Andy DehnartHGTV is responding to the economic situation and recession by airing four new series that it says “focus on ways to make the most out of the real estate market during the sluggish economy,” and they have titles such as The Unsellables and Desperate To Buy. But what happens to a home-building series that depends upon contractors and others to donate all of the materials?
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition depends upon sponsors and contractors to donate all of the materials necessary to build its homes, because ABC is cheap and executive producer Conrad Ricketts insists that the show wouldn’t “have the magic” without such generosity.
Besides previously built houses going into foreclosure, executive producer Anthony Dominici says that the economy is having an impact on their home-building efforts, although not so much that it’s slowing or ceasing production. “I think, realistically, yes, it’s affecting everyone. It’s definitely harder for us to find builders and materials and stuff. There’s no lack of volunteers. But it is harder to find people who just have enough to give,” he told the New York Daily News.
Host Ty Pennington said, “It’s been tough. We’ve worked with contractors that were doing so well five years ago that are now out of work.”