Extreme Makeover: Where Are These Fan-Favorite Cast Members Now?

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Extreme makeovers dominated television in the 2000s, as networks transformed everything from contestants’ appearances and wardrobes to the homes they lived in. ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” focused on the last category, dispatching designers, builders, and craftsmen to renovate houses for families facing difficult circumstances.

The series became significantly more successful than its controversial predecessor, “Extreme Makeover,” and remained on the air for nine seasons. But where did its team of dream makers go after the show ended? Some returned to acting, comedy, and music, while others stayed in the home-improvement world. One even became a familiar face on a rival network. Here’s what happened to several of the show’s best-known stars.

Paul DiMeo was one of the few people to remain with “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” throughout its original run. He reportedly landed the carpenter role after displaying a comically gruff, older-man personality during his audition. Yet viewers quickly came to love him for another trait: his tendency to burst into tears at the slightest emotional moment.

Two years after the series ended, DiMeo once again combined his construction expertise with his sentimental side on “Building Wild.” The National Geographic program paired him with business partner Tuffy Bakaitis as they built secluded getaway homes for clients seeking an escape from everyday life. Known as the Cabin Kings, the duo sometimes had to construct access roads before they could even begin work on the properties.

While promoting the series in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer, DiMeo explained why he became so attached to each project: “You spend a week with somebody and you do something. You look at it, and then you look at how it affects the people you did that for. Even if it’s a cabin and it’s a father and a son. They worked on something together that week that never would’ve happened without us bringing it to them. I did that with my old man, and I loved that.” After “Building Wild” ended its second and final season, DiMeo largely stepped away from public view.

Ty Pennington, the show’s frequently shirtless host, became its undeniable breakout star—which helps explain why he has remained a television fixture more than a decade after the program left the air. He was recently confirmed to return as a mentor for the fifth season of the real estate competition series “Battle on the Beach.”

Pennington moved quickly after “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” concluded. The same month its finale aired, he joined ABC’s short-lived lifestyle and health talk show “The Revolution” as its design expert. He later explored the food and restaurant space through Food Network’s “American Diner Revival” and TNT’s “On the Menu.” He also appeared in TLC’s 2018 revival of “Trading Spaces” and became a representative for Chicago mortgage company “Guaranteed Rate.”

In 2021, Pennington joined HGTV, where he hosted the home renovation series “Ty Breaker” and replaced Drew Scott as host of “Rock the Block.” That same year brought a major personal milestone: the Atlanta native married Kellee Merrell, just months after the couple announced their engagement. Away from television, Pennington also cares for his mother, Yvonne, who has bronchiectasis, a chronic respiratory condition. Here’s a look at how he changed from childhood to age 57.

Tracy Hutson, another longtime member of the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” team, began planning her next chapter before the show had even ended. In 2011, she joined forces with the program’s interior designer and Tanya McQueen for “Picker Sisters.” The series followed the trio as they searched antique shops across the country for pieces to stock their Los Angeles home décor store. It was canceled after one season.

Hutson continued working in television with “Momtourage,” which debuted on The Design Network in 2013. Each episode ran for no more than 12 minutes and offered practical advice to working mothers hoping to refresh their homes despite busy schedules. She took on a similar role in Facebook’s online series “Hollywood DIY.”

In more recent years, Hutson—who shares two children with her former husband, actor Barry Watson—has spent less time in front of the camera. Instead, she has concentrated on her eponymous design company and shared her decorating expertise at trade shows and industry conventions.

Before joining “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” London-born Ed Sanders had already worked across several entertainment fields. His résumé included a role on the soccer soap opera “Dream Team,” hosting duties on the British version of “Fear Factor,” and a reporting position on the brief breakfast program “RI:SE.” After moving to the United States with his Italian makeup artist wife, Gioia, and their young son, Sanders joined the show’s cast in its second season, bringing his carpentry experience with him.

His time on the program was not without serious danger. Sanders missed much of the fourth season after an accident nearly cost him his thumb. Following several surgeries, he returned and stayed with the series until its 2012 finale. He later co-hosted AMC’s challenge show “Owner’s Manual” alongside Marcus Hunt, but during the past decade he has largely concentrated on production work behind the scenes.

