Extreme Makeover Home Edition. WHY?!

[SillyMe]

I don't get it either.

 

[jen0610]

I watched last night from the beginning. He has 2 kids from previous marriage and they lived in a 3 bedroom house that was falling down around them. She has 3 kids from previous marriage and they live in a cramped apartment. Also, not long after she got her divorce and the kids were still trying to adjust to the divorce, her ex suddenly passed away. The parents met at a hockey game and wanted to get married but they didn't have the means to get a house where the entire family would fit.

When they were showing Ty the house, he asked why they didn't sell the house. The reply was, that in order to sell the house, they would have to put so much money into the repair work it needed - and it needed A WHOLE LOT to even get up to code for selling it - they wouldn't have gotten any equity out of the house, just would have dug them into a financial hole.

I don't watch often enough to know what guidlines ABC has in place for choosing their families.

 

[ZachnElli]

This family reminded me more of the families they picked the first year. The first year they had families similar to this. She had an apartment, he had a small 2 bedroom house with foundation problems and they said the house was "sliding". No way would anyone buy that house. I thought it was strange they were picked and they got such an extravagent house and trip, but it was up to ABC. Also, I live less than 100 miles from them and have been to Lincoln several times (sil lives there). They don't have to worry about stuff being left outside. I don't worry about stuff being left outside either.

 

[GoofyBaseballMom26]

I too wondered why this particular family was picked but they did seem really, really appreciative and appeared to be nice people.

I noticed too how nice the new house is compared to what the others surrounding it looked like. Definately tops in that neighborhood!

Do they ever follow up on the families? I wonder how well the new houses are kept up and how the families are doing. I think this is a really nice thing to do for people and it always makes me thankful for what I have (and my house is not fancy by any means) and for my health!

 

[lecach]

I didn't watch this episode. But I too would like to see a followup. I bet it wouldn't be pretty - so I doubt we'll ever get a followup. I think a lot of the families end up selling the houses.

 

[lillygator]

I'm surprised ABC srpung for the rings and wedding.....

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

even with the explanation about the house needing work....I don't get it either.

When people have dire circumstances as with most on this show, they should not be afraid or ashamed to ask for a hand up - but in this case, I would be embarassed to have so much handed to me....given the ages of the kids ,it seems really unneccesary. These people should be perfectly able to help themselves - and the kids are going to be moving on soon .

I was only able to catch the last part of the show this week - but it just didn't make sense to me...still doesn't...

 

[dreamcometrue]

I haven't watched this one yet (it's on my DVR still), but I think it's refreshing to see them give a "normal" family a home makover for once! Don't get me wrong...I think each and every one of the ones they have done so far has deserved a new home, and I do feel horrible for all the sick, disabled, death in the family, however, I am kind of getting sick of the same heart wrenching story lines! There was basically no reason for anyone to apply, unless you had a sob story to tell!

I hope I don't sound cold and heartless, because I really am not!

 

[ChristmasElf]

Let's not leave out the part in the end where Hartland Homes the builder of the house PAID OFF THE MORTGAGE for them.

Must be nice

 

[mickeyboat]

I was wondering the same thing when I saw the intro (I did not watch the entire show). I think a couple of posters hit the nail on the head, though.

When the show started, it seemed like it was open to be a wonderful, extravagant surprise available for almost anyone. Over time it turned into a cryfest when every family had a sick, dying or dead member, or a catastrophy had happened to their home.

I think the show is changing its focus back to more normal, every-day families who have a legitimate need. You no longer have to have had a serious tragedy befall your family in order to qualify.

Denae

 

[minnieandme]

I'm surprised ABC srpung for the rings and wedding.....

I'm willing to bet that EHM told them they HAD to be married before they returned from their vacation in order for them to do a house for them. I just can't see them building a house for a couple to live together in. Probably makes sense morally too. I'm also surprised they sent them to Paris. Ever since I started watching this show 2 years ago, they never sent anyone outside of the country. It's usually DL, DW or a resort someplace else.

I wonder how the arrangements are made for those who get a home makeover. I know they tell them ahead of time that they won and what day ABC is coming so they can be home, dressed, bags packed and don't forget to look surprised. Everyone in the family had to have passports and that's something you don't get overnight.

What we don't know is the family's financial situation. It must be pretty bad because they paid off the mortgage for them. That's not something they usually do.

 

[snowy76]

Yeah, that episode made me do a double-take too.

I don't know if anyone here saw the very first episode of EM -- it had to have been 3 years ago -- but it was a very average house -- I remember it looked like a Brady Bunch house and it needed updating but it wasn't dangerous or anything. And the family wasn't in dire need. The house seemed to be picked because it was outdated -- they remodeled it, didn't tear it down or anything. I think the producers revamped the concept a bit after that, and suddenly if you didn't have very serious financial or medical issues, you weren't on.

