Extreme Makeover: Filming The Knock

Yesterday, circulation manager Dylan Whitaker (who is also my brother) and I were invited to be a part of the Extreme Makeover Home Edition video shoot (we're pictured in the second photo below). Well, let me rephrase. Sam and Michelle Clifton of Millstone Homes asked our parents Joan and Gary Whitaker to attend as their guests. They couldn't go, so Michelle was nice enough to extend the invite to us. We were the B team. But hey, we're okay with that.

We received the press release yesterday morning and read all about the family which really got us excited to meet them. We drove about 40 minutes and arrived at the house in Ash Grove around noon. We were told that filming would be from 2 - 4 p.m. but we had to be there at noon.

We were there to film the "Braveheart" shot. If you watch the show, this is the part where the volunteers storm the house, cheering and clapping, ready to tear it down. Here's how that part actually plays out...

We parked in a pasture across from the house, got our blue shirts and white hard hats. There were about 100 of us. And about 70 more people on horses. The family has horses and is very active in the Missouri Family Rodeo Association. So between us and their rodeo friends on horses, we were ready to tear down and rebuild this house.

Photos courtesy Logan Aguirre

There was lots of standing in the field, waiting in the heat, standing, waiting. Around 4:30 the assistant director got us all lined up on the street, and the horses lined up in the pasture down from their house. Normally on the show, the family is already on their way to vacation once the volunteers storm the house. But they decided to do it a little differently this time. The family would actually be waiting inside when we showed up in their yard. But first, we had to practice while the family was off in some secret location.

So, first the horses and riders lined up and rode as fast as they could through the pasture and into the yard. They did this a few more times until the director was happy with the footage they got. Then, it was our turn. We had a good 5 minute walk to the house and we were cheering the whole way. Fists in the air, clapping, smiling, yelling while camera men weaved in and out of the crowd and an aerial camera followed us overhead.

We got in the yard in a big circle with the builder and his family in the middle and the horses on the outside. We did more cheering and some other staged type shots. Then the director asked us to do it again. So we walked back down the farm road, cheered, gathered in the yard. And this time they were ready for the real deal. They had us go back down the street while they brought the family and the designers into the house.

So, we re lined up and this time, us walkers and the horses all went together, cheering and clapping into the yard. Just as we got to the yard, the kids, parents and designers ran out of the house. It was such an amazing feeling seeing the family that we will be helping. Ty Pennington, and designers Paige and Michael were standing with them, too. They interviewed builder Sam Clifton and the woman who nominated the family. And then Ty told the family that they were officially the Hampton Family of 8 and presented the adoption papers for the four cousins. I promise you there was not a dry eye.

Funny part was that Ty had to redo his 'adoption speech' twice. And we had to practice the "Hampton family is whisked away in a horse drawn chariot off to Disney World" a few times. At the end we got to interact with the designers. Ty even called our co-worker Kaye Lee, "Sweetie" which made her day.

We did not actually help tear down the house. The tear-down happened today, with dynamite and no spectators. But when we watch it on TV, it will look like we were there!

So, in the end, yes it was a long, hot day. Yes, the hour of filming was fun. Seeing how it all works in TV-land was neat. But meeting the family and listening to how much this means to them made me really proud to live in our community where people are so giving. This is going to be a great week!

I encourage everyone to go to the spectator site beginning Friday where you can watch the home being built (10043 West Farm Road #94, Ash Grove, MO 65604), donate a canned food item for Convoy of Hope and give blood for CBCO. That way, this experience can make a difference for our entire community. You can find more info at millstoneextremedream.com.
 

Logan Aguirre, associate publisher

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