'Extreme Makeover' wannabe: Are you sick?

[Guest guest]

'Extreme Makeover' wannabe: Are you sick?

Memo reveals show looking for malady, tragedy

Tuesday, March 28, 2006; Posted: 9:38 a.m. EST (14:38 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/28/tv.extremehardships.ap/index

..html?section=cnn_latest

NEW YORK (AP) -- If your family has multiple children with Down

Syndrome, a parent with skin cancer or was robbed in a home

invasion, ABC's " Extreme Makeover: Home Edition " may be looking to

build you a house.

A producer for ABC's hit Sunday-night show sent a memo --

distributed to executives at several ABC affiliates -- looking for

particular maladies or tragedies to feature on the air.

The memo, written by the show's family-casting director Charisse

Simonian, was picked up and distributed widely by " The Smoking Gun "

Web site on Monday.

In addition to Down Syndrome and skin cancer, " Extreme Makeover " is

looking for families with very specific diseases -- muscular

dystrophy, ALS or Lou Gehrig Disease, progeria (a genetic disorder

where children age prematurely) and a rare disorder where children

cannot feel pain.

Show producers also say they are looking to feature a family that

has lost a child in a drunk-driving accident, someone whose home has

been robbed and vandalized, and hate-crime victims.

The ABC reality show stars builder Ty Pennington and a team that

comes in to build a home for families in need. Cancer victims,

people who have lost homes to fire and mold and military families

with injured veterans have all been in past episodes.

Currently, " Extreme Makeover: Home Edition " is in the midst of four

shows attempting to help communities in the path of Hurricane

Katrina.

The show's executive producer, Tom Forman, said he was " a little

perplexed " at why The Smoking Gun found the memo so interesting.

" It is a woman whose job it is to find families who need help, to

find families that need a break and a new home and may not know

about this television show, " he said. After filming 60 episodes,

producers are looking for new stories to keep things interesting for

viewers.

The Smoking Gun headlined its story " ABC's 'Extreme' Exploitation "

and said the memo contained a " creepy wish list of woe. "

" At the end of the day you're talking about going to someone who

needs it badly and deserves it badly and building them a home that

makes life a little easier for them, " Forman said. " It's hard to

figure out how that's exploitive. "