Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC

By Ally Matteodo

In a heart-warming two-hour special episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Ty Pennington and his team racked up another win as Best TV Show of the Week.  This episode, airing on Sunday, March 29^th, at 8:00 p.m. ET, focused on the Almquists, who run a sanctuary for big cats called “Forever Wild.” The Almquists were able to maintain the sanctuary through donations in the past; however, in the current economic climate their donations fell off, and family patriarch Joel lost his job.  One of the tigers, Diablo, desperately was in need of surgery due to his declawed paws; and on top of this, the Almquist’s house developed several problems, including foundation cracking, rotting, and rodent infestation.  After watching their plea for help, Ty and his team report to San Bernardino, California, to work their magic.  The family is sent to Costa Rica for a week-long vacation, where they are able to observe animals in the wild, while the renovations are in progress.

There was a strong educational component to this episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which augmented its usual charm.  Many of the cats the Almquist family takes in were abused or hurt.  One cat was used in a magic show, but when he outgrew his usefulness he faced euthanasia until the Almquists adopted him.  Another cat had many burns on its coat from where its previous owner dropped cigar ash on its fur.  Yet another could barely walk due to its lack of claws.  The Almquist family knew that these cats had been abused and hurt, but still took on the task of rehabilitating them.  Furthermore, they realized that these cats are wild, and nothing that a human can do will change that; being wild is an inherent part of their nature.  When Ty and his team revamp the animal’s cages, they rebuild them so that the animals will be free to be animals.  Jeff Corwin, a world-famous conservationist and wildlife expert, makes a guest appearance on the show and helps the team design a state-of-the-art learning center.  One of the Almquist daughters, Patrisha, remarks on how the house was like a big cat upon its first arrival at “Forever Wild:” hurt, run-down, in need of repair.  Afterwards, the house is like one of the big cats after a couple of months on the ranch:  filled with love, healed, and whole.  Yet again, Ty and his team give a family -- and their extended family of big cats -- a brand new start, doing a world of good in only a week’s time.