Image Credit: Donna Svennevik/ABC“I think our hearts were in the right place, but we just got carried way. It can be extreme without being the biggest house you’ve ever seen.” That’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition interior designer Tracy Hutson explaining the ABC reality show’s new directive to the Wall Street Journal. According to the article, a handful of the more than 140 families who’ve appeared on the show have struggled to pay the higher utility bills or tax assessments for their grander homes, and/or have fallen behind on higher mortgage payments after choosing to tap the equity of their spacious new digs. At least one home fell into foreclosure. So, the producers have gradually made changes to accommodate the economy we’re all now facing. Houses are averaging a less-garish 2,800 to 3,000 square feet, swimming pools are only being added if the family has physical therapy needs, things like solar paneling and low water-flow toilets are being installed, and the landscaping is matching, well, the landscape. (“We’re not going to New Mexico, the desert, and trying to put sod down,” executive producer Conrad Ricketts said.)
The show getting “carried away” with its original goal — renovating homes for deserving families — was attributed to the generous donations and ambitious builders that flocked to the program after it became a hit, as well as producers trying to deliver dramatic television. “Like many homeowners in the nation, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition families aren’t immune to the current state of the US economy,” a rep for the show says in a statement to EW. “EMHE has always strived along with our volunteer builders to create not only ‘extreme’ homes, but homes that work for the owners for years to come. As always, we are striving to build greener, more affordable and environmentally responsible homes, and redoubling those efforts for years to come. We’re proud that we’ve been able to help over 140 families get a new start.”
Has a less extreme makeover affected your enjoyment of the show? Or have you not even noticed?
I stopped watching because it was tto over the top. It will be nice to see thing return to a momre manageable state.
I watched the show when it first started, then it became BIGGER, BETTER every episode. The show is crass and exploitive. The houses are not redone to make them functional and truly liveable for the families in an economic and responsible way.
hey
I did the same thing. I might actually start watching again if I don’t have to spend an entire episode worrying about how the family is going to pay their bills after the TV people leave town.
I stopped watching because it was too much. I was always wondering “how is this family going to afford to live in this?’ I will def start watching again with this new trend.
I stopped watching the show as well when all the houses were too over the top. I think remodeling to give someone a house that really fits their needs is much more meaningful than building a dream house they will never be able to afford. I too may start watching again and if they made enough of a change, may even keep watching!
I always wondered if some of the owners would be able to keep the grander houses clean without help, esp. if it was a one-parent home or if the parents both had to hold down at least one, if not two, jobs to begin with…
The entire show is ridiculous. Do the producers really think that giving people a palace would solve their problems. This is the stupidity of the men would thought this up in the first place. You cannot take uneducated poor people who are used to living on the edge and plop them into a mansion. It’s a disgrace to do this to people who have no idea what they are in for. Shame on the show.
Reply to charlie pinkerton:
“Poor uneducated people” – really? So a teacher of the year receipient with cancer is uneducated? A single father who started a community program aimed at enpowering youth is uneducated? What about war heroes – are they uneducated too? Wake up Mr Pinkerton. Yes, they’re not all wealthy, but they are certainly NOT unedcuated.
i need your help me change makeover i want be sexy and get rid meomrie 2week ago please i am fat change my voice and stomack thank you
I wish EW would recap CHUCK!
Yeah, the most important episode to date, and nothing. And a big F.U. to those idiot ‘shippers.
i know right
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Its about damn time! I always thought it was too much for most of these families to handle. If they would have to sellthe home, they would never get anything near what it was worth because it didn’t go with the neighborhood. It is the best theng they can do.
I completely agree with you. I always thought it was a little strange building these HUGE homes in a neighborhood that doesn’t have other homes like it. Its bad for resale and also can be bad for the neighborhood.
Run: :42, 1:42, 2:34 :53, 1:44, 2:48 :58, 1:52, quit @200m felt light headed and dizzy. Not the best work out this mrnoing.CF::55(185#), :49(155#), :47(155#), :49(155#), :42(155#) mind wasn’t right for the first one, not exactly sure why I loaded 185, but did the round anyways, realized wrong weight after the first rep.This doesn’t include the 60m sprint from the front squats / tuck jumps to the rower and rower spool up time. Looked at my watch when I was done with the tuck jumps and then added the rower’s timer to that time. I hate globo gyms!
I spoke to someone about three years ago (way before the recession) who said that due to the financial circumstances of the families and the speed at which the houses are built, the houses were often put on the market within 6 months to a year because the families could not afford the upkeep or the taxes. The show has needed to do this for a while.
Ideally, making less expensive homes will enable the show to do more — maybe doing two houses at a time, in the same towns? — I’ve always wondered whether it was a better idea for them to just do many, many basic homes rather than a few opulent ones. Didn’t Oprah do something similar after Katrina?
I believe Oprah’s Angel Network built a full development of homes that cost $100,000 each. They were modular homes (not mobile) and were a good quality and the size the families needed. The idea was to make neighborhoods not just houses.
If they did more, smaller houses, it wouldn’t be EXTREME makeover, it’d be ORDINARY makeover.
This is why I stopped watching as well-there was a disconnect there. And the fact that it’s taken them this long to realize it shows there probably is still some disconnect.
I’ve never fully understood the financial implications of the new, “free” home since sometimes the families are also told their mortgages are paid off.
Is the new home free, or do they have to pay for it? Is the mortgage on their original home generally left in tact?
I remember season 1 of this show they actually RENOVATED homes, which I’m sure cost just as much as demolishing and starting from scratch.
Since the original Extreme Makeover (plastic surgery) show is long gone, why not just rename this show Extreme Makeover?
