Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Blog: August 18, 2008

Door Knock Day

Hill FamilyHello, C&S community. I just got back from the Extreme Makeover home site in Geneva, NY, where the mantra of the day for workers, spectators, and media seemed to be hurry up and wait! For Tim and Michelle Hill and their family, however, the wait was finally over at about 9 am this morning, when the knock on the door came. The Syracuse and Rochester media web sites have all the details about the family and the location selection. A few of us got a chance to briefly meet the Hill family, and I can tell you they were genuinely surprised, a bit overwhelmed, and certainly overcome with emotion.

The atmosphere is a cross between a rock concert for some of the adults – especially the female ones, waving and shouting to Ty Pennington and getting their pictures taken with the other celebrity designers – and a still-life parade with wide-eyed young children lining the curb directly across the street from the house. I was looking for the balloon vendors.

There is no doubt this is a television production with staging of scenes and multiple takes that, when edited for broadcast, will appear seamless. The production crew members are great, though – very friendly and courteous even as they are basically telling people to get the heck out of their shots. Not sure they will be as kind as the week goes on. The build team, even less so!

This evening, some of the preliminary stuff will be done – taking out the old aboveground pool and deck, fencing, and other yard fixtures. Several C&S volunteers will be on hand to assist.
Tomorrow, the backyard barn will be demolished; in its place will go a new gymnasium for Tim Hill to continue his passion of helping needy youth find refuge in the sport of boxing. In fact, the boxing theme will be carried through with a special activity taking place near the site on Tuesday. Tell you more about that next time.