Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

[DanBarton]

Has anyone had experience in working with, or volunteering with, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition?
If so what was your experience? Great, Fair, Poor?

I often watch this show on Sunday evening, as it motivates me for the upcoming week since I know building an entire house in 5 days is no small feat. now of course it is all about the `Team` and they have one heck of a team, not including the hundreds of dedicated volunteers they attract with each new city.

In one episode they did a sneak peek behind the scenes to show their systems and processes, which I found very interesting and that week I stepped up in developing my own systems. I then got thinking about how I could bring this show to help Canadians, and then I realized that if you did a city a week, you would be done Canada within a couple of months

 

[GaryMcGowan]

This show does have some great qualities. It shows how a community can come together and help a family in need. I think it is a fine line they walk; it is self serving on ones ego or is to show how people can help one another? I’ve joked in the past this show is Oprah on steroids!
The question I’ve heard is why with all the resources, money and timely product placement do they only help one family? It has been written in the past that families the show helps are offered help on budgeting and how to manage their money. However more and more families are selling the homes that where built for them to get them out of financial trouble.
Do I think something of this nature could be done in Canada? Absolutely!! I know in the in the past Mr. Mike Holmes has done similar shows. Extreme Makeover is a well oiled machine. I mean really who has the resources to demolish a home and rebuild it in 10 days? It really starts months before that with permits and planning and bringing all the volunteers together. I’ve read the show spends anywhere from $750,000 to $1,250,000 at local businesses. That is a pretty good “cash bail out” in areas that could really use it. It would be no small feat to get the appropriate people on board but it is obviously one that has been done. They question I always ask myself is; why can’t I do it? But; how can I do it?

My .02

 

[SmoothOp]

QUOTE (GaryMcGowan @ Apr 1 2009, 11:22 PM) This show does have some great qualities. It shows how a community can come together and help a family in need. I think it is a fine line they walk; it is self serving on ones ego or is to show how people can help one another? I`ve joked in the past this show is Oprah on steroids!
The question I`ve heard is why with all the resources, money and timely product placement do they only help one family? It has been written in the past that families the show helps are offered help on budgeting and how to manage their money. However more and more families are selling the homes that where built for them to get them out of financial trouble.
Do I think something of this nature could be done in Canada? Absolutely!! I know in the in the past Mr. Mike Holmes has done similar shows. Extreme Makeover is a well oiled machine. I mean really who has the resources to demolish a home and rebuild it in 10 days? It really starts months before that with permits and planning and bringing all the volunteers together. I`ve read the show spends anywhere from $750,000 to $1,250,000 at local businesses. That is a pretty good "cash bail out" in areas that could really use it. It would be no small feat to get the appropriate people on board but it is obviously one that has been done. They question I always ask myself is; why can`t I do it? But; how can I do it?

My .02


I don`t think it can be done in Canada because there is no way broadcasters are going to pay over $1,000,000 for an episode that a few million people here will watch. It`s much cheaper to buy the American version at a fraction of the price. If it`s done in Canada it will look like a handyman job rather than the million dollar oiled machine that it is! And then which would you rather watch?

It was nice that they got Toronto-based GAP adventures to donate the trip to Costa Rica for the family. That`s one way to get some Canadian influence into the show.