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ABC Television

It's a rare phenomenon: Believers of every age, ethnicity, and denomination are embracing a prime-time television show, ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (EMHE). One HollywoodJesus.com reviewer hints the show is promoting godly values. "I like shows about biblical principles," he says in his review. "Maybe that's why [Extreme Makeover: Home Edition] works so well … maybe lots of people, knowingly or not, like that kind of show."

But did the network ever intend to reach out specifically to Christians? Today's Christian asked Tom Forman, executive producer and creator of EMHE, about faith's role in the show.

TC: EMHE is getting a lot of praise on the Internet from Christian teens and adults. Many say they've connected with the show largely because Christian families have appeared on it. Was there any plan for the show to include elements that would connect specifically with Christian viewers?

Tom Forman: I don't think so. It was a happy accident. I was a news guy and a documentary maker before I did EMHE, not really a reality-television producer. So we set out to make a different kind of reality show, one that would be honest about these families. If that means making their faith part of the story, we said we'd be comfortable with that.

We find these families at what may be the worst time of their lives. We then bring them home on one of the happier days of their lives and show them their new house. And they turn to those things that are important to them. That may be their wife and kids, or their community, or their faith. Whatever it is, we're not going to shy away from letting them be who they are.

In several interviews, actors and reality TV participants have said networks tell them to keep hushed about their faith and religious matters. On EMHE, conversely, it seems participants are able to speak openly about their personal beliefs. Does ABC give participants any guidelines on speaking about religion while the show is taping?

Not a one. We're making EMHE the only way I'd be comfortable making this show, which is finding great families we want to help, and then turning on the cameras and letting them be themselves. If they choose to pray, then they pray. Whatever their response is, that's what we put on TV. There are no guidelines at all.

It really is real. We show up at a family's house and they don't know we're coming, and they do what they do. Everyone involved with the show knows firsthand how real it is because we're out there for seven days building a house. Real work and real construction, real sweat and tears and effort and pain go into building those houses. I think we're all proud to be working on something where people aren't voted off islands or performing stunts, but where a good thing is being done for good people. That's probably largely why it resonates with the Christian community and all of our viewers.

The Parents Television Council named EMHE as one of the "Top 10 Best Network TV Shows for Family Viewing." Was EMHE intended to be a family show from the start, or did it just turn out that way?

I'm a new dad of a 2-year-old, so I proudly set out to make something a family could watch together. I think we've succeeded beyond any of our expectations and managed to mix in some humor that parents may like, some construction that dads or little boys may like, some design that moms may like, a cast of characters that everybody seems to like, and a great family story that resonates with the entire family. We knew from the get-go—at least, we hoped—this would be a show the family could watch together. I'm pleased with how it's worked out.

Do you or any of the creative team that help in developing the show have any type of religious background?

We are a mix of Christians and Jews and atheists. We've got a little bit of everything.

And you, personally?

I was raised Jewish and am now non-practicing.

Are any of the show's cast members Christian?

Yes. Without naming names—because it's something they'll talk about if they want to—there are many.

Several churches and Christian groups have taken a cue from EMHE and done makeovers within their communities. Did you ever anticipate that groups and individuals might try to mimic the show?

Never once. But I'm thrilled people are copying it. I love this kind of imitation. We get letters every day that say, "We saw what you guys did and were inspired to go out and paint someone's house," or "fix up the church rec hall," or "work on the school playground." It's just the most wonderful thing.

I can't even describe the feeling of being on one of the EMHE builds and watching the community come together. And that has included church volunteers, like on the Wofford family's house in Encinitas, California. The Woffords have an amazing story and are a wonderful family of strong faith. Bill Larson, the contractor for the Woffords' house [and a member of the Woffords' church], was a commercial contractor who'd never really built a house before. But he'd said, "Don't worry, I can go down to my church and get help." We sat in our production office in Los Angeles and said, "I don't know that I believe him." Sure enough, we got there and that's exactly what Bill did. His church is large and has a lot of people in the building trade that attend. Church members stepped up and said, "Yeah, I'll take a week off work to help somebody." To watch them come together and build a beautiful house for a beautiful family--it was an incredible thing to see.

The one thing we learn from going through the piles and piles of EMHE applications is there are a lot of people that need help. The more people that start helping, the better. We've always said, "Please, would somebody copy this show?" The more people out there doing this, the happier I'll be.

Holly Vicente Robaina is a writer living in Southern California.

To read TC's story on the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition phenomenon, click here.

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