Sanders co-founded Limey Yank Productions with writer Whit Honea and went on to produce mechanically minded programs including “Mike Brewer’s World of Cars,” “Wheeler Dealers,” and “Celebrity IOU: Joyride.” His technical range extends beyond producing: he has also worked as a camera operator on the documentary “Somehow Hopeful: The Story of a Woodsman” and Netflix’s “Tex Mex Motors.”

Eduardo Xol arrived on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” with an extensive entertainment background. He had appeared in several Mexican telenovelas and launched a Latin pop career with the 1998 album “La Pasión.” After joining the show’s second-season cast as a landscaper, Xol remained an important part of the team through the finale. During that period, he also wrote a home décor column for People en Español, published books, and supported organizations including GLAAD and the Lupus Foundation of America.

Xol largely withdrew from the public spotlight during the rest of the decade. In 2024, however, he made headlines under tragic circumstances. The California resident died in a hospital after being found with severe stab wounds at his home in Palm Springs. Richard Joseph Gonzales, who was present when emergency responders arrived, was initially charged with attempted murder before the charge was upgraded to murder.

“We are heartbroken at the tragic loss of our beloved Eduardo Xol,” his family said in a statement, via E! News. “As his family, we know that his kindness has touched the lives of so many.” Tanya McQueen also remembered her former colleague, telling People, “He was like a gentleman of the highest order, could make an incredible martini on the fly, in a hotel room in a plastic cup, and you felt elevated and away from the work day.”

Like several of his “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” colleagues, Rib Hillis was primarily an actor before he became a carpenter on the series. He appeared during the show’s fifth and sixth seasons after playing a medic on the “General Hospital” spinoff “Port Charles.” Hillis also temporarily took over the role of Ethan Winthrop on “Passions” while Eric Martsolf was on paternity leave and appeared in the romantic comedy “According to Spencer.”

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After leaving the ABC renovation show, Hillis returned his attention to acting. He appeared in several campy science-fiction films, including “Dinocroc vs. Supergator,” “Piranhaconda,” and “Sharktopus Contra Pteracuda.” His television credits include guest appearances on “Melissa and Joey,” “Modern Family,” and “The Rookie.” He also became a regular in Lifetime television movies and appeared in the family films “Timber the Treasure Dog” and “A Doggone Christmas.” Most recently, he played the title role in “The Tall Tales of Jim Bridger.”

In a 2014 interview with Search My Trash, Hillis explained why the big screen will always remain his first love. “Nothing can compare to the thrill and satisfaction of shooting a film. The commitment to artistry and quality of work is unequal. The daytime and reality genre are great sources of entertainment and enjoyment, but if you are interested in artistry and creativity, nothing compares to film.”

John Littlefield managed to maintain his acting career while serving as carpenter on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” between its fourth and ninth seasons, playing a cop in twisty thriller “Fracture,” guesting on “Desperate Housewives” and “Dexter,” and appearing in the T.V. movie “Xtra Credit.”

“I paid my way through college by swinging a hammer,” Littlefield explained in a press release, (via PRWeb), about why he was qualified for the ABC show. “Building sets, building houses. My dad taught me to do these things.” But the multi-talent decided to put the tools down once his side hustle finished and focus entirely on his career as a thespian.

Indeed, Littlefield went on to lend his voice to animation “The Dog Who Saved Summer,” show up in “Castle,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” and “Rizzoli and Isles,” and play the big baddie in cornfield horror “Fear Pharm” and its sequel. More recently, the Pennsylvania native was cast alongside the likes of Zach Roerig and Kayla Bohan in indie crime feature “Undertow,” per Deadline.

Unarguably the most high-profile cast member of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” rapper Xzibit had already scored a half-dozen entries on the Billboard 200, appeared in box office hits “8 Mile,” “XXX: State of the Union,” and “Gridiron Gang,” and presented MTV staple “Pimp My Ride” when he joined the show’s seventh season as a designer in 2009.

The Detroit native continued to show off his many talents once the ABC hit ended, releasing seventh album “Napalm,” playing a mule in T.V. movie “Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden,” and landing the recurring gig of industry boss Leslie “Shyne” Johnson in music drama “Empire,” while also contributing to documentary series such as “Hip-Hop Evolution” and “Hip Hop Uncovered.”

