I have to admit that I sometimes get sucked into watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I have even shed a tear or two listening to the heartbreaking stories of some of the families. But the show has never really sat well with me. First of all, a lot of the family stories of heartbreak have nothing to do with their home and I end up feeling like suddenly we should all be able to find happiness if only our home were bigger and full of shinier prettier things. It also drives me crazy when I hear the heartbreaking stories and somehow in my mind, it makes something like how big a kitchen is or how over-the-top a kids’ room is seem totally unimportant. Then I get annoyed seeing families who have been through such things that still think those things are important. And THEN I get really annoyed when I see families that are on there because they have like zero money and can’t move and can’t sell and can’t whatever but now they have this huge house and the mortgage is sometimes paid off on the show but they never say who’s picking up the huge tax and insurance bills and who is going to pay to heat the monstrosity in the winter and air condition it in the summer and clean it all the time. It just elis me. So much sad in the world, so much pain, so much loss, and then voila! A new huge home will cure all your sorrow. I’m not as much of an optimist as I thought.
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Nope, sounds like you’re a Realist to me.
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I totally agree! I loved that show when it first came on, but now I really can’t watch it. I love that they are helping people, but on the other hand, it’s so true what you say about the other costs that they don’t cover or help with. And so true that material things can’t buy you happiness…if your house is falling apart, true it does help to have a new one, but do you really need a 5000 square foot home to make your life better??? I really do wish they would do more visiting of past people just to show how they are doing now with this big house and I be they don’t because of the reality of taking care of a crazy big house.
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There is a house they did near me and it made me sad when I drove past it. It’s in this really poor run down neighborhood and to get to it, I drove past all these literally little 400 sf shacks and then this huge house at the end of the street. They could’ve given an entire neighborhood of people who need help modest homes and instead it’s better for ratings to provide one huge shiny house.
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That same thing happened in the city I live in Emily.
I think in the beginning it used to be about people who needed a better/bigger house. People whose houses weren’t wheelchair accessible, or a bunch of people who lived in one small house. But now it’s not so much.
And how the heck can they really build a quality home in a week? My house was built over the course of a few months and it’s far from quality, so I can only imagine.
I don’t like the show because I think it focuses too much on silly banter between the designers and on the story on the family and not enough on what they are actually doing in the house. If it was all about how they remodeled the house, I’d probably be into it more
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Trust me, it isn’t really done in a week. There is quite a lot of planning that goes into the entire process. My cousin has worked for the show on one home and it is nothing like you see.
I agree with your reasons for not liking the show, though. I used to like it, but I haven’t watched it for about 3 or 4 years. It’s always the same:
Designers on a bus.
Ty shows them a story about some sad situation.
Meet with the family to find out what they like.
Flurry of activity while family is on some exotic vacation.
Show the new, absolutely over the top home to the family.
Tears and thanks you’s.
I’ve always wondered what would happen if the family put the house up for sale within a few days.
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I’ve also wondered about the upkeep of these huge new houses. The part that annoys me is all the drama and overstating of what a difference they are making in people’s lives by the designers. I do think some of the shows they’ve done really did help people, but then some are just dumb.
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On the one hand, I really like the idea of helping a family have a happy place to live. That’s why I’m a fan of things like Habitat for Humanity.
Unfortunately, some of the stuff I’ve seen on this show (though I don’t watch it much) is the idea that buying things will solve problems. But thanks to “hedonic adaptation” we just get used to the great new stuff and it’s not as exciting.
Plus practical stuff…
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This was one of the shows my family could actually watch. However, I soon realized that it only fostered discontent in my son. He kept saying, “Do you think they can come here?” No, and we aren’t watching that show anymore.
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I completely agree. A big fancy house won’t cure your cancer or bring you any miracles. Sadly, this is America and it is how we think as a nation-McMansion=Happiness
Ugh.
The show used to suck me in and I would tear up(although it doesn’t take much to make that happen) and I loved that little Ty Pennington.
Then, my Hubby’s company got to work on one of the houses near us. I asked if I could volunteer, they said yes. Thrilled I went down there and man, did that ruin it for me.
It’s not at all a surprise-these people know about it months in advance-those designers do NOTHING. They sit in trailers like true Hollywood stars and the director will yell action and they all grab a tool and act like they are working.
It’s mostly scripted and ABC actually thinks of “issues” that people need to have to be on the show. They sent out a memo to my Hubby’s company asking if we could share any families that had one of the “issues” listed in the memo.
They literally go fishing for people who have problems all to make a buck. YUCK!
I am unofficially boycotting that show
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Complete agreement about this show. I get so irritated with my wife who is taken with it. I tell her that it’s all about ratings, “look at us we’re helping people” and how great we are. If they really cared about families in need, they wouldn’t spend the finances of airing it on national tv and turn that money back into simple homes that so many desperate people need. I have worked with Habitat for Humanity in the past for quite a number of houses. They aren’t completely over the top like this show does over and over. They meet the needs of the tentants and that’s what matters. This show is a joke and needs yanked. Like I said, if they really cared, this show wouldn’t even exist.
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