Extreme Makeover:  Home Edition on ABC

By Ally Matteodo

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition aired on May 4 at 8:00 on ABC.  This reality program consists of a group of designers who travel across the 50 states.   These designers work to completely renovate a deserving family’s home in each state.  Each episode is self-contained as the crew works against the clock to complete the renovations.  This process would normally be lengthy, consisting of several months, yet the crew manages through willpower, dozens of local volunteers and energy to get the job done in less then two weeks.  The families are chosen by writing in with their stories, and the ones that are deemed the most in need are chosen for the extreme makeover. 

In the episode that most recently aired the crew travels to Warwick, Rhode Island.  The team arrives at the house of Ken and Doreen Silva.  This altruistic and caring couple tends to their own children as well as 3 foster children.  In the past Ken raced cars, yet gave this all up so that he and Doreen would have the opportunity to care for children in need.  Just before writing to Extreme Makeover the family received a letter from the Department of Health -- one of their children suffers from lead poisoning caused by the lead in the house paint.  Several rooms in the house as well as the back yard were contaminated, and the Silvas were informed they would be unable to foster additional children until they took care of their lead problem.  Removing lead is an extremely costly engagement, and the Silva’s simply did not have that kind of money.  Thankfully the Home Edition team arrived to save the day with the requisite funds and manpower.

The team sends the Silva family to Disneyworld so they can begin working.  Since all the lead must be removed, the designers strip the house down to its very foundation and begin to build again.  They go to great lengths to make everything perfect, down to the smallest detail.  The lead is removed from the backyard and the team builds an amazing fort for the kids, as well as a patio for the family to enjoy during the summer.  In the kitchen they upgrade the appliances.  The designers create a theme for each of the children’s rooms.  For the youngest boy, the designer creates a “Wiggles” theme (The Wiggles are popular children’s entertainers).  Two of the older boys get a sports themed room with the floor taken from the old Boston Garden.  For one of the boys who is a huge fan of racing, the designer travels to Hollywood to look at the design of the car from Speed Racer.  The designer then uses this model to create a bed that looks like the car, in addition to filling the room with Speed Racer memorabilia.  Another one of the boys loves magic, so his room is redone with this theme in mind.  Finally for the loving parents Ken and Doreen the designers create a beautiful new master bedroom with frames of all their children, biological and foster, hanging over the bed.  Furthermore, CVS offers to pay off the family’s mortgage, so that the Silva’s will have far fewer worries and will be able to focus their energy on the children.

This show lifts up a family from the depths of despair.  In a cruel twist of irony a family that only wanted to help children in need discovers their house has been harming them.  It is apparent the two are devastated by this news, and heartbroken at the thought of not being able to assist and raise more children.  The designers from Extreme Makeover turn an obstacle that is seemingly impossible to overcome into something beautiful.  From the moment they arrive, the Silva family is able to put aside their worries and relax, and you can almost feel the weight lifted from their shoulders.  Besides all this, the team genuinely enjoys helping them, and volunteers from the community turn out in droves to aid the family in building a new house.  A healthy home is extremely important in raising a family, and freeing the Silva’s from their leaden burden is a magical thing.  This home can now truly be where the heart is. 

Best TV Show of the Week

The Parents Television Council - www.parentstv.org