'Extreme Makeover' house faces foreclosure

[lookout123]

I'm not a fan, but Lil Lookout loves to watch that show. He fell for it the first time he saw them do a Star Wars bedroom for a kid. I guess I don't really see a problem here.

I can understand your dislike of the show if you are looking at it like a waste of charitable money. Habitat for Humanity is much better. They have to work for what they get. They get good quality, comfortable housing with help from the community around them. Yay!

The show isn't a charity. I'm willing to bet that every company and individual involved with the show has a separate charitable donations budget that has absolutely nothing to do with the show. The houses may not be top quality under the paint and they may be extravagant on the surgace but think about it. The network wants a show that people will watch. That is how they get advertisers to pay them. The advertisers require a show with a steady following, that is how they get customers. The customers want to see new, cool things they can ooh and ah over and as an extra bonus they can see a story that tugs at the heart strings.

This week it was a family with a ten year old daughter that will literally die if she is in conditions about 62 degrees. For ten years they've made it but the medical bills just keep piling up. They were at a point where they were going to lose their house because of the bills. I don't know them or anything else about them. Simply that here is a family with a need for a home with special conditions. The show steps in and builds them a 4200 ft home. Simple but nice upstairs, downstairs a home school set up, movie area, an ice cream bar, and a one lane bowling alley. Over the top? Yep. But the family can't take the girl out of the house for recreational purposes, so kind of neat ideas.

What was accomplished? A family with special needs had a life changing experience. (hopefully they will choose wisely in the future, but that's their decision) Several companies got good advertising bang for the buck. Sears, the home builder, the TV company, and so on spend money they would have spent anyway, but they get to help someone along the way. The people at home got to watch a show that made them grateful for their healthy family. They got to see some really cool ideas for things to do in their homes if they have the money. They got to watch a show with their families without worry over content.

Who lost? No one. I find Ty and some of the other characters pretty annoying, but if they are annoying me too badly I can shut it off or just focus on whatever I'm doing with the kids. I guess see it as a win/win/win for the companies, the family, and the audience.