Extreme Screw Over: Home Edition

By now, just about everyone has heard about the Harper family. They're the family that received an elaborate new home from the TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. It was the biggest home that was built, and there was an extraordinary outpouring of good faith and donations of both time and money.

The Harper family then took a huge loan out against the house and now can't afford the payments. They have decided to let the home go into foreclosure.

I have seen a couple, three bloggers write about it, and Charlie Sykes did some squawking. For the most part, people were blaming either the family, calling the deadbeats, or blaming the bank for making such a risky loan in the first place.

Just about everyone, myself included, think that the real victims were the people that donated their money, their time and their labor to build this home.

But the one entity that is escaping blame, and shouldn't be, is ABC.

Oh, sure, people get all emotionally involved in the different families' stories, the good that they've done for their community and/or country, and the terrible conditions they are forced to live in, until the team comes in and builds them a new home. But ABC is not being completely altruistic in this venture. In fact, they're not being altruistic at all.

First of all, they are going for ratings, which brings in bigger advertising dollars from the sponsors. But that is the nature of the business.

But that is not the only way they are raking in the dough. The same people that own ABC, and hence the show, also own Disney and Sears. If anyone has caught a show or two, know that the family is usually sent on vacation to Disneyland or Disneyworld. All of the tools used are Craftsman, which is owned by Sears. All of the appliances, and most of the home furnishings come from Sears as well. Who knows how many other product placements are going on in that show. It really is not much more than an hour-long infomercial for their products. That's a lot of free advertising.

And they get it by playing on the sob stories of these families, and on their generosity of the people volunteering their services and the products.

Now don't get me wrong. Many of these families obviously need help, and it is a good thing that ABC does by trying to help them, and I applaud them for that. But let's not forget that they are doing it just from the goodness of their hearts.

And the Harpers isn't the only bad story that comes from the show. There was also the family of orphans, being cared for by the oldest sibling, that was evicted before the show even aired. ABC knew this, but still aired the episode, without telling the audience.