Having spent more time talking about rap than making it, Xzibit finally got back in the saddle, so to speak, in 2025 with his first solo album in 13 years, “Kingmaker.” When asked by the NME what took him so long, the star replied, “I’ve been working on music off-and-on for the last 10 to 12 years but I didn’t feel like it was what I needed to put out. I didn’t feel like it was different enough. [I was] able to hear something in myself that I hadn’t heard before, so it made it easy to know [it was time to release the music].”

Jeff Dye was a one-season wonder on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” appearing as a designer in its swan song year. Of course, as a finalist on “Last Comic Standing” with a Comedy Central special to his name, the funnyman already had another career to fall back on.

Following the ABC hit’s cancelation, Dye hosted MTV’s “Club New Year’s Eve,” regularly appeared on “I Can Do That” and served as tour organizer for the likes of Henry Winkler and William Shatner (here’s the untold truth about him) on golden years reality show “Better Late Than Never.” He’s guested on the panel of “I Can See Your Voice” and “The Masked Singer,” launched the “Jeff Dye’s Friendship Podcast,” and played one of three stand-ups who stage a heist in comedy film “Stealing Jokes.” Dye also turned daytime game show host in 2023 for Fox’s “Who The Bleep Is That?”

That same year, Dye found himself in the headlines for all the wrong reasons when he was arrested for driving under the influence and subsequently fleeing the scene after crashing his car into a tree. He later admitted on the “Smoochie Town” podcast that he’d been a functioning alcoholic for the best part of two decades but was now committed to maintaining his sobriety. Three years earlier, Dye also became the talk of the town when he began dating reality T.V. star Kristin Cavallari. Here’s a look at several other celebs proud to be sober.

Michael Moloney displayed his natural eye for design across all nine season of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” And judging by the interview he gave to Reality Wanted in 2011, the ever-present would no doubt have taken its cancelation hard.

“It’s the best job in the whole world,” Moloney gushed. “To be able to do something you love and have passion about it and make a difference in the world is pretty different. I think a lot of people go through their lives trying to find purpose and this found me. It’s great.” Luckily, the star, who first worked in the world of fashion, has found plenty to keep himself busy since.

Indeed, Moloney runs home furnishing outlets in both Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach, has served as judge on competitive reality shows “The Great Christmas Light Fight” and “The Great Halloween Fright Fight,” and he’s lent his skills to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by designing the interior of the annual home giveaway.

After nine seasons of flying the flag for female carpenters on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” Paige Hemmis jumped from ABC to Hallmark Home and Family as their resident lifestyle expert, racking up no fewer than 585 appearances across seven years. And she soon became so committed to her new network that she even televised her wedding there.

Yes, in 2015, the DIY star, who’d previously been married to Russ Hemmis, walked down the aisle with Jason Short of Australian classical vocal outfit ARIA for a prime-time T.V. special filmed for the whole of America to see. The pair had first met seven years prior during Paige’s “Extreme Makeover” stint, per Stay Tuned.

When asked why they decided to make their nuptials so public, Paige replied, “Since we met on camera, we thought we would continue that tradition and get married on camera. Seems like a nice way to bookend our time together so far.” The Wisconsin native also paid tribute to the Hallmark family for making her feel so welcome, adding, “The love that the cast and crew has for each other on this show envelops anyone who visits our set. That is exactly the kind of love I would want surrounding me on my wedding day!”

Launched to fame via “The Bachelor” and then “The Bachelorette,” Jillian Harris then went from dating to designing when she joined the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” cast for its final three seasons. And she obviously made quite the impression. When the show wrapped up, she was quickly signed up to host “Canada’s Handyman Challenge.”

Harris continued to display her talents on “Love It or List It Too” for six years and became something of an entrepreneur, founding her own online vintage store and subscription box service, publishing cookbook “Fraiche Food, Full Hearts,” and even setting up her own web-based business course titled The Jilly Academy.

But she didn’t completely turn her back on the genre she made her name in. In 2016, she helped to counsel Jasmine Lorimer on the debut season of Canada’s “The Bachelorette,” and a year later, she bagged her very own candid reality show, “Jillian and Justin,” which as its name suggests, focused on her relationship with snowboarder Justin Pasutto. The pair later became parents to two kids and in 2025 became husband and wife. Here’s a look at what you need to know about the rebooted “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”