I wonder if ABC has gotten complaints that more "average" families weren't being considered?

 

[dennis99ss]

I turned it off. What a waste.

I know there are deserving people. Heck, I need my mortgage paid off as qwell. But, this family seemed to not "need" the makeover. Sure, they couldn't get married and live together. Huh? There are a lot of people who have difficulty living together, having a big house, etc. If these people were so in love, they could have tried to find a way to make it work. And, I guess they had enough money to go to the hockey game.

I'm sorry, I like the fact that this show helps people who really need it. While some of the reactions gfrom the people I think is deplorable----Jumping around, yelling, hooting, etc. I think they have, in the past, tried to find families who were in a real need, because of circumstances which existed, either because of illness, death, etc. Simply pulling a family off the street and giving them a big house is not what I think the draw of the show is.

Someone said something about a reunion show. There was the one black family that had merged together, 8-9 kids, and the two families that merged, split. I think it was one of the shows where the kids from another part of the family was living with the parents and their kids. I know a lawsuit followed, but I don't know the outcome. I also understand that at least one family came back to a number of the makeovers, and helped out on those builds.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I turned it off. What a waste.

I know there are deserving people. Heck, I need my mortgage paid off as qwell. But, this family seemed to not "need" the makeover. Sure, they couldn't get married and live together. Huh? There are a lot of people who have difficulty living together, having a big house, etc. If these people were so in love, they could have tried to find a way to make it work. And, I guess they had enough money to go to the hockey game.

I'm sorry, I like the fact that this show helps people who really need it. While some of the reactions gfrom the people I think is deplorable----Jumping around, yelling, hooting, etc. I think they have, in the past, tried to find families who were in a real need, because of circumstances which existed, either because of illness, death, etc. Simply pulling a family off the street and giving them a big house is not what I think the draw of the show is.

Someone said something about a reunion show. There was the one black family that had merged together, 8-9 kids, and the two families that merged, split. I think it was one of the shows where the kids from another part of the family was living with the parents and their kids. I know a lawsuit followed, but I don't know the outcome. I also understand that at least one family came back to a number of the makeovers, and helped out on those builds.

I agree.

I think there is a difference between need and making your life easier. There is a difference between offering a hand up to those who can not see a way out and helping those who can help themselves. I wish the show would continue to focus on those who truly are in need. There are so many in need, I hate to see the resources go to someone not in those circumstances or who can help themselves. Would it be terrible if they helped out more peopl like last night - no - but it would take away from it.

I have loved the show up to this point and have no problem with it being about "tear jerkers" or whatever the comments were before. I really don't see the point of it being made available to regular people or whatever. I have always viewed this as a wonderful, heart warming show that our family purposely sites down to view together. It changes it when the people aren't truly in need.

Just talking numbers - wasn't the show doing well as it was - why the need to change to open it up to "normal' people or whatever?

 

[dennis99ss]

ditto. you took the words right out of my mouth

 

[mickeyfan2]

Did anybody notice that the room with the race cars was not working 28 days after moving in and now the guy in that room was going away to college.

I have stopped watching this show since most of the homes make me go what? How will they heat/cool/clean/pay the taxes etc on the new excessive homes.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

well......not everyone has to be dying to get a home makeover, do they??

i'm not being mean or anything, i rarely watch the show, but it does get kind of annoying when you see other people getting these things done because there's something wrong. there's a lot of people out there who are in "ok" health but still need a new home, you know?

For the most part it is b/c someone passed, someone got injured, or someone was born with a condition or whatever.

I didn't see the show last night--but did see the tivo description and it left me wondering WTH as well.

There are other shows that do makeovers--EHM has always done it more for "charitable" reasons.

 

[Felicia]

I'm with you all. I didn't feel that the family deserved it either. Of course we don't get the whole story, but just from my honest feeling, I don't feel for a second that they should have been 'given' this home.

Here is man living with his children in an old home...three years ago he meets this woman with kids living in an apartment. They date, talk about marriage, but "Where will we live with all of our children? Wait I know, let's write to ABC's Home Makeover Show! ha ha ha". Well low and behold they get accepted and then sit back and enjoy the ride. Not deserving for me.

 

[Lanshark]

I turned it off also. I didn't understand them picking this couple either.

 

[disneynutt1225]

I have stopped watching this show since most of the homes make me go what? How will they heat/cool/clean/pay the taxes etc on the new excessive homes.

I used to watch the show, until I really started thinking about all the costs that a large home would entail. How do these people who can barely make ends meet intend on making the tax payment, electricity payments, landscaping, cleaning the pools they almost all seem to get, etc? I don't get it! I thought ABC was doing a nice thing for deserving people, but aside from building them a phenomenal house, maybe giving them a college fund, and in some cases paying off the mortgage, I feel like they're setting these people up to fail.