Hundreds gathered Sunday afternoon in Tama County, Iowa, for filming of the final segment for ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition project for the Kibe family of tiny Lincoln, Iowa. During a news conference held today (Monday), Shawn Kibe said his family was speechless at yesterday’s unveiling of their new home.
“This is something that you always see on the news that happens to somebody else,” Kibe said. “We feel like we’re the luckiest people in Iowa right now.” The Kibes lost their home to fire last December and rented a hotel room before moving a one-bedroom trailer onto their farm earlier this year so they’d have a place to live. Kibe said he and his wife Amy are so very thankful they now have a permanent home again for three boys.
“It’s a lot of fun watching the reaction on their face…when they saw the stuff,” Kibe said. He describes the whole “Extreme Makeover” experience as humbling.
“We are taking away that Iowa’s a great place. This community is a great place,” Kibe says. “We are incredibly thankful to everybody.” About 12 hundred volunteers and paid staff worked over the course of last week to finish the two story “ranchette” style home.
The Kibes are scheduled to move in today (Monday). Along with their new home, the crew built a new barn and greenhouse for the family. The episode
of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” to feature this Iowa story will air sometime in November.