I’m told that Ty Pennington is a big deal. As host of ABC’s wildly popular Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Ty has positioned himself as a 21st Century Bob Vila with good hair. I still remember him as the male model carpenter on Trading Spaces. Well, the dude has come a long way since those days. He’s so in demand that he took his renovation and motivational speaking skills across the pond. Ty’s Great British Adventure debuted on UKTV’s Home Channel back in September of 2008. In an unprecedented move, UKTV turned around and sold the rights to their home grown show to ABC. This past Sunday, ABC debuted Ty’s newest venture, so I took a look to see what all the hoopla was about.
Ty landed on the beach of the tiny seaside hamlet of Portreath. The town, beset by hard economic times, wanted to rebuild its downtrodden park. The residents of Portreath couldn’t agree on anything, so Ty was brought in to organize and supervise the construction. Helping Ty was a Project Manager named “Proper Job Bob,” who looked a little like Noah Wyle, and scores of local volunteers. The entire crew was given seven days to complete the task before Ty shuffled off to another needy village.
I’ve never seen an episode of Extreme Makeover, but I assume the format is similar. Ty arrived on his white steed to save the day. Whenever a disagreement arose, he was there to deliver one of his dull stimulating speeches or inspirational pep talks. With Ty on the scene, no crisis can’t be averted. Ty Pennington doesn’t just fix parks, he heals communities. What a humanitarian.
The episode was slow moving and had zero drama. Even the so-called squabbles seemed staged. There were shenanigans involving dynamite and something to do with old tires (they either had too many tires, or not enough). Whatever the case, it didn’t appear to make much difference. And, in Barbara Walters fashion, Ty got a 94-year-old man to shed some tears after naming the park in his honor. I admit, it was a nice moment.
For all his phoniness, Ty gets shit accomplished. The park looked fantastic when it was finished. It had a brand new football (soccer) patch, a jungle gym, all sorts of climbing apparatuses and giant picnic tables. More importantly, the space was safe and clean and 100% kid-approved. This kind of show isn’t my cup of tea, but I can see why it and its ilk have mass appeal.
Clacked by Scott Tunstall 
on Aug 05, 2009 @ 11:00 EST5EDT
