Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Episode 7.19 Heathcock family

Ty and the team are off to Hattiesburg, Mississippi along with Christian Slater to help the Heathcock Family.

Sherman Heathcock is an American hero in every respect. After the events of 9/11, he enlisted in the National Guard to help protect his country. When he's not overseas, Sherman is a deputy sheriff and a member of the SWAT team. With the little free time he has, Sherman coaches his son Gary's football and baseball teams.

While Sherman was serving in Iraq, disaster struck as Hurricane Katrina left the family home badly damaged. Falling trees led to a leaky roof which caused water damage throughout the house. The damage is so bad that the foundation is now giving way. The Heathcocks fear the house may crumble at any moment.

After the family is sent on a well-deserved vacation, they open a box Ty gave them to find a ringing cell phone inside. To their surprise, Sherman is on the line. The whole family believes he's calling from Iraq, but he's actually in the same room. Anyone else got chills right now?

Ty instructs Christian Slater to rip out the oven that has been broken for years. He's a great actor who takes direction well. Christian's most memorable moment may be when he shows us his chainsaw skills to help make a desk for Annie. At one point of the makeover, Christian and Ty head to Camp Shelby to help with Operation Homefront, which creates care packages for troops like Sherman who are deployed overseas.

When Ty calls the Heathcock family for an update, he lets Christian give them some great news. The United States Automobile Association (or the USAA) will be providing $75,000 in college scholarships for the Heathcock kids. But wait...there's more! The Heathcock family gets private meetings with the Jonas Brothers and Celine Dion. Talk about getting starstruck!

After the fun is done, the Heathcocks come home to a roaring crowd. Ty has yet another surprise for Sherman. His other family, the men serving with him in Iraq, is on a satellite feed telling our driver to MOVE THAT BUS! Before long, the chant erupts in the crowd. Love it! Here is the breakdown of this week's build:

- The Kitchen: The old oven from the 50s is gone. Gina is delighted to see the new one. And just in case she misses her old toaster oven, the team made sure the kitchen still came equipped with one. A new one, of course.

- The Sports/Science Room: Gary told John about his interest in sports and science. So now Gary's room has a wall that features him playing a variety of sports. On each of his portraits, there are cutouts that Gary can remove to learn the specific name of the muscle located on that part of the body. Very cool.

-The Dollhouse Room: Paige used to play with dollhouses as a kid, so we can see the attention to detail she put into the room. The wallpaper makes Tessa feel like she's in an actual dollhouse. Would anyone like some tea?

- The Nature Room: When we first met Annie, we found out she organized a club to encourage kids to recycle. Michael went to work to create a room makes us feel like we're in a field. We're sure Annie can't wait to tell everyone that Christian Slater helped cut her desk.

- The Master Bedroom: Ty designed the room personally for Sherman and Gina. The wallpaper is full of hearts that are created with the words "I love you so much." On the headboard of the bed is a picture of Sherman's handwriting so Gina can wake up to his loving words when he isn't there. We especially like the heart-shaped box that contains all the letters Sherman has written to Gina. It even holds the latest one that Ty asked Sherman to write for her while he was on vacation. Again...chills.

In an episode filled with surprises, the Heathcocks get one more. The USAA has paid off their entire mortgage and offer free financial planning for the next five years. Gina and Sherman could not be happier. This will be one less thing Sherman will have to worry about once he finishes his tour of duty. Welcome home, Heathcock family. Welcome home.