Home Makeover to Help Family in Wells is Aired November 14, 2005
Portland Press Herald
Author: Trevor Maxwell

Hard work is rewarded after difficult times for lobsterman Doug Goodale.

A few months ago, the story of Doug Goodale wasn't known beyond a handful of lobstermen and his neighbors.

Sunday night, it reached millions of television viewers.

For one hour, the Goodale family of Wells was the star of the ABC show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

The program builds new homes for families who have experienced hardship. Earlier this fall, a team of more than 1,200 volunteers worked around the clock for a week to replace Goodale's double-wide trailer with a log home worth more than $500,000. ABC also sent the family to Disneyland and bought Goodale a new lobster boat.

"Life has been hard on this family," said Ty Pennington, host of the weekly show that averages 15 million viewers. "I've never met a guy who works as hard as Doug Goodale."

The 40-year-old lobsterman cut off part of his right arm in 1997, when it was caught by a winch aboard his boat. Relatives said Goodale persevered and retrained himself to fish and perform day-to-day tasks. His career as a lobsterman helped support his three daughters.

The cameras followed Pennington and his design team as they tailored the new home, donated by Katahdin Cedar Log Homes, based in Aroostook County. The home features overhanging gables, a wraparound porch and a copper-topped gazebo.

For the two daughters who still live with Goodale and his wife, Rebecca, the show created rooms based on ballet and rain forest themes. Other highlights were a two-story stone fireplace, a private master suite and a dance studio with an upright piano.

"It's just amazing to know that there are that many people willing to help a lobsterman," Doug Goodale said at the end of the show. "I guess it's all right to get some help once in a while, as long as you don't become dependent on it."

The arrival of "Extreme Makeover" in Maine created quite a buzz, and ultimately raised questions about the hit show's screening process.

When news spread that Goodale had been selected, an ex-wife and others called his character into question. Goodale was convicted of armed robbery as a teenager, and served 60 days in the York County Jail. He also has a misdemeanor conviction for assault and two convictions for drunken driving.

The show's application asks candidates whether they have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor. Neither the show nor Goodale would say whether his application included the information, or whether a criminal record would have disqualified him. Goodale and his family agreed not to comment until after the show aired.

Endemol, the studio that produces the show, issued a statement in October.

"Even the most deserving individual may not have a picture-perfect past," the statement read. "At the end of the day, the incidents occurred years - even decades - in the past. We invite our fans to watch the episode and meet the Doug Goodale we met: a hardworking fisherman and loving dad."

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.

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