These Gay Detroiters Are Rocking the Block in Yet Another HGTV Reality Show Competition
Detroiters Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas are back on HGTV!
The personal and professional couple and stars of HGTV’s “Bargain Block"
are featured in the third season of the HGTV series “Rock the Block,” which has the stars of four different HGTV series competing to design a newly constructed home in Charleston, S.C. The team that raises the appraisal value the highest wins and will have the block named after them.
Bynum and Thomas are competing against Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson from “Married to Real Estate,” Leslie Davis and Lyndsay Lamb from “Unsellable Houses,” and Dave and Jenny Marrs from “Fixer to Fabulous.” The show is hosted by Ty Pennington and features different HGTV stars each episode to play the role of judge.
Each week, the couples compete to design a different space in the house, which is definitely larger than Bynum and Thomas’