Two lucky Memphians received some upgrades to their house, care of a new home renovation TV show.
“Fix It & Finish It,” a home renovation show hosted by Antonio Sabato, Jr., came to Memphis to look at the midtown home of friends Rebecca Rogers and Jodi Carter. The premise of the show is to find people with unfinished home renovations and repairs and finish them within a day.
A Pathology lab supervisor at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Rogers was overjoyed to learn that they were about to get the major renovation to their backyard they wanted, plus a little more.
“All we had was a huge, unorganized brick patio,” Rogers said.
Rogers bought the home in November 2011 and she and friend Jodi Carter have loved it ever since. For Rogers, the neighborhood was the main draw.
“I’m less than ten minutes from work and it’s such a quiet neighborhood,” Rogers said.
But when a TV production crew and heavy construction equipment disrupted the “quiet neighborhood”, some neighbors got a little curious.
“About five neighbors have come over to see what’s been going on,” Rogers said while chuckling.
Rogers and Carter described the host of the show, do-it-yourself expert Antonio Sabato, Jr., as being “nice and very educated on renovations.”
Sabato, who works as both a reality TV host and star on ABC’s hit show “Dancing with the Stars,” is enjoying every moment of his new jobs.
“I’m thrilled to be on Dancing with the Stars,” Sabato said enthusiastically. “They’ve wanted me for a while, so I’m working hard.”
Memphis is starting to grow on Sabato, who’s been a fan of its most famous resident for years.
“Being in Memphis is great,” Sabato said. “I’m an Elvis fan, so I enjoyed going to Graceland to see his house. The barbecue here is phenomenal. I wish I had more time to stay here.”
The backyard is being designed as a great place for entertainment. The head contractor of My Town Maintenance and Roofing, Noel Fenderson, walked the camera crew through his plans for the yard.
“We are hoping to open up the backyard,” Noel said. “We are expected to have a deck that will flow into a walk space.”
The backyard will be equipped with a lounge and grilling area, vegetable garden, and a fire-pit. There are also going to be a few extra surprises thrown in.
To have producers see the need of a particular family, the homeowners must submit a video and the producers choose a family based on the family’s need. One of the show’s producers, Collin Herr, explained how the renovation must also be able to be completed within a day.
“All contractors and designers donate their time, so the project must be manageable,” Herr said.
Sabato explained his motives for helping people with their renovations.
“I love my life and I love giving back,” Sabato said. “I enjoy helping families that need help financially or can’t finish the project on their own.”
A contractor with My Town Maintenance and Roofing, Brandon Archer shared Sabato’s enthusiasm.
“God gave us two hands, two legs, and a brain and if I can use it to help someone I will,” Archer said.
“Fix It & Finish It” airs daily at 11 a.m. on NBC.
