KISS Rocks The Ratings On Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
March 4, 2010, 14 years ago
On last Sunday night's episode of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, rock icons KISS showed their good will to a family in need while at the same time helping Extreme Makeover: Home Edition viewership grow by 2 million viewers from the previous week's telecast. Ratings blossomed 32% in adults 18-49; the networks best young adult performance in that hour in six weeks. Also for the episode, Marvel Entertainment designed a Super Hero themed boy's room and created a custom comic book cover for the boy.
When the hit show told legendary rockers KISS about a family of KISS fans in Gainesville, Florida, who started a home-based, non-profit music school while their own home was falling down around them, the band heeded the call during their recent North American KISS/Alive 35 tour.
Tobin and Jill Wagstaff, a couple with four children, operate Studio Percussion, Inc., a school that currently serves about 200 people, half of which receive financial aid or a full scholarship. The non-profit school can only afford to pay Tobin, 29, a salary, so Jill, 32, must also work as a pre-school teacher to pay the bills. The couple's devotion to their family, school and community leaves little time and resources to tend to their home that was in dire need of repair. The floors and rooftops were completely rotting and the home's electrical system was faulty which posed more than one hazard.
In just seven days, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team leader Ty Pennington, the design team and the Gainesville community successfully rebuilt the Wagstaff's home while the show sent the family on a surprise rock and roll vacation. The Wagstaff's flew to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to meet KISS whom had just played in Tulsa in support of Sonic Boom, their first album in 11 years.
During a touching episode, KISS and The Wagstaff Family, on behalf of Gibson and Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, a non-profit music group, met at Wilson Middle School in Tulsa to present musical instruments valued at over $50,000 from Gibson to the school as well as their own school back home in Florida.
The Emmy award-winning reality program Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, now in its 7th season, is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. It's executive-produced by Anthony Dominici. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol N