CLOVIS, CA (KMJ) – HGTV’s new Extreme Makeover Home Edition has chosen a Clovis Cal Fire Captain who is a recent widower as the recipient of a brand new home.
Cumulus Media has exclusive radio coverage of the big revelation as Cal Fire Captain Nick Reeder (3rd from left, above) learned the news on Tuesday.
The reality TV show’s host, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, best known for his role on Modern Family, and the show’s all-star design team of Breegan Jane, Darren Keefe and Carrie Locklyn are working to customize the house for Reeder and his young children.
Before the “door knock” show host Ferguson was rallying the nearly 200 people who volunteered to build the home.
“Hello Clovis! You are amazing coming out on this hot day!” said Ferguson, inspiring the crew.
Ferguson led the “Braveheart March” — a mini parade with the Extreme Makeover bus, and a fire truck in the caravan as the reality TV stars and the group arrived at the Cottonwood Grove Apartments just outside Reeder’s door.
Redder became a widower in April of 2018, when tragedy struck as his wife, Amanda Sawyer, had just delivered their twin baby girls by cesarean.
She told him she didn’t feel well, and she died just minutes later in the hospital.
The fire captain was left to care for the couple’s three children, 4-year-old Layla, and 15-month-old twins Kaia and Kelce.
His mother Jeanine has been living with them, helping Reeder with his duties as a father while working for the state’s fire agency.
Before the family was swept away, not to return until the Move That Bus reveal day, they held a press conference Tuesday held at his apartment’s clubhouse after he was told the news.
“We were in the living room having a normal afternoon with the girls, we were coloring and playing, all of a sudden it was just a big chant and we knew that we had won,” said Captain Reeder.
The house is being built from the ground-up thanks to lead builder De Young Properties, the City of Clovis and others donors.
Ashley De Young, vice president of marketing for De Young Properties said “we couldn’t be happier to be a part of it.”
Extreme Makeover Home Edition #hgtv in Clovis! @CAL_FIRE Capt. Nick Reeder & his family chosen by @extremehome to receive a brand new house from @DYProperties and other generous Valley companies. pic.twitter.com/wvEJPCRyvT
— Liz Kern (@LiziKernNews) July 31, 2019
The Reeder family’s new home will be located in The Highlands by De Young, located at Shaw and Highland, South of Leonard in Clovis.
Volunteers from firefighters to construction workers are there building the house from the ground up as the Extreme Makeover team is racing to finish in one week before the show’s big reveal on Sunday, August 4, 2019.
“It means everything – a whole new start,” said Reeder.
You can sign up to volunteer, donate supplies for the build, or money for the family, and there was a need for bottled water on the job site.
Visit extreme-deyoung.com to sign-up.
Click to hear the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern:
