MANILA, Philippines—Socialite-philanthropist and interior designer Tessa Prieto-Valdez jests that “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” is so difficult to do that her eyelashes are all but gone from the stress and that she was “pawis to death” while taping the episodes of its first season.
“It’s really a labor of love with the biggest crew of all TV5 shows. At andami kong change of outfits, ha,” she told Bulletin Entertainment and select members of media in an interview.
Indeed, the local franchise stages a coup of sorts by doing more houses than in any of its counterpart worldwide, requiring 200 people on the set and using 12 cameras simultaneously sometimes in order to pull off the feat. Tessa said some of the houses took longer to makeover than usual given the erratic weather in the country.
She also cited the tough task of choosing the beneficiaries of the makeover since almost every one who applied had a compelling back story.
“Hindi lang kasi bahay nila ang sinikap namin na baguhin kundi mga buhay din nila. The Philippine franchise is the only one with a ‘kabuhayan’ component in that many of the houses we take on get a sari-sari store or a fleet of tricycles para naman may income sila to sustain their new lifestyle,” said she who is tasked to use her expertise and colorful personality in overseeing the decoration of the new homes.
Tessa estimates that transforming each house costs at least eight million pesos. She adds that so far, all of the beneficiaries are very pleased with the makeover, especially those whose former houses did not even have roofs!
“Ramdam nila that we really care and go the extra mile in order to help them have better lives,” she quipped.
The celebrity group members that work on the show are so into it that they have little time for anything else. Tessa revealed that he even set up main host Paolo Bediones for several blind dates during the taping of the first season, all of which he “stood up.”
“No-show siya dahil talaga namang killer ang schedule niya! Kung date nga di niya masiputan, magka-girlfriend pa kaya? Pero, Paolo, hello, hanggang kelan mo gagawin ito? You’re not getting any younger,” Tessa said, laughing.
According to a release, the guiding principle behind “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Philippines” is “Bagong Bahay, Bagong Buhay.” Each week throughout its first season run, the show builds a new home for a Filipino family whose members have shared much of what little they have to their community. While the family is treated to a much-deserved vacation, a group of dedicated people tries to achieve the impossible by completely reconstructing the family’s home in a short span of time. Aside from Tessa and Paolo, the show’s design team is comprised by fashion model Divine Lee, interior designer Tristan Jovellana, and interior design consultants Marilen Faustino-Montenegro and Joby Belmonte.
Aside from its heartwarming stories and inspiring heroes, the show also features a roster of big stars to meet and greet the families. These include Sharon Cuneta, Nora Aunor and even David Archuleta.
source: mb.com.ph
