HGTV's Ty Pennington Once Received A Roadside Rescue From A Teenage Fan
HGTV's Ty Pennington has had a pretty major car-related run-in with the law in the past, making headlines in 2007 when he was arrested in Los Angeles for a DUI. Ultimately, the TV personality was given three years probation along with mandated participation in drinking-related recovery programs. "I made an error in judgment," the TV personality said in a statement following his arrest, going on to apologize to his fans and colleagues (per CBS).
While this was a controversial moment for Pennington, not all of his vehicle-based headlines have been so negative. Back in 2008, two fans of the series "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," which Pennington hosted from 2003 to 2012, came to the renovation star's rescue after he ran into a roadside issue. Diane Grassley and her then-16-year-old daughter, Colleen, were driving outside of Newport, Michigan when they spotted Pennington on the side of Interstate 75.
"It was kind of dark but our headlights lit up his face," Diane told WTVG-TV in Toledo, Ohio at the time, per UPI. "We both looked at each other and started laughing. It was like, oh my gosh! That's Ty Pennington!" Turns out, Pennington had run out of gas and had pulled over onto the side of the road. Luckily, his fans were able to give him a ride to the nearest gas station so he could purchase some fuel. Little did they know, their small act of kindness would land them the memory of a lifetime.
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The duo described what Pennington is really like
From his days on the outlandish TLC series "Trading Spaces" to his work as a design mentor on HGTV's "Rock the Block," Ty Pennington has experienced a dramatic transformation throughout his renovation career. When he was picked up on the side of the road by a teenage fan and her mom in 2008, the HGTV star was still working on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," as the series wouldn't end until 2012.
Pennington cultivated a loud and carefree image as the show's host, but this wasn't exactly what Diane and Colleen Grassley saw when they came to his rescue. "He was so nice and down to earth," Grassley told Monroe News, per People. "He didn't act like his TV persona. He was really calm." While they gave him a much-needed lift, Diane and Colleen also offered him homemade brownies.
"He did tell us that he was hypoglycemic and that he probably shouldn't eat one," Diane said. "But he said they smelled so good." Even if Pennington wasn't exactly as they imagined, meeting the renovation star on the side of the road still turned out to be a positive experience for the mother-daughter duo.
The pair received VIP treatment after helping Ty Pennington
If picking up Ty Pennington off the side of the interstate wasn't memorable enough for Diane Grassley and her daughter Colleen, the two women also got the experience of a lifetime after their good deed. To show his thanks, Pennington took a special selfie with Colleen and left her a handwritten note. "Hey, you're awesome!" the note read. "Thanks for the ride."
The TV personality also revealed to the mother-daughter duo that he was in the Detroit area while filming a renovation in Toledo, Ohio for "Extreme Makeover." With this information, Diane and Colleen traveled to Toledo the next day and were able to score a spot in the show's VIP section for the home renovation reveal.
"I felt so privileged to be by the house where everyone else was behind barricades," Diane said about the experience. The Grassleys probably weren't expecting VIP treatment as a result of their roadside rescue, but we're sure that it's a memory they won't forget anytime soon.