While Rib is new to the show, he is not entirely new to television. He has appeared in various TV shows, including Model Citizen, Get a Grip, Ugly Betty, CSI and CSI: Miami. He will also appear in a starring role in the feature film Propiedad Ajena, which is due out in November.

Rib Hillis talks with one of the production crew at the Extreme Makeover site in Holt last Friday

Rib is very much at ease with the camera, talking with the media and interacting with his fans this past week. At the same time, he didn’t look or act famous at all. He was very simple and humble. If I didn’t know who he was (and if not for the fact that he’s very tall), it would have been very easy to pass him by in the crowd.

Rib has worked as a model for publications like Uomo Vogue, GQ, Esquire and Men’s Health. He has also appeared in countless national and international commercials. Rib lends his time and skills to several charities, including the Los Angeles Childrens Hospital, Habitat For Humanity, The Jimmy Johnson Foundation and The Hendrick Marrow Program. This past week, he took part in a local blood drive.

Being a part of the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team brings together Rib’s handyman skills and his desire to help others. “This show changes peoples’ lives. It brings so much good and happiness to people who are so deserving. I am humbled and honored to be a part of it.”

Rib is the proud father of boy/girl twins, Dane and Hannah Rose. He enjoys chasing the twins around in Southern California. His other interests include bull riding, rock climbing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, cooking, motorcycles, and studying classical Greek history.

Rib’s bio provided by ABC. Image from personal collection, M.Macalincag, ©2008. Do not use without permission.

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Michael Moloney is one of the members of the design team that worked on the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition house for the Nickless family in Holt, Michigan last week.

Michael started out in the fashion industry. In 1990, he started to apply his unique and luxurious design concepts to homes. He combines a modern style with practicality and vintage charm. Michael has opened two home design stores in the Los Angeles area. He has worked with various celebrities, as well as the Walt Disney Company and the NFL.

Michael’s TV credits include Good Morning America, The View, Entertainment Tonight, Designers’ Challenge, Fashion Wrap, Access Hollywood and more. This season is Michael’s sixth with the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. This year, he hopes to incorporate more ‘green’ elements into his design.

“This show is truly amazing in that it gives people hope and a new lease on life. I am so grateful to be part of something so special. My job as a designer is to make each home reflect these families’ personalities and lifestyles. It is so rewarding for me to use my design skills to make dreams come true for them,” he says.

Michael’s bio provided by ABC. Image from personal collection, M.Macalincag, ©2008. Do not use without permission.

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Paige Hemmis, of course!

At the site of Extreme Makeover home in Holt, Paige was easy to spot. There was simply no losing her pink hard hat in the crowd.

Design Team member and carpenter Paige Hemmis with a volunteer at the Nickless family home

Paige Hemmis is a self-taught carpenter from Chatsworth, California. She has also worked as a sales manager, substitute teacher, and wedding planner. Paige volunteers her time to Keep America Beautiful’s ‘Great American Cleanup’ and Habitat For Humanity. She owns Tuff Chix, a line of books, tools, work wear, and accessories for strong, capable and feminine women. Paige’s famous pink toolbelts, boots, and gloves are available for purchase at www.tuffchix.com. Paige has also published a book called The Tuff Chix Guide to Easy Home Improvement.

When she’s not working, Paige, whose father was a drag racer, enjoys spending her time on the race track. She participated in the Toyota Pro Celebrity Race in 2005. Her other interests are dining out, hiking, rock climbing, and curling up with a good mystery book.

Paige’s bio provided by ABC. Image from personal collection, ©2008 M.Macalincag. Do not use without permission.

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Ty Pennington, the host of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, combines an art education (specifically graphic design, painting and sculpture), carpentry skills, modeling and acting in one package. He attended Kennesaw College before transferring to the Atlanta Art Institute and then the Atlanta College of Art. His modeling after college took him all over the world, working for clothing companies and appearing in TV commercials.

On TV, Ty first gained popularity as the hunky, sometimes-shirtless carpenter of TLC’s Trading Spaces. He has since added to his TV credits as the design team leader and host of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and as the author of New York Times bestseller Ty’s Tricks, published in 2003. Ty also has his own line of home accessories. He recently signed an exclusive multi-year contract with Sears, and is the ambassador for the Sears American Dream Campaign.

At 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 Arlene’s room was Ty’s special project for this show. Much of the rest of Ty’s time last Friday, however, was spent in the production aspect of the show. During filming, Ty was a bundle of energy. There was a lot of running, and waving of arms, and this was even before the family arrived!

Ty’s bio provided by ABC. Image from personal collection, M.Macalincag, ©2008. Do not use without permission.

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London-born Ed Sanders brings his skills in cabinet-making and acting to ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Ed studied carpentry in a technical college in the U.K. He specialized in advanced joinery and high quality finishing carpentry. In between classes, he performed in theaters and appeared in television commercials. He continued balancing his acting and working at construction sites, a practice, he says, which would always keep his feet firmly on the ground.

