Throwback Post: Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

 
Back in the early 2000's there was a hugeee uptick in reality tv, and one that pulled on my young heart strings was Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which was a spin off of the original series Extreme Makeover that gave everyday people superstar like makeovers. Home Edition, however, featured families going through some sort of hardship and a community who wanted to see them smile. Every episode was tear jerker after tear jerker you hear me!

Ty Pennington and team would take time to speak with members of the family and community to see how to incorporate their interests into the home for personal touches and just do something beautiful for this chosen family...or so I thought.

Thanks to syndication, Extreme Makeover Home Edition still airs its reruns almost 20 years later on Discovery Family and I just happened to catch the episode where they help the Marrero family. This New Jersey family consisted of a single father on disability and his five sons all living in a home literally falling apart. I sobbed so much during this episode and because I'm me, I Googled them to see how their lives had changed since being on the show.

Unfortunately for me, it was not the news I was hoping for. I saw a lot of articles written about the extremely high bills that came along with the new home. While young me had no idea about property taxes, increasing utility bills and other adulty things, adult me was shocked something like this was happening to this family who could barely pay their already reduced rent. Due to these bills and prior debts that needed to be paid, the Marrero family had to relocate elsewhere. 

I didn't do much research beyond finding that out, but Urban Promise (the nonprofit organization that donated the property to the family) needs to answer for not allowing the family to sell the home. Maybe it's my ignorance to how donations and nonprofits work, but was it a donation or not?? You can't dictate what someone chooses to do with a gift. Chile, anyway...you can see a clip of this episode here if you want to feel the love for the Marrero family.

Even though I'm so happy that I saw this episode and got in my curious bag, I refuse to believe a home can't be up to date and livable without being a financial burden. So, I hope the reboot with Jesse Tyler Ferguson does a better job with setting these families up by making modern homes in their financial range or set them up financially for a while.

Well, that's all for now. Byeee!