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Clean House is a home makeover and interior design television show, in its 7th season, that airs on the Style Network. Hosted by comedic actress Niecy Nash, the show brings a four-person cleanup-and-renovation crew to the homes of families unable to control household clutter. Each episode follows a basic pattern; family members often face psychological barriers to letting go of their belongings.

Cast

Current cast

• Niecy Nash — Hostess
• Mark Brunetz — Design Guru
• Trish Suhr — Yard Sale Diva! (2006 - present)
• Matt Iseman — Go-to-Guy (2006 - present)

Former cast

• Allen Lee Haff — Yard Sale Guy (2003 - 2005)
• Linda Koopersmith — Organizer (2003 - 2005)
• Michael Moloney — Designer (2003 - 2004)
• Tanya Whitford — Organizer (2004)
• Sean McEwen — Yard Sale Guy (2004)
• John Eric Bentley — Go-to-Guy (2006)
• Reign Morton — Yard Sale Guy (2009)

Guest hosts

• Debi Gutierrez — Guest hostess for four episodes (2007).
• Lisa Arch — Guest hostess for seven episodes (2008 - 2009).
• Kellie Shanygne Williams - Guest hostess for six episodes (2009).

Behind-the-Scenes

• Designer Michael Moloney left the series after the first season to join ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
• Allen Lee Haff left after four seasons to host his own program, My House Is Worth What on HGTV and hosts America's Cutest Puppies on the WE Network. Haff also appears in films such as An American Carol and Ice Crawlers.
• Organizer Linda Koopersmith filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court in July 2007, alleging wrongful termination, breach of contract and both intentional and negligent misrepresentation. She also named as a defendant Renee Simon, a producer and one of her former supervisors. ^[1]
• Debi Gutierrez filled in for Niecy Nash in two episodes in 2007, "The Johnson/West Family" and "The Cohen Family" ^[2] on December 21, 2007, while she was away filming Reno 911!: Miami. Style network stated that they are not replacing Nash with Gutierrez ^[3]

Series overview

Episode structure

Each episode begins with a short montage introducing the subjects of the makeover. Homeowners typically are "victims" of a combination of poor housekeeping ability and lifestyle situations that exacerbate the problem. Most of the homes on the show are so messy that a person could not enter and walk around freely. Hostess Niecy Nash guides family members through the process of letting go of things with the assistance of "Design Guru," celebrity home designer Mark Brunetz; a "Yard Sale Diva," comedic actress Trish Suhr; and the "Go-to-Guy," handyman Matt Iseman. Previous seasons featured "Yard Sale Guy" Allan Lee Haff, "Organizer" Linda Koopersmith, and "Designer" Michael Moloney.

Often, the family becomes emotional and defensive about the junk it has harbored for decades, and Nash and her team will negotiate and make deals with family members in order to convince them to sell belongings. The excess belongings are sold at a yard sale (often while family members cry, moan, or try to take items back into the house) to raise money for the makeover. The show's production budget matches up to $1000 of the yard sale proceeds to be used on the makeover, and supplies all paint and labor. Generally, the finished product looks like they spent substantially more thanks to the talent of Brunetz, in addition to the "favors" Nash calls in from various furniture stores and other vendors as well as the "gifts" that Nash provides as a result of the aforementioned bargaining.

Commercial breaks are often trailed with segments featuring quick interior design tips directed at the viewer. These tips offer solutions to common home decor challenges and are usually presented by Brunetz and Nash.

Seasons

Spin-offs

The show has spawned a spin-off series, Clean House Comes Clean, which showcases deleted/behind-the-scenes footage from previous episodes of the Clean House series. The series features commentary from Brunetz, Suhr, and Iseman.

Yearly, the crew also searches the country for homes that are the messiest, resulting in Clean House: The Messiest Home in the Country, and the excess proceeds go to charity.

Notable episodes

• Season 2, Episode 7: "The Dragon Family". Some family members become emotional or even angry during various segments of the show. One such case featured Court Commissioner Toni Dragon and her daughter, an episode which was featured on the E! channel's list of the "100 Most Outrageous Moments in Reality TV" in 2005. A county hearing officer in southern California, this woman was so mad during the "reveal" of the makeover, she began crying and yelling at the cast. She shouted, "I hate it, I hate all of it, I just want to leave!" More often than not, the participating family is weeping and happy at the final reveal of the makeover and there is a happy ending summed up with a witty close by Nash.
• Season 4, Special: "Margaret Ensley". Another episode featured the mother of Niecy Nash - and talked about the elder Nash's crusade against violence in schools.
• Season 5, Episode 9: "The Grier Family and David Alan Grier". One episode featured the brother of comedian David Alan Grier.
• Season 7, Episode 7: "100th Episode: The Dirty Little Awards Show". In celebration of Clean House reaching its 100th episode, the team hosts an awards show, and revisits a number of the featured families to find out if they have kept their homes clutter-free.

External links

• Official website
• Clean House at the Internet Movie Database

References