Each episode captured the moment of the home reveal, when everyone in the family, their friends and neighbors, cried happy tears. So did the audience. But was it all too good to be true? Is Extreme Makeover: Home Edition fake? In one sense, the answer is no — they really do build those houses.
But behind the scenes of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition , the situation is not always as joyous and exciting as it appears onscreen. None of the families' financial problems vanished when they entered their freshly constructed palatial estates.
The new houses came with pools and gourmet kitchens, but also with very high real estate taxes and astronomical utility bills. Over the years, a number of the "lucky" families have been forced to sell their homes, and some have even gone into foreclosure.
None of those outcomes are what any of the families ever expected. But when presented with such an offer, who would turn it down? Fans might think Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is one of the best reality TV shows ever , but the truth is much darker than you might expect. That's how Extreme Home Makeover is faked: by taking advantage of the dreams of desperate families. The couple had welcomed in the five orphaned Higgins teens, and the gift of a house seemed like the perfect recipe for the ultimate feel-good piece of television.
In addition to the new digs, the family was gifted with a variety of electronic devices, six new cars, and a two-year supply of groceries. Within weeks of the emotional airing of the episode, however, something went very wrong. The Higgins siblings moved from the house and hired a lawyer. They sued the Leomitis, ABC, and others for damages including fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Specifically, the Higginses claimed that the Leomiti family "orchestrated [a] campaign to degrade and insult" them, particularly with regard to their race.
The Leomitis denied the charges, claiming that the Higgins siblings did not follow household rules. ABC was accused of not delivering what the Higginses believed was promised to them: a home and security. After years of legal wrangling, the case was dismissed in Jim and Carmen Simpson, along with their three children, were living in a broken-down home in Savannah, GA, in November of One of their children had special needs and severe breathing difficulties, and the family's living conditions were causing the child to suffer unnecessarily.
When they appealed to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition , they were thrilled with the result: a beautiful, airy Victorian style home with a therapy room and pool. An excellent designer and a fan-favorite, Paul DiMeo took a small break after the ABC edition of the show came to an end. Unfortunately, the series was short-lived as it ended after just two seasons. Since then, he has been living a quiet but happy life in Los Angeles. It also seems like Paul has continued to work as a general contractor, as he often shares pictures of his incredible work on social media.
He seems to be in a healthy and happy marriage with Kelly DiMeo, who takes quite an interest in his work. She is often seen working alongside Paul in his projects. A post shared by Michael Moloney michaelmoloneyofficial. Much like several of his former castmates, he chose to put his skills to use for the greater good.
He is apparently passionate about traveling and is evidently close to his family, especially his mother. Tracy Hutson joined the unscripted show as a style consultant. However, Tracy has since put her TV appearances on hold and has kept her personal life under wraps. She also has a limited presence on social media.
Tracy has two sons, Oliver and Felix, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Barry Watson. She has reportedly continued to work as an interior design consultant and is an active philanthropist. But behind the scenes of the happily-ever-after story line of the reality TV show, Oatman's mercurial temperament and past problems soon resurfaced.
Four years ago this month, hundreds of local volunteers labored continuously for four days to build the dream house crowded into a cul-de-sac on Fairway Lane. The cameras rolled to help star Ty Pennington shout the show's trademark phrase: "Move that bus! The bus inched forward for the big "reveal," and tears flowed freely for Oatman and a platoon of workers who toiled tirelessly to provide a dream come true for the single parent of four boys, three of whom are adopted -- including two diagnosed with HIV and who also have special needs.
But the actual outcome, as often happens, diverged from the neat and tidy version presented on reality TV. Anecdotes of a woman with a volatile temper prone to emotional outbursts did not fade away in the luxurious home.
Oatman hit the lottery with the house, but it did not solve underlying problems and carried unanticipated consequences. The "Extreme Makeover" home featured high-end amenities such as an ornate grand staircase, a large custom kitchen with granite countertops, top-of-the-line appliances, designer furnishings, large-screen plasma TVs, a deluxe audio-video system, an in-ground pool and extensive landscaping. Oatman was "crying hysterically" as she recounted what happened after TV's bright lights went dark, the cameras were packed up and the work crews went home.
Oatman lamented that the privacy she had maintained for her sons was shattered by the TV show's notoriety and they were picked on at school and faced other social challenges as a result. The house construction and the show became one of the biggest entertainment events of the Capital Region in Oatman told Stopera that she rued the day that the show had made her "a local celebrity" and everything her family did thereafter "was looked at under a microscope. Although she painted herself as something of a victim, the whole thing was of Oatman's making.
As early as , she began pursuing the show's producers by sending in a home video that begged them to pick her family because of her sons' special needs and their house had drainage problems and had developed mold.
She continued to lobby until the producers contacted her a few months before the construction began and set in motion the family's extreme reversal of fortunes. Kevin Oatman described a volatile household in which physical scuffles and verbal abuse from his mother was not uncommon, he said. The tension was further roiled by his mother's mood swings and things the boys did, such as not picking up dirty clothes or leaving food wrappers around, that earned his mother's "death look" and a flaring of her temper.
Colonie police are familiar with 23 Fairway Lane. Officers filed 18 incident reports between and ranging from marijuana possession to domestic disputes, but she was never convicted.
0コメント