Jul 25 2005
It takes a very special story and a very special woman to enlist the aid of the entire cast of TLC's WHILE YOU WERE OUT, a member of Britain's royal family and the whole neighborhood for a grand surprise.
When TLC learned about Sandra, who volunteered to take eight siblings in need of a permanent home into her own house, WHILE YOU WERE OUT traveled to the small town of Lockport, Illinois, just outside of Chicago, to redesign her entire home. The cause drew the attention of Sarah, Duchess of York, U.S. spokesperson for SOS Children's Villages USA, who rolled up her sleeves and lent her assistance.
The two-hour special -- WHILE YOU WERE OUT: Royal Renovation -- featuring the fruits of their labor, premieres Saturday, August 13, at 9 PM (ET/PT) on TLC. Sandra, the subject of the makeover and WHILE YOU WERE OUT's ruse, lives her life as an unsung hero in the fight for child welfare. Nearly 11 years ago, she began working with SOS Children's Villages USA, a nonprofit organization that places homeless children into loving homes. She was awarded guardianship of eight brothers and sisters and, in addition to giving them a place to live, she lovingly completed their family. Sandra has become a professional scheduler, counselor, cook, chauffer, teacher, nurse and an inspiration to other SOS parents.
WHILE YOU WERE OUT will surprise Sandra with its most ambitious project ever by making over her entire home from top to bottom. For this episode, host Evan Farmer and the series' entire team of designers, carpenters and crew is joined by volunteers from Lockport and the highly energetic "Fergie" -- Sarah, Duchess of York -- to give just a little back to a woman who has given new meaning to the word "family."
The theme of the home will be "Holiday/Vacation," with lead designer Mark Montano revamping the basement and recreation room. He is joined by Chayse Dacoda for the bedroom, Nadia Geller for the living room and John Bruce for the kitchen, dining room and front yard. All three of the series' carpenters -- Andrew Dan-Jumbo, Leslie Segrete and Jason Cameron -- pitch in as well. Putting all kinds of relationships to the test, WHILE YOU WERE OUT takes viewers through a secret, two-day design project that leads to a dramatic transformation and a surprising reveal. Here's how it works: a homeowner sneakily sends his or her partner, parent or roommate out of town for a couple of days.
Meanwhile, the WHILE YOU WERE OUT team works around the clock to create a dreamed-of space. Can they finish in time before the surprise returns from their trip? All of which leads to the big surprise at the end of each show, announcing, "Look what we've done ... WHILE YOU WERE OUT!"