Extreme Makeover: Day 1

Tuesday, 08 December 2009 10:31

The Wagstaff family got a life-changing wake-up call yesterday morning when Ty Pennington and his crew from the ABC reality show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” knocked on their door and told them they were chosen to get a home makeover.

By Sarah Hsu; Photos by Rodney Rogers

Within the next seven days, Tobin Wagstaff, his wife, Jill, and their four children, Tobin Jr., 7, Rudy, 6, Dallas, 5, and Larissa Jolene, 4, will receive a brand new home where they currently reside at 1415 N.E. Seventh St.

“I couldn’t believe that this was happening,” Tobin said during a 2 p.m. press conference. “You can’t prepare yourself for something like this.”

The television crew, subcontractors, volunteers, Ark Remodeling & Construction, media and the UF Fightin’ Gator Marching Band were all there to support and celebrate the announcement and the sending off of the family to their surprise rock ‘n’ roll vacation. Tobin and his three sons, all sporting mohawks, his daughter Jolene, dressed in a zebra-print dress and black boots, and his wife Jill looked shocked, but excited at the announcement.

Jill said the whole experience was a little overwhelming for the kids, but that they were excited about going on vacation because their family doesn’t get to take vacations that often.

Syrell Wiggins lives across the street from the Wagstaffs and said she’s known them for about seven years and is excited to see everything that’s going to take place in the next seven days.

“I’ve been a nosy neighbor for the last three weeks,” she said, as contractors and production people have been coming and going, and contacting and notifying neighbors nearby for the last few weeks. She said the neighbors had their suspicions, but they weren’t absolutely certain it was the Wagstaffs that had been chosen for the show, until this morning.

Wiggins’ granddaughter Julia, 11, said she used to watch “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” every time it came on.

“They’re a really nice family and their kids are really sweet,” she said, of the Wagstaffs. “I’m really excited for them.” She said she will be coming home early from school several days this week to watch the house being torn down and rebuilt.

Cat Lisle, the Wagstaffs’ next-door neighbor, said she was really happy with how considerate and unobtrusive the production people have been in setting up for this event.

“It’s exciting to watch all of this,” she said. “I’m really fascinated by the whole process and I want to see as much as I can see.”

Ryan Allen, Lisle’s husband, said he too was excited to watch the house be torn down and rebuilt.

“We used to live in San Francisco where there were television crews out all the time,” he said. “But this is different. They will be filming right next door for a week and I can watch everything from over my fence,” he said, referring to the fence separating his yard from the Wagstaff’s.

“We want to start a dominoes effect and continue this type of giving beyond this week,” said April Strickland, CFO/Manager of Ark Remodeling & Construction.

The Wagstaffs founded Studio Percussion, Inc., a non-profit music school and arts center they run from their home. The school specializes in the use of drums and percussion to encourage and inspire students toward community involvement and leadership development, and it currently serves about 200 students, half of which receive financial aid or a full scholarship. The school can only afford to pay Tobin Wagstaff a salary, so Jill works as a preschool teacher on the side for additional income, according to an ABC press release.

The couple’s devotion to their four children, their school and their community leaves them little time and resources to tend to their home, which has a faulty electrical system throughout as well as rotting floors and rooftops. But that is all going to be changed this week, and the family is looking forward to seeing what their new home will look like when they get back.

Tonight (Dec. 8), the team is planning a major rock-'n'-roll-inspired demolition. We couldn't believe what they had in store when we visited the site this morning!  And tomorrow (Dec. 9) spectators are allowed to watch the frame of the house go up--bring a canned good to help with the food drive!