Ed appeared in the lead role of Eddie Moliano on the U.K. TV series Dream Team, a drama about a premiership soccer team. He also hosted several television programs, ranging from dating shows to live music shows. In 2002 he became the host of Fear Factor U.K.

In 2004 Ed moved to Los Angeles and eventually joined the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition design team. Ed was part of the design team for the Nickless family’s home this week.

Ed’s bio provided by ABC. Images from personal collection, ©2008 M.Macalincag. Do not use without permission.

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This week, at the Nickless family home in Holt, Michigan, the design team was composed of host Ty Pennington, Paige Hemmis, Michael Moloney, Ed Sanders and Rib Hillis. They are the team who worked with Mayberry Homes and teams from Michigan State University to make the home modern, comfortable and beautifully decorated.

Here are some photos of the team as they prepared for the “Move the Bus” reveal last Friday:

From left: Michael Moloney, Ed Sanders, Rib Hillis and Paige Hemmis

As they worked on the Nickless home, the design team also got involved in the Lansing community (Rib Hillis led a local blood donation drive), and interacted with fans and viewers of the show. 

Image from personal collection, ©2008 M.Macalincag. Do not use without permission.

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images from personal collection M. Macalincag, ©2008. Do not use without permission.

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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.

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The new home of the Nickless family as it looked on Wednesday morning:

Volunteers lay asphalt on the driveway:

images from personal collection

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Karen Schroeder of Mayberry Homes in front of the house being built by ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in Holt, Michigan

Viewers of the TV show ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition see Ty Pennington and the design team seem to do the impossible: put together a state-of-the-art house in 5 days, completely furnish it, professionally design the interiors, and present it to the family.

To accomplish this, magic happens behind the scenes. For every show, hundreds of volunteers donate their time, resources and skills to give a special family their dream home.

For the Nickless family in Holt, almost 1,500 volunteers signed in. It could have been utter chaos organizing such a huge crowd. But thanks to a dedicated group of seven people from Lansing-based Mayberry Homes, things run smoothly from the get-go.

Mayberry Homes is known for the quality of their homes and communities. They have also been recognized nationally for their commitment to customer satisfaction. As a company with a track record for volunteering in the local community, they are a perfect fit for the Extreme Makeover project.

At the site of the build this week, I had a chance to talk with Karen Schroeder, who co-owns Mayberry Homes with her husband Robert. We stood across the street from the house. The site was buzzing with activity, and Karen was happy to share with me the role of Mayberry Homes in the entire process.

Our chat started with the very beginning of the story. The Nickless family only learned that they had been chosen for the show last Friday, September 26, 2008. It turns out that even Mayberry Homes didn’t get a big headstart to prepare for the project. The producers of Extreme Makeover contacted them just under a month ago.

“We didn’t have a lot of notice”, said Karen. “We hadn’t applied for it. They just called out of the blue and asked us if we would do it.”

The weeks leading up to the build couldn’t have been busier for the Schroeder family. Robert (right, in red shirt) and Karen’s daughter got married on Friday, the day of the wake-up call. I think you’ll all agree with me that preparing for a wedding and a marathon home-building project at the same time is no small feat!

As the builder, Mayberry Homes drew up the custom plan for the house, incorporating input from the show’s design team. Though they didn’t know the location immediately, they were given enough information to be able to plan the lay-out of the site. The Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’s design team gave them certain parameters to follow, such as a particular look from the front door.

Alongside designing the house, it was also Mayberry’s job as the lead company to coordinate everything that happens on the Lansing side of the endeavor:

“We had to secure all of the vendors and the contractors, and get them to do it, for free. All of our team is on. Then we had to get the volunteers. Then we had to organize and get food vendors to come and provide food for a thousand people a day.”

Though most of the materials for the house are donated by local groups, the appliances and some of the fixtures are not. The designers from the show choose what goes into the house as far as amenities are concerned. Electronics like refrigerators and TVs and fixtures like cabinets are brought in from the show’s national suppliers. Skilled volunteers then go in to install them.

The interior design is also provided by the show. For this home, the design team is comprised of Ty Pennington, Paige Hemmis, Michael Moloney, Ed Sanders and Rib Hillis. Mayberry Homes works with the team and helps implement their concepts.

For Robert and Karen Schroeder and the rest of the Mayberry Homes team, this whirlwind week is not something that will be easily forgotten. When I asked Karen to describe how the process has been for her and Robert, it seemed that there is no single word that can describe the experience:

“Awesome. Awesome. Overwhelming. An incredible journey.

“There’s been a lot of things happening in our lives. And, all good, all positive. This has been an amazing journey that I couldn’t be happier with. You know, this has been overwhelming…. It touches my soul.”

Thanks to Karen Schroeder for this interview and to Robert Kolt of Kolt Communications for facilitating access to the site.

images from personal collection, 2008

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