I admit it, I am a fan of some reality TV shows. Specifically, Survivor and The Amazing Race. However, several times over the past few months I stumbled upon a show that consistently impresses me. The name of the show is Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
While it shares a name with one of the most abysmal relity shows ever (Extreme Makeover follws the stories of people as they undergo cosmetic surgery), Home Edition is all together different.
The premise of the show is simple, find people in need of a new house, and build it for them. The destruction of the old house, and constructiuon of the new (I have yet to see an episode where they kept the old house) typically take place over a week.
Some of the people that have receieved a new house have been a family who lost the house to a fire, and were living in a mobile home on the property, a family whose house was condemned for mold, and several families who had children with special medical needs.
There is no need to watch the whole show. All you need to do is see the last 15 minutes or so. That is when they do the 'reveal', and show the family their new home. The looks of joy and appreciation on the faces of the family never fail to touch me. I have yet to watch a 'reveal' where I didn't get teary-eyed, and most of the time, I'll flat out cry. Not only does thefamily get a new house, but most of the time, any remaining balance on the original mortgage is paid for by one of the companies invovled in the construction.
I admit, there is a lot of corporate 'chest thumping' in the show (especially from Sears, one of the shows biggest sponsors), but people actually benefit from it, so it becomes easier to swallow. In last night's episode, the father of the family was offered a job with the construction company that built the house.
This show is a great example of how TV can change people's lives for the better.
1 comment
So many things many of us take for granted.