March 11, 2016 – present [28]
Kuća od srca B92, RTV Pink Žarko Lazić, Jelena Matijašević September 22, 2014 – present [29]
  Spain Esta casa era una ruina Antena 3 Jorge Fernández November 10, 2007 – December 19, 2010
  Ukraine Время строить Inter Oksana Marchenko December 2, 2017 – December 23, 2017 [30]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Total includes specials
  2. ^ "Extreme Home Makeover". Springfield News-Leader. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on July 11, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  3. ^ Stein, Sadie (April 7, 2010). "The Nasty Aftermath Of Extreme Home Makeover". Jezebel. Gawker Media. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  4. ^ "This New House". Mother Jones. March 2005. Retrieved June 4, 2007. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition recently gave a 6-bedroom, 7-bath, 7-television house to a family of 4.
  5. ^ "Ty Takes On Radio Taunter: I'm No "Jackass!"". tmz.com. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  6. ^ "January 22, 2007 Entry". Archived from the original on February 11, 2010. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
  7. ^ "ABC's "Extreme" Exploitation". The Smoking Gun. March 27, 2006. Retrieved June 4, 2007. Makeover show loves sick kids, cancer patients, hate crime victims
  8. ^ "The 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' Tragedy Wishlist". Gawker. March 27, 2006. Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010. The feel-good TV industry has never been more cutthroat, with the likes of Oprah, the Miracle Workers, and even Deal or No Deal's Howie Mandel locked in a pitched battle to lavish America's tragedy-afflicted souls with their own brand of televised redemption. Nowhere is this suffering-talent crunch felt more acutely than at ABC's genre-leading Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, where the casting department has assembled a wishlist of interesting diseases and tear-jerking hard knocks that they feel will help keep their series atop the Nielsen mountain during their new season.
  9. ^ "Extreme Makeover or Extreme Exploitation?". NBC News. March 31, 2006.
  10. ^ Phil Butler (December 2, 2009). "Dr. Brian Wofford Needs a More Extreme Makeover". Everything PR.
  11. ^ "Family's 'Extreme Makeover' Home Temporarily Saved". ABC 10 News. San Diego, CA. December 14, 2009.
  12. ^ "Ty Pennington Takes a Sledgehammer to That Weird 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' Backlash". February 22, 2018.
  13. ^ Andy Dehnart (August 11, 2005). "Orphans sue ABC, family over Extreme Makeover: Home Edition episode". Reality Blurred.
  14. ^ Walter Olson (July 22, 2007). "Judge rejects 'Extreme Makeover' lawsuit". Overlawyered.com.
  15. ^ "Higgins v. Disney/ABC Internat. Television". FearNotLaw.com. March 18, 2009.
  16. ^ Daysog, Rick (July 2, 2007). "'Makeover' home recipient earns $100K". Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
  17. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 15, 2011). "ABC Cancels 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' As Regular Series, Will Air Specials". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  18. ^ Petski, Denise (January 15, 2019). "'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' Revival Set At HGTV". Deadline Hollywood.
  19. ^ Petski, Denise (November 20, 2019). "'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' Reboot Gets HGTV Premiere Date & First-Look Teaser". Deadline Hollywood.
  20. ^ "Listings – April 5, 2020". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 14, 2022. extreme makeover: home edition: to protect, serve and move that bus (#107) [11th season finale]
  21. ^ White, Peter (June 5, 2023). "'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' Reboot In The Works At ABC With The Home Edit Stars". Deadline. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  22. ^ "Brasil recebe versão social do reality Extreme Makeover". Exame (in Portuguese). Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  23. ^ "Com Otaviano Costa, GNT anuncia versão de Extreme Makeover e já busca participantes". F5 (in Portuguese). September 17, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  24. ^ "Extreme Makeover Israel". Nana 10 (in Hebrew). Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  25. ^ "Ferdig med oppussingen - Kampanje" (in Norwegian). Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  26. ^ "Stiri de ultima ora, stiri online - Stirileprotv.ro". stirileprotv.ro. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  27. ^ "Radna akcija by Ceresit". Prva TV (in Serbian). Archived from the original on August 12, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  28. ^ "S Tamarom u akciji". Facebook (in Serbian). Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  29. ^ "Kuća od srca". Shadow Production (in Serbian). Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  30. ^ "Телеканал Интер". Телеканал Интер. Retrieved May 23, 2022.

External links edit