HGTV / YouTube Jasmine Roth
HGTV star Jasmine Roth knows how to get to “Sesame Street.” The “Help! I Wrecked My House” host starred in the new “Sesame Street” holiday special, “Elmo and Tango: Holiday Helpers,” and celebrated the premiere in a December 7 Instagram post.
Roth first shared a behind-the-scenes look at the special when she was on set filming for it in August 2023. She wrote at the time, “So surreal! When @elmo calls and asks you to build with him, you say YES. ❤️ I’m excited to share a sneak peek of my new special, with lots more details soon. See you this holiday season on @sesamestreet. (And yes, I’m auditioning for the “coolest mom” award this year, while also making all my childhood dreams come true. Somebody pinch me.☺️)”
“Elmo and Tango: Holiday Helpers” is available to stream on Max.
Fans React to Jasmine Roth’s New Special
The new special is filmed in the style of an HGTV show and features Elmo and his dog Tango as they work with Roth to renovate a classroom for theater teacher Amanda Taylor. They worked together to incorporate practical and creative changes to the space, including room for changing into costumes and preparing for performances as well as adding a colorful mural to the space.
Along the way, Roth and Elmo received help from some of Ms. Taylor’s students and Elmo’s “Sesame Street” friends, including Cookie Monster, Grover, and Rosita. The final reveal brought tears to Ms. Taylor’s eyes, who mentioned she is more used to celebrating other people than allowing herself to be celebrated.
Ms. Taylor wasn’t the only one who appreciated the renovation. Roth shared a December 8 Instagram post featuring a photo of her and Elmo to promote the special, and fans of both Roth and Elmo took to her comment section to share their excitement over the special.
“You are amazing!! Me and my kiddos love you and your work!!!” one fan wrote, with another adding, “We watched it 5 times! 🤣.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter’s initial August 2023 announcement, “Elmo and Tango: Holiday Helpers” was one of three “Sesame Street” specials made to stream on Max. The other two were “Cookie Monster’s Bake Sale” (which aired in August and included former NFL player Food Network star Eddie Jackson) and “Oscar’s Handmade Halloween” (which aired in October and included Food Network’s Sunny Anderson).
Jasmine Roth Was ‘Honored’ to Join ‘Sesame Street’ Special
HGTV interviewed Roth about her involvement in the special, where the “Help! I Wrecked My House” said, “I was honored to represent our network in this collaboration with Max. You could say it was on my hosting bucket list. I’d never worked with puppets before, and then, when I found out we’d be bettering students’ lives, I was all in.”
According to Roth, the biggest surprise during filming was “The puppeteers! Especially how they can take a complex subject and break it down, making it digestible for children to understand. […] I never really gave a lot of thought to what it takes to be a puppeteer or what goes into making these characters come to life. There’s so much work involved. Every time a hand moves or an eyeball goes left or right or blinks, somebody is behind that. At the same time, these puppeteers are doing the voices and sticking to the storylines. Such talent!”
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