The original version of EMHE aired on ABC during my middle school/ high school years. At the time, it was one of my favorite shows and a must-watch every Sunday night. I even had the opportunity to visit the construction sites of four different homes EMHE built in my area over the years (only as a spectator; I was too young to volunteer at the time). I was, however, able to witness one live demolition and one live "move that bus".
The original ABC version was truly "extreme". So much so, in fact, that some of the helped families ended up having to sell their new homes after the builds because of increased property taxes and what not. However, the majority of families helped by the show remain in their new homes.
This HGTV version of EMHE is missing something. Not only is it not as extreme as its predecessor (the houses are a much more reasonable size and so far have been remodeled at least twice instead of being torn down), but it lacks something else as well. Obviously with the show being on HGTV rather than ABC, it has less money available for each episode. ABC was able to send each family away on vacation in a limousine, often to one of its Disney vacation destinations. Southwest Airlines provided air transportation (I still remember hearing that sponsorship at the end of every episode.) This new version? It sends the families to a "local hotel" for five days.
This isn't the only noticeable difference. While Jesse Tyler Ferguson is a great actor and would likely be a wonderful host on a talk show or game show, he is completely out of his element here. While the other three members of the new design team seem more than competent, Ferguson is like a fish out of water. He does fine while interacting with the families, but has zero construction skills. Ty Pennington is greatly missed.
As others have mentioned in their reviews, the product placement in this new version feels awkward and choppy. Yes, there was plenty of product placement in the original. (Disney, Southwest Airlines, Sears, and Ford immediately come to mind.) Yet in this HGTV reboot, it feels like the entire build is product placement, with little time given to showing individual projects, problems encountered during construction, special guest designers (Ty Pennington received what, a combined total of about two minutes of time in the last episode?). Not to mention the fact that the larger sponsors in the ABC version were able to give out larger gifts to the families in addition to their new homes- new cars, paying off the mortgages or medical bills, etc. This first season on HGTV feels similar to the first on ABC- sticking to homes in and around California.
I don't know why ABC ever decided to move EMHE from Sunday nights to Friday nights, but that move ultimately killed the show's ratings and led to its cancellation. I would love to see it go from HGTV back to Sunday nights on ABC so that it can truly be "extreme" again. This new version simply feels watered-down.
