Mass Control The celebrity carpenter from the south
Written by Christopher McCaa
Armed with carpentry skills, a bull-horn and a hefty dose of ADHD, Gary "Ty" Pennington has become a reality television star and in the process improved hundreds of lives through his altruistic architecture.
As the host of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” Pennington remodels or rebuilds the homes of those crippled by a variety of hardships, including illnesses, poverty or natural disasters.
In addition to assisting these families through construction and landscaping, he has provided ABC with a television ratings magnet and launched his own lucrative career in interior design, endorsement deals and publishing.
What some may not know is Pennington's journey to the top is marked, if not fueled by a behavioral disorder.
A hyperactive child from the start, he was diagnosed with ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ) at the age of seven by his mother, a psychologist.
But Pennington channeled his nervous energy and took to the art of woodworking at a young age.
Pennington worked his way through his undergraduate years at The Art Institute of Atlanta in carpentry, accruing the skills which would one day prove integral to his fortune and fame.
But before his blue collar skills brought him riches, the Atlantan's career path took an unlikely detour.
During his final semester at the Atlanta College of Art, Pennington caught the eye of a modeling scout. Soon the handyman found himself living the life of a globe-trotting fashion model.
His image was on display for the capitalistic causes of brand names like Sprite, J.Crew and Macy's.
With a new-found taste for the world of entertainment, Pennington found a way to combine his carpentry skills and love of showbiz by becoming a set designer in Hollywood. Pennington's Tinseltown credits include creating the fabricated world for the film “Leaving Las Vegas.”
But it wasn't long before Pennington was in front of the camera once again. Pennington landed a role on The Learning Channel's show “Trading Spaces,” and quickly became one of the show's stars with his manic sense of humor and love of the spotlight.
It wasn't long until the “suits” at ABC approached Pennington about starring in a new show.
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” premiered in February of 2004, and it wasn't long before the show became one of the network's most lucrative investments.
The train just kept on rollin'.
Including a subsequent endorsement deal with the retail giant Sears, Pennington recently celebrated the release of the premiere issue of his magazine, “Ty Pennington at Home.”
This venture into the publishing world was not uncharted territory for the reality star.
In 2003, Pennington penned his own do-it-yourself manifesto, “Ty's Tricks: Home Repair Secrets Plus Cheap and Easy Projects to Transform any Room.”
But Pennington's good fortunes temporarily ran aground in May 2007, when he was arrested for DUI in Los Angeles.
After an immediate public relations campaign, including an apology to his fans, Pennington jumped back on the treadmill of professional success with relative ease.
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” is enjoying continued success, and Pennington has announced he is hard at work writing another book.
No one knows how long the phenomenon of reality TV will last or what will come of its countless pseudo-celebrities. But concerns such as these need not weigh heavy on the mind of the hyper-active celebrity carpenter from the South. Unlike the seemingly endless supply of sad celebrity-seeking souls created by the bastion of banality that is reality TV, Pennington stands apart.
Far from being a reality TV junkie, it pains me to pay respects to one of its products. Even though I'd rather sit through a lengthy root canal, sans sedation, than listen to the sound of the loud-mouthed carpenter's bullhorn-enhanced screams, kudos should be given to Pennington for using his stardom to benefit of those in danger of slipping through the societal cracks of American society.
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The celebrity carpenter from the south Armed with carpentry skills, a bull-horn and a hefty dose of ADHD, Gary "Ty" Pennington has become a reality television star and in the process improved hundreds of lives through his altruistic architecture....
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