Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - The Reveal!
Today was the day! At the site of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in Holt, the crowd was huge, excitement filled the air, shouts of “Move that bus!” rang periodically. And then the Nickless family got to see their new home for the first time!
Arlene Nickless and her young sons Aaron, 11, Noah, 9, and Andrew, 7, returned from their show-sponsored vacation at Walt Disney World to a 3,300 square-foot, 4-bedroom house where their crumbling 1860s home once stood. Builder Mayberry Homes, area contractors and suppliers, Michigan State University and hundreds of volunteers came together for 1 week to do this for them.
I stood in the crowd for hours, watching the show’s production team direct the crowd and film segments for the show. Volunteers finished up the last little details in the home, including unloading and arranging furniture, setting up accessories for the interior designers, and sprucing up the yard and driveway. Meanwhile, the watching crowd was coached and filmed to clap and shout “Move that bus!” several times. Appearances by the show’s design team, Ty Pennington, Michael Moloney, Paige Hemmis, Rib Hillis and Ed Sanders, drew some of the loudest cheers.
Arlene’s family was gathered at a special area right across the street from the home. They’ve witnessed the project from the beginning, interacted with the volunteers and enjoyed watching the house go up day by day. They gathered in full force today to welcome Arlene and her young sons home.
“I’m gonna tell her (Arlene) how much I’ve missed her”, said Blake Engstrand, 22, one of Arlene older sons. “And how exciting it’s been to be able to see all these people come out and contribute and be a part of this. And, just tell her that it’s a new beginning and that we’re ready for all this to settle down, and we’re just ready to live our lives the best that we can.”
Roger Conley in front of the house earlier this week
Arlene’s father, Roger Conley, 69, of Warsaw, Indiana, also had some special words for his daughter as the family anticipated the big reveal.
“Honey, you know we haven’t always agreed. But I still love you, you know that. And I’ve been through a lot, some which you’d gone to, and my best advice: I know I’ve learned to look up, turn everything over to the Lord, relax in Him and really enjoy what has been given to you here, which is amazing.
“So, honey, you know I’m here for you. And the Lord is always there for you. So just look up and enjoy the greatest thing that could ever happen to you.”
When the limousine carrying the family came into sight at around 4:00 p.m., the hooting and hollering really ramped up. The Nickless family got off the limo, waving to the cheering crowd. They were briefed by Ty about what they needed to do. The crew filmed them shouting “Driver, move that bus!” a few times, before the driver actually moved the big bus that was blocking their view of the home.
They walked up the driveway slowly, taking everything in. When they finally got the chance to go to the front door, they ran! I’m looking forward to seeing the looks on their faces, when the show airs in 4-6 weeks. Oh, to be a fly on the wall of their home!
I took lots of photos today, and I’ll be posting them right here on this blog for you to enjoy. Lots of goodies for the fans of the design team. :)
Tags: Arlene Nickless, Extreme Makeover, Holt Extreme Makeover, Home Edition, home improvement, home improvement TV, Nickless family, reality showRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Home Improvement TV shows
1 opinion for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - The Reveal!
Ty Pennington of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Oct 6, 2008 at 3:13 pm
[...] the “Move that Bus” reveal of the Home Makeover for the Nickless family, Ty led volunteers in unloading some of the new furniture for the home. I also heard that [...]
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