The mortgages are paid off, but much larger houses mean much larger tax bills and utility bills which many of the homeowners have struggled to pay. And a few (a very few)used their new houses to obtain home equity loans that were beyond their means.
The mortgages are NOT always paid off. The new homes are free but if they had an existing mortgage on the home that was torn down, then they still have to make payment on it. Sometimes people donate money so that the family can pay off their existing mortgage but this is not always the case. So the family still has to pay their old mortgage AND higher insurance, taxes, and utilities.
I didn’t realize that, Jackie. I guess the few episodes I watched involved homes without pre-existing mortgages. Thanks for the correct info.
My understanding was that the new home was paid off (mostly at least), but there is still an existing mortgage on the old home that was demolished. It’s not like the bank is just going to say, “Oh, ABC knocked down that house? You don’t owe us anymore!” So there’s a mortgage payment for at least one house, higher utility bills, higher tax assessments, etc.
Hi I am from Barbados and I love watching your show. I think it is wonderful what you guys do. But I also agree that although the houses are beautiful, judging from some of the families that you help how would they cope in the long run. Bigger home means bigger expenses. A more manageable and practical home would be more appropriate. Down sizing is a good idea. Keep up the good work!!
Hi Claudette. I’ve just returned from visting Barbados. If ABC sent their families for vacation to Barbados they’d never WANT TO come home…….even to their new over the top swanky homes LOL
I’m no tax expert but I would also think that there are income tax implications for these new, pricier homes. I can see where recipient families could be left with an unintended financial burden.
What I have enjoyed about this season is that they are truly paying respect to VERY deserving people. And I love that they are using more renewable energy sources – that has got to be a huge help to people. I have really enjoyed this season!
Livie….I am with you!!! Chuck. Actually we need to write NBC to keep the show and move it from MOnday..
You don’t need an infomercial or a book, you just need comomn sense and an internet search engine. Search buying property subject to and Lease purchase options . If you are serious about it you can make a fortune and actually help people in the proocess. Trust me, it’s money you will truly enjoy spending and you will sleep like a baby!See my profile for further info.Edit:The people below me haven’t a clue, MBA or not! Buying properties wih no money out of your pocket and using someone else’s credit happens every day. I don’t sell a program, I didn’t buy a program, I just learned from someone else and you can too.
Floor Press: 5 135 3 185 3 205 2 215 1 225 Different experience than I was excintepg.I can’t do double unders yet, subbed singles instead of tuck jumps.1: 22/12/522: 21/14/643: 20/15/674: 20/17/79I would say I failed to properly warm up mind & body for this.
i liked this show better when they actually SHOWED you the modifications and changes being made to an EXISTING home to make it better. i stopped watching when this show became so tear-jerky. and also when it became one long commercial for all the suppliers. oh, and the marching bands and celebrities didnt help either.
glad to see they are getting back to some basics.
here in orlando, the home they did here is in bing problems cause the owner is behind in payments and was trying to circumvent some local ordinances. i think the city or county here was fining her big time.
I think it’s about time. They also need to stop with the lavish extravagances they bestow on the “lucky” home-owners. I understand some things they build are necessary but themed rooms and all that are a waste of money. They should be building a solid home with the necessities people need and forget all the rest. Hopefully, this a start to that process.
They should stop with the themed rooms because the kids will grow out of them. Give them a basic room that they can live with at 5 or 15.
My kids say this every Sunday. A room with solid basics and a few themed accents would be better. My 12 y.o. son has had a map room, a baseball room, and an Americana room – all using his basic wooden bunk beds and demin comforter. Now, he doesn’t have a theme, but he’s still got the beds and the comforter.
I always thought the same thing about the themed rooms for children. Having experienced my teen aged grand daughters changing tastes (almost weekly!) I think the themed rooms are a waste. What a child at 2 years old likes isn’t necessarily what he or she will want at 4 or five, and what a fifteen year old likes this week, he/she may not like next week!
Linney, I agree with you 100%
I stopped watching as I thought the show was exploiting the families too much. I was also very upset about the houses they were building. Though happy they are going to be more realistic houses, it won’t get me to watch the show again.
Finally in touch with real people needs. Might start watching it again.
I think the same thing, how are these people gonna pay their electric bills or taxes with these huge houses? I also think that the kids rooms are designed for them as kids but the rooms don’t seem designed for them to grow into. A 7 year old might like a room with a pirate ship. But as a teenager, not so much. All the fantastical designs don’t seem removable. I can’t imagine how one would get a pirate ship out of a room without destroying it. I used to love this show and I do love the ending with all the beautiful designs. But I do not like the focus on the celebrity coming in and helping out. I actually like the focus to be on the designers themselves. I love Ty, Ed, Michael, and Paulie. And what happened to Preston? And who needs a fan coming on as a helper like they had last week? I am watching less and less of the show every Sunday and turning more and more to the Amazing Race.
I remember the one designers who wore flip-flops when they were building the homes. I was worried that he’s get a cut on one of his toes with the nails. He’s no longer on the show. One or two people from the first few seasons left–they didn’t expect the huge response the show got and they couldn’t handled the meteoric success.
I think that the mansion sized homes were a bit too much at times. But remember, it costs money to pay the mortgage and some of those families were cash strapped and had to foreclose. I’ve noticed that the show has dropped a bit in the ratings–it’s been ranked in the 20s most weeks after once being in the top 10 or top 20 the first 4 years. But aren’t they getting tired right now? The building a big home in 7 days doesn’t seem as appealing as it once was. Most of those big homes take 6 months to a year to build, and the public can understand that massive project like this take time.