# Ty Pennington
**Ty Pennington** (born Gary Tygert Burton) is an American television host, carpenter, and designer best known as the host of the ABC reality series *Extreme Makeover: Home Edition* from 2003 to 2012 and, more recently, as host of HGTV's *Rock the Block*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Atlanta, Georgia; birth name Gary Tygert Burton; sources give the birth year as 1964[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ty-pennington/) or 1965[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/pennington-ty-1965) |
| Breakout role | Carpenter on TLC's *Trading Spaces* (2000–2003/04)[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ty-pennington/) • [3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/culture-magazines/pennington-ty) |
| Signature show | Host and team leader of *Extreme Makeover: Home Edition* (ABC, 2003–2012); more than 224 homes renovated over ten years[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/978585/ty-breakers-ty-pennington-hgtv/) • [5](https://www.tvline.com/2132361/what-happened-ty-pennington-after-extreme-makeover-home-edition/) |
| Awards | Two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Reality Program (2005 and 2006) for *Extreme Makeover: Home Edition*[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ty-pennington/bio/3000382736/) |
| Current HGTV work | Host of *Rock the Block* (since 2021) and mentor on *Battle on the Beach*[5](https://www.tvline.com/2132361/what-happened-ty-pennington-after-extreme-makeover-home-edition/) • [7](https://www.hgtv.com/profiles/talent/ty-pennington) |
| Books | *Ty's Tricks* (2003, a New York Times bestseller), *Good Design Can Change Your Life* (2008), and the memoir *Life to the Extreme* (2019)[8](https://www.typennington.com/about) • [5](https://www.tvline.com/2132361/what-happened-ty-pennington-after-extreme-makeover-home-edition/) |
| Personal life | Lives in Savannah, Georgia, with his wife, Kellee, and their rescue dogs[8](https://www.typennington.com/about) |
## Early life and education
Pennington was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and spent most of his youth in nearby Marietta. His mother, Yvonne, a school psychologist, divorced his father when he was young and later remarried; her new husband adopted Pennington and his older brother, giving them the surname Pennington[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ty-pennington/) • [9](https://www.realitytvworld.com/realitytvdb/wiki/Ty_Pennington).
He learned woodworking as a child and, at age 12, designed and built a three-story tree house with neighborhood help[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ty-pennington/). After graduating from Sprayberry High School in Marietta, he attended [Kennesaw State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/kennesaw-state-university), focusing on art and history, then studied graphic design at the Atlanta Art Institute and painting and sculpture at the Atlanta College of Art, working as a carpenter to pay for his education[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ty-pennington/) • [3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/culture-magazines/pennington-ty). A modeling scout approached him in his final semester, and he appeared in print ads and television commercials, including spots for [Diet Coke](https://www.edgepedia.org/diet-coke)[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ty-pennington/). In 1995 he worked as a set production assistant on the film *Leaving Las Vegas*[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ty-pennington/).
## Trading Spaces
Pennington's television career began in 2000 when he was cast as one of the regular carpenters on TLC's home decorating series *Trading Spaces*, an American adaptation of the British program *Changing Rooms*. In each episode, two sets of neighbors exchanged house keys and, with two days, a $1,000 budget, and the help of a designer and carpenter, transformed a room in each other's home[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ty-pennington/). His playful on-screen presence made him a breakout personality on the series[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/culture-magazines/pennington-ty).
## Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
During his third year on *Trading Spaces*, Pennington was tapped to host the primetime special *Extreme Makeover: Home Edition*, a spin-off of ABC's personal-appearance series *Extreme Makeover*. The format sent a nominated family on a week's vacation while a team of designers and builders completely renovated their house in seven days, ending with a reveal in which Pennington led the holler "Move that bus!"[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ty-pennington/). The special's ratings success led ABC to make it a weekly series, and Pennington left *Trading Spaces* to host it[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ty-pennington/).
The show ran from its 2003 premiere until ABC canceled it in 2011, with final episodes airing in early 2012[5](https://www.tvline.com/2132361/what-happened-ty-pennington-after-extreme-makeover-home-edition/). Pennington has said the team renovated more than 224 homes over ten years[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/978585/ty-breakers-ty-pennington-hgtv/). At the height of its success in the mid-2000s, the show averaged 15 million viewers[5](https://www.tvline.com/2132361/what-happened-ty-pennington-after-extreme-makeover-home-edition/). It won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program in 2005 and 2006[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ty-pennington/bio/3000382736/).
His visibility on the show led to an exclusive multi-year agreement with Sears covering product design, merchandising, and advertising, including the Ty Pennington Style line and his role as ambassador for the Sears American Dream Campaign[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ty-pennington/) • [8](https://www.typennington.com/about). In January 2005, midway through the second season, he had emergency surgery for acute appendicitis in Atlanta and continued working on the show from his hospital bed by phone and email[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0672205/bio/).
