“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” Xzibit featured “The Bachelorette” Season 5

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ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” which has won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Reality Program and two People’s Choice Awards, will return for Season 8 in the 2010-11 season. Joining the series will be Jillian Harris, a successful designer for restaurants, residences, furniture and fashion who previously was featured as “The Bachelorette” in that series’ Season 5; Xzibit, a tireless performer in music, film and television; and Leigh Anne Tuohy, also a successful interior decorator, best known for being portrayed by Sandra Bullock in this year’s Oscar-winning “The Blind Side.”


 Harris, who became famous from “The Bachelorette,” first volunteered on the series for the episode that aired March 14. She traveled to Slaughterville, OK, to meet the Skaggs family and their son, Jhett, who survived a heart transplant at just 10 months of age. Music/film/TV artist Xzibit, who volunteered on the show three times, first appeared in the episode that aired October 11, 2009. He traveled to Suffield, CT, to rebuild the small, fire-damaged and deteriorating home of the musical Hill family, who continually give the gifts of song and inspiration to their community.

 In the Season 7 finale, NFL star Michael Oher and the Tuohy family traveled to Pine Mountain Valley, GA to meet Jeremy and Jennifer Williams, whose son, Jacob, was diagnosed with Spina Bifida before birth. Several years after Jacob’s birth, Jeremy was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. The home Jeremy and Jennifer had bought 13 years ago was falling apart around them. In addition to mounting repairs, the house was too small to accommodate two disabled family members. In the episode, Leigh Anne Tuohy whipped the design team into shape to get the house done just right. Notably, that episode outdrew the final hour of NBC’s “Miss USA” by 3.6 million viewers and by 71% in Adults 18-49, and posted a four-month high (since 1/10/10) in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

 The designers returning for Season 8 feature team leader Ty Pennington, with Paul DiMeo, Paige Hemmis, Michael Moloney, Ed Sanders, Tracy Hutson, Eduardo Xol and John Littlefield. And continuing in the upcoming season, “Get on the Bus” will feature big-name celebrities as volunteers – this past season, Mary J. Blige, Tyler Perry, David Cook, Usher, Jewel, Sheryl Crow, Christian Slater and Jessica Alba were among the many stars helping out on the builds.

 “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America. The executive producers for Season 8 will be Brady Connell and George Verschoor.

(source: ABC)