UPDATED: 3:08 p.m.
MOORHEAD - The Grommesh family was finally welcomed home this afternoon.
As 8,000 spectators chanted and cheered, the family got a first look at their new "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" house in south Moorhead.
Host Ty Pennington welcomed home the family, which had been vacationing in the Bahamas, after a build that took 106 hours and many volunteers.
In advance of the big reveal Sunday, spectators cheered for the camera and chanted, "Move that bus!" - but the family had not yet arrived.
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"Don't point and look at the camera," a member of ABC warned the crowd. "We will not put that on TV."
It's all part of the process. As the Grommesh family waits to see their new house for the first time, the crowd supplied high-energy shots for ABC.
Anna Olson and Erin Gunderson were part of the crowd. Gunderson said the fact that much of the crowd's reaction is staged doesn't bother her.
"It's a little expected because it's going on TV, so they want it to look good," she said.
Olson said that after cheering for so long, her throat was a little sore. Still, she thinks it's worth it.
"Everyone was chanting the exact same thing, and it felt cool to be part of something so huge," she said.
Traela Kloster arrived at 5:30 this morning to get front-row seats on the north side of the new Grommesh house. She said she was not even the first person here.
"I couldn't sleep last night, anyway," she said.
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Read tomorrow's Forum for complete coverage.