## Later television
After *Extreme Makeover: Home Edition* ended, Pennington hosted a series of programs on other networks: ABC's daytime talk show *The Revolution* (2012), TNT's *On the Menu* opposite chef [Emeril Lagasse](https://www.edgepedia.org/emeril-lagasse), Food Network's *American Diner Revival* with chef [Amanda Freitag](https://www.edgepedia.org/amanda-freitag), and several seasons of *Small Business Revolution*, streaming on Hulu and Prime Video[8](https://www.typennington.com/about). In Britain he hosted *Ty's Great British Adventure* on UKTV, helping communities revitalize neglected public spaces, and served as an executive producer on the series[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ty-pennington/) • [8](https://www.typennington.com/about).
He joined HGTV in 2021 with *Ty Breaker*, in which he competed against designers Alison Victoria, Grace Mitchell, and Sabrina Soto to convince unhappy homeowners either to renovate their current house or to move[11](https://www.tvinsider.com/981472/ty-breaker-ty-pennington-hgtv-preview/). The same year he became a mentor on the competition series *Battle on the Beach*, alongside Taniya Nayak and Alison Victoria in the early seasons[5](https://www.tvline.com/2132361/what-happened-ty-pennington-after-extreme-makeover-home-edition/). He has hosted *Rock the Block*, HGTV's renovation competition, since joining in its second season in 2021[5](https://www.tvline.com/2132361/what-happened-ty-pennington-after-extreme-makeover-home-edition/) • [7](https://www.hgtv.com/profiles/talent/ty-pennington). ABC's short-lived 2025 reboot of *Extreme Makeover: Home Edition*, hosted by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin of The Home Edit, did not include him[5](https://www.tvline.com/2132361/what-happened-ty-pennington-after-extreme-makeover-home-edition/) • [12](https://www.axios.com/2025/01/02/extreme-makeover-home-edition-reboot-makeover).
## Books and design work
Pennington has published three books. *Ty's Tricks: Home Repair Secrets plus Cheap and Easy Projects to Transform Any Room* (Hyperion, 2003) became a New York Times bestseller; *Good Design Can Change Your Life* ([Simon & Schuster](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-and-schuster), 2008) collected his design inspirations and advice; and the memoir *Life to the Extreme: How a Chaotic Kid Became America's Favorite Carpenter* (Zondervan, 2019) covered his childhood, television career, and experience living with ADHD[8](https://www.typennington.com/about) • [5](https://www.tvline.com/2132361/what-happened-ty-pennington-after-extreme-makeover-home-edition/). He has said he wrote the memoir in seven days, the same window in which his show could transform a house[5](https://www.tvline.com/2132361/what-happened-ty-pennington-after-extreme-makeover-home-edition/).
His design ventures include Ty Pennington Impressions with Westminster Fabrics, a furniture partnership with Howard Miller, the Ty Pennington Style line for Sears, and a line of flooring for Lumber Liquidators[8](https://www.typennington.com/about). He was diagnosed with ADHD at age 17 and has raised awareness for children with the condition[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ty-pennington/bio/3000382736/).
## Personal life
Pennington lives in [Savannah, Georgia](https://www.edgepedia.org/savannah-georgia), with his wife, Kellee, and their rescue dogs, Dory and Phoebe, and has been restoring an 1800s home there[8](https://www.typennington.com/about). In July 2023, two days after attending the *Barbie* premiere in Los Angeles to promote HGTV's *Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge*, he was airlifted from [Breckenridge, Colorado](https://www.edgepedia.org/breckenridge-colorado), to Denver for emergency surgery on a throat abscess[5](https://www.tvline.com/2132361/what-happened-ty-pennington-after-extreme-makeover-home-edition/). In May 2007 he was arrested for driving under the influence, pleaded no contest, and received three years' probation, a 90-day driving restriction, and a 90-day alcohol program[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0672205/bio/).
## References
1. [Ty Pennington – Builder, Carpenter, Host, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ty-pennington/)
2. [Pennington, Ty 1965-, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/pennington-ty-1965)
3. [Pennington, Ty, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/culture-magazines/pennington-ty)
4. [Ty Pennington's Ty Breaker Q&A, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/978585/ty-breakers-ty-pennington-hgtv/)
5. [What Happened To Ty Pennington After Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/2132361/what-happened-ty-pennington-after-extreme-makeover-home-edition/)
6. [Ty Pennington Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ty-pennington/bio/3000382736/)
7. [Ty Pennington, HGTV](https://www.hgtv.com/profiles/talent/ty-pennington)
8. [About Ty Pennington, typennington.com](https://www.typennington.com/about)
9. [Ty Pennington, RealityTVWorld](https://www.realitytvworld.com/realitytvdb/wiki/Ty_Pennington)
10. [Ty Pennington Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0672205/bio/)
11. [Ty Pennington on Bringing a 'Little Realness' to HGTV With 'Ty Breaker', TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/981472/ty-breaker-ty-pennington-hgtv-preview/)
12. ["Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" underwent its own makeover, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2025/01/02/extreme-makeover-home-edition-reboot-makeover)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Television presenters and hosts › Lifestyle and property presenters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license