The Big Reveal
Geneva, N.Y. – Monday afternoon, when the crowd chanted “Move That Bus” the excitement was palpable.
By evening, the dust settled, the crowd cleared, but excitement still radiates from the new home in Geneva.
Days of activity didn’t just build a house; it also built relationships among total strangers, all wanting to see a good deed done.
It was a whole week of standing around waiting and watching--but no one complained. The special moments created memories fans like Colleen Colon won’t forget. Like many who lined Williams Street last week, Colon drove an hour there and back to watch the progress each day.
She said, “I loved all the logistics involved…the planning and everything; it’s been great!”
She sat on neighbor Tony’s porch every day to get a look. Before last Monday Mont they never even knew each other. Now they’re friends with a common bond. Tony even went from being spectator to volunteer when he was cast in one of the show’s comedic skits.
“He points to me….says ‘There he is,’"Tony explained. “Next thing I know, I’m Ty’s 'corner man,' the guy that helps him in and out of the ring and…cheers him on. So I’m going to be in the segment!”
Lots of people had a part—it was one way the crew created involvement and excitement for an entire week.
“It’s been amazing,” said Kristy Quaetrocci, who visited from Syracuse. “It’s so nice to have something so close to home that you can be a part of. You can tell Geneva’s a really great place and it’s coming together for the Hill family.”
The chant echoed -- “Move that bus! Move that bus!” When it finally did move, the family’s reaction was everything they’d been waiting for, a sight they’ll all remember.
By early evening. the Hill family was inside their new house, soaking it all in, and taping final segments of "Extreme Makeover, Home Edition."
They’re expected to talk to us first thing Tuesday morning.
Finishing Touches
(Geneva, N.Y.) – The Hill family returns to 148 William Street in Geneva Monday afternoon for the famous "Move that Bus" ceremony where they will see their new home for the first time.
On Monday morning, 13WHAM reporter Holly Maynard got to go across the street and get a closer look at the new house.
By 9 a.m., the landscaper appeared to have finished laying the sod, after working since midnight and several hours the day before.
Several volunteers were busily putting the finishing touches on the home, including removing some items that proved to be "too much" or too broken.
While Maynard was interviewing designer Mike Moloney, a broken vase was taken out. Moloney said that someone smashed the vase when the window treatments were being put up. It was one of a pair to decorate the room he was working on.
“Time to go to plan B,” he said.
Crews spent Monday completing the home's decor, as well as shooting numerous takes of the interior and exterior of the house for the television program.
The famous bus that obscures that family's view of the home was brought onto the street Monday morning.
The Hill family is now back in the Rochester area after their vacation in Cancun, but they are being sheltered from getting any sneak peeks of their new home. It is estimated they will arrive at the house between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition airs Sundays at 8pm on 13WHAM-TV. The episode featuring the Hill family is scheduled to be shown in November.
