‘Extreme Makeover’ star Paul DiMeo: Obama wants us to be ‘un- lazy’

Paul DiMeo, a homebuilder and the star of ABC’s Emmy-award winning reality show “Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition,” says President Obama faces a huge task: trying to make Americans less lazy.

During a visit to Washington on Tuesday to accept an award from the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), DiMeo told ITK, “Americans can be very, very lazy, and I think a lot of what [Obama] is trying to do, whether it’s [telling people to] turn off light bulbs or take better care of their health, is that he wants us to be un-lazy.”

While the star is admittedly a big Obama fan, he’s not ready to be placed in the “Democrat” category just yet.

The California resident went on to say that he really admires the state’s GOP Senate candidate, Carly Fiorina, and is undecided about how he’ll vote on Nov. 2.
He also praised the state’s GOP gubernatorial candidate, Meg Whitman. “I love the idea of a woman who has run a company being the governor,” DiMeo said of the former eBay CEO. “Because California really is a huge company of sorts, and so that could be a good fit.”

DiMeo also admitted he was nervous about that night’s black-tie gala at the Reagan Center. “I’ve never accepted an award before, just me,” he said sheepishly. “I mean, we got the Emmy, and I was onstage, but this is different.”

The Americana Award from the PVA also has personal meaning for the building designer. “My dad was a disabled veteran who passed away this year,” he said. “So this means a lot to me. I’ll even be wearing my dad’s tux, although I had to get pants that fit me.”

The new season of “Extreme Makeover” is filming now, and DiMeo recently helped rebuild an after-school community center in Northeast Washington. New episodes of the show air Sunday nights on ABC.