As the iconic “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” returns for the ninth season, deserving families in need of a newly rebuilt and decorated home are once again treated to the door knock that changes lives. Throughout the series, children have been an integral part of so many of the episodes, and this season children are the focus. Whether it’s bringing to light the challenges of dwarfism faced by youngsters, the bond between a father and his paralyzed son, or the heroic eight-year-old who saved her younger sister from an oncoming truck — but incurred life-threatening injuries of her own — this season celebrates the power of children to transform their own lives and those of their communities.
And “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” will continue to unite the families selected with their favorite entertainers, athletes, politicians and role models, this season including First Lady Michelle Obama, Glenn Close, Rihanna and Meredith Vieira, among others.
In addition to rebuilding homes, the “EMHE” design team will be rebuilding other structures too, including a shelter for homeless female veterans in the series premiere episode, when the First Lady rolls up her sleeves and contributes to the team effort.
Ty Pennington heads up the team of designers in a race against the clock to turn people’s wildest dreams into reality. Each episode is self-contained and features a project that would ordinarily take at least four months to achieve, involving a team of designers, contractors and several hundred volunteer workers who all have just seven days to totally rebuild and decorate an entire house — every single room, plus the exterior and landscaping. The result should be a decorator’s delight, if it can be done in time.
His design and carpentry skills are top-notch, but it’s through his warm enthusiasm, infectious laugh, endless supply of hugs and the many megaphone-assisted “Good Morning!” greetings that Ty Pennington has helped transform the lives of hundreds while inspiring millions more as host of the popular ABC series “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Under the leadership of the charismatic home design guru, the series has won two Emmys for Outstanding Reality Program and two People’s Choice Awards.
Pennington won national attention as the quirky and creative carpenter on the groundbreaking home improvement series, “Trading Spaces.” In 2008 he took his talent for mobilizing people to come together for the greater good to Great Britain for “Ty’s Great British Adventure,” a community-improvement series airing on UKTV Home. In addition to hosting, he was also executive producer, and the first two seasons went on to become the channel’s two highest-rated series ever. His newest series for UKTV Home, “Homes for the Brave,” focused on improving the houses and lives of soldiers who served in Afghanistan for the British Army.
In the fall of 2010, Pennington expanded his international appeal with another new series, “Inside the Box with Ty Pennington,” for Canada’s W Network, matching two amateur interior designers in a contest to decorate a room using only the contents of a mystery crate.
In addition to his hosting and producing responsibilities, Pennington continues to develop his home décor line carried at Sears, Ty Pennington Style, which offers fun and stylish home fashions at affordable prices. He also serves as the ambassador for the “Sears American Dream” campaign. He recently launched a new fabric line, Ty Pennington Impressions, with Westminster Fabrics. Available in a variety of prints, colors and fabrics, the line offers versatile and easy ways to update your home décor. Pennington continues his partnership with industry leader Howard Miller, designing new pieces for his Signature Home Furnishings by Ty Pennington. The line features high-quality, casual contemporary furniture that’s easily coordinated. His flooring, Ty Pennington Collection for Lumber Liquidators, is available in stores and online nationwide.
Pennington’s latest book, How Good Design Can Change Your Life(Simon & Schuster), is an intimate look at his design inspirations with décor advice and tips. It followed up his New York Times bestseller, Ty’s Tricks (Hyperion), which is part reference and part behind-the-scenes in Pennington’s own home, which he completely remodeled himself.
