Perhaps it was fate. Around 8 AM on Wednesday, as I was driving down Bardstown Road in Louisville, I saw cops at the intersection with Beuchel Bank Road. Accidentally, I thought. I got about halfway down when my phone rang. I had to turn around because my daughter had to go to school. I was rejected again, this same time getting caught “accidentally”.
That same day my wife sent me a link to the website: eliteextremedream.com. I suddenly realized that what I had caught myself in was not an accident, but the first part of the casting of an episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition. I either during the day or shortly after the family driving was first greeted by Ty Pennington and sang. Being a big fan of the show, my wife decided to take advantage of the volunteer opportunity. We got a good connection with the first site because at the end of the day, once the word spread around Louisville, there were no more open slots. My wife and I want to offer for Saturday.
Saturday arrived and my wife and I used GPS to find the entry point to the voluntary parking lot, which was then. General Electric, not far from home. We parked the car and walked into the Volunteer area. There were just vans, pickups, and large trucks with logos from family businesses all over Louisville in the parking lot and in the staging area where the volunteer tent was. There were also dozens of people circling in the famous Extreme Makeover blue shirts. We went to the volunteer tent and named one of our women. Couldn’t find us on the list. It seems that heavy requests on the website have partially cracked the volunteer list. However, let’s continue with it, reporting our liability with waivers that are slightly shorter than in the 2007 tax code. I made a beeline to read that he realized I wasn’t a lawyer, and signed anyway. I think I ordered a kidney donation sometime in 2009.
We were told to sit in the tent and wait. The tent was full of donated food, including donuts, water and coffee. We sat and waited. And he waited. It was evident that the priority was to be given to volunteers in the actual construction of the character. When I was discovered, I deduced this by seeing that every one passed to the place, had hammers, iron belts, and various scraps scraped from their belts. And tattoos. Lots of tattoos. On the other hand, our tent was full of people who seemed more apt to offer for a food drive, many soft ones. looking at people (myself included) who couldn’t act like a stick if there was a passenger in the car. My favorite was the woman who patiently walked around the volunteer area in uncomfortable shoes and enough makeup to envy Mary Kay.
One group of lucky volunteers from our tent was called to go to the place. We were excited because we knew we were close. What are we going to do? Shall we hit the nail on the head with Ty? Should we be called to have one of the designers paint something cool? We waited. And he waited. And he waited.
Then we got the call. A guy in a black Extreme Makeover hat and a logo builder, Elite Homes, asked us where we were. He led us back to the volunteer tent, where a woman of our sizes was expertly cast (unfortunately). We don’t have a hard hat. Maybe that’s where we want it to be. He told us “one of the cushiest deals of the day.” And he walked us past the volunteer tent back to the parking lot. He pointed to two chairs joined together near the volunteer tent. Our job would be to make sure that the only people who were in the area pulled cars and trucks into the staging area. We were sad, knowing that they wouldn’t help us with the house, but we were excited that we would at least put on a shirt and look forward to the action.
My wife and I felt quite helpless as we left each car in turns. Some were easy. There were those who wanted to volunteer or volunteer. We directed them to the GE parking lot. Others are not so simple. Big trucks could meet there, or they could be volunteers. Cars full of people wasn’t good… unless they were wearing checkered shirts. We were a few angry people who worked out what we could and couldn’t get into. At last we came upon the vicissitudes. Most of our days were spent keeping rubberneckers off the stage and directing people to the volunteer booth. I also got to talk to one very amazing man who spoke very good English and was trying to visit a friend who actually lived on the road that was closed for the production of the show. I had to use the feature on my cell phone to try and talk to him where he needed to be. and advised him to prepare to explain why he was there. I’m not sure he still knew what was going on around him.
It was fascinating to see this multi-million dollar orchestrated ballet. While we were there, we came to see trucks full of gravel, bricks, and lead tools being assembled and taken out one by one. We will also see a return to gravel. Because the signals were crossed in sight, the trucks were dispatched before they were needed. We got to a bit of a dispute between the security guy and the election guy who had recruited us. This resulted in our elite guy disappearing. We were worried and asked the security guy what was going on. He seemed surprised at what we were doing, and told us that he did not know that we were staying away from the scene. He assumed we were waiting for someone to receive us.
We spoke with him a little while ago, and the most important thing was actually the show, not the security of the place. He went with them to do security and served in only seven shows. He said he wanted to pick out those who were the only ones going to the site, because the people who volunteered in the groups tended to watch the show rather than help. He brought us orange hard hats and those little sticks of fire that you use in direct traffic.
As people from across the country volunteered, we came to hear bits and pieces. An employee of Danhauer Plumbing told us that the Hughes family’s basement was a mess, with a major water problem that Patrick John Hughes demanded that his wife clean it every time wash clothes Another working stork walked towards us with a distant look on his face. When we told him what we were doing and what we wanted we could go to the place, he said “do you want to trade with me?” It seems that he had worked for hours and was exhausted. We asked him about the volunteers, and he told us that a lot of unskilled volunteers were encountered, not realizing that some danger was presented by the heavy equipment around them.
We also went to briefly meet four people in business suit who showed up from White Castle to make food for the volunteers. The smell of the joint haunts us there and on our visits to the construction site.
We finally finished our shift and went home to pick up our daughter. Our plan was to return home with her later that night.
After tonight I hopped on the bus at the old Showcase Cinemas on Bardstown Road. It was a bittersweet moment as my wife and I stood on the bus site on the first day. It was a surprise to see the parking lot full of cars, like Friday night and the latest Star Wars the movie was playing. The bus arrived and we went to the place (but not without a few “bus driver…. move that bus!” “jokes). Let’s get out of the car in front of the neighboring garden, which was used as a spectator area.
The house was, in a word, amazing. After a few days this house was fitted up and mostly tiled. The bricks we had seen the day before were almost in place on most of the houses. The entire lot of the Hughes house was a test of blue t-shirts, as professionals and volunteers alike built, cleaned, and attended the house. Sassi and Joe Pusateri, the builders who oversaw the construction of the house, were always seen giving pep talks and time to talk to the crowd about how to take construction forward.
When the day “welcomed home” the Hughes family, I decided to act my first place. Armed with a sandwich, a hat, and a handmaid’s poster that said Louisville — Always Bis Community, I came to me. homesite and stood about 5 rows back from the fence. A large crowd was already there. We were a long way from the house, standing on the trees that were scattered in front of the muddy house. It was quite a bit of standing in the syrte, moving very slowly, and my new shoes (for the comfort of keeping them above the mundane) were getting a bit worn out. As the crowd grew, the security forces decided to move closer to home. Then there was a near commotion, when the men, who pressed on the side of the house through the fenced place, saw those who were much later moving in front of them. The movement of the fortifications allowed us to stand in front of the house, much closer than I had seen any of the crowds approach the house in previous episodes. My wife (who joined me after an hour or two) was also standing on the fresh grass, which was no improvement, as it seemed lighter than the mud behind us.
The reveal wasn’t scheduled until 2 PM, so there were plenty of hours to fill. Thankfully, the producers were more than willing to keep us busy. It might surprise viewers of the show to find that much of what you see is a funny take on the familiar shots you see every week. For example, the crane head shots of the crowd and the crowd singing “MOVE THE BUS” were all shot hours before the family arrived. The show took the crowd’s various rapacious throats as the cranes cheered and sang. Because the show only gets one chance to get a critical shot, the family’s reaction, it can’t have dozens of camera people running around trying to get a reaction shot of the crowd while the family waits to see the house.
When we made our shouts and chants, the man with the bull who commanded us told us to save our energy. . it was right Singing “move the bus” for 20 or 30 minutes can use the guy outside. Ty Peunington came out on a song and did a little bit about his friend. The crowd made an experiment of pulling the limo into the driveway and having Ty open. This shot was both a practice run and would provide them with coverage if necessary for the arrival of the family. Ty didn’t play to much of the crowd, and he seemed more interested in them than others from a distance. He looked very tired, maybe a side effect but of flying around the country to move two or three episodes to . At the same time.
Before the family arrived, we went to see the whole cast. Louisville got the most popular male members. Eduardo Xol, Paul DiMeo, Michael Moloney, and Ed Sanders were all there, as well as newcomer Didiayer Snyder. With the exception of Didiayer and Michael, who were both lively and energetic, they all looked a little tired and maybe even a little sad.
Unfortunately, there was a rain storm and some work was delayed in the house, revealing another two hours. As the crowd pushed on, the world became more narrow. I realized that I was treading on the same 2 x 2 piece of land, and moving to keep from cramping was becoming like a game of turtle. He also noticed that I had moved 10 or 12 feet from the original well without him ever noticing. People who had not been close to us started to find a “friend” game to play; and let them cut before us, because my wife and I and others came out in some angry cries.
Finally, it was a time of revelation for us. The car was moved into place, and the family limo was pulled out. The Hughes family got out of the limo, Patrick’s father lifted him into his chair, and Ty began talking to the family. He was seen explaining how the work would be revealed. Again, he made a show of showing off a bit. If you’ve watched the show, you’ll know that they show the family saying “TO THE BUS” and then cut to a shot from the other side of the bus when it pulls out to reveal the family. The show actually shoots the “MOVING BUS” from the front and then moves its cameras to the other side of the bus to move after the family says “MOVING THE BUS” for the last (and real) time. It was an incredible revelation. As the crowd gathered around the bus, the level of excitement was through the roof. A member of the crowd jumped out to signal the driver, the family yelled for a handshake, and the bus pulled away to show the family their first look at their new home to the sound of the crowd behind them. When the builders came out, and Patrick presented a model of the house with a scale, to “see” with his own hands, I began to tear it apart. The family talked to the builders and Ty for a long time and worked hard while the show was being prepared for them to see inside. Here again, the illusion of TV gave way to the fact that they show a good work of family footage, while they stayed long enough, while the show shot in the driveway and walking in front of them. Finally they were given the go ahead to go inside and the crowd made their way to our cars to get back on the bus.
In the end, I think everyone left a little sad. Thousands of man hours and dollars, and a ton of community goodwill led to a huge community event. finished with a wimper and the family disappeared into their new home. We’ll get one more look at the event as it’s revived on February 17, 2007 when ABC airs a two-hour Extreme Makeover special. Watch out for me. I will be in a blue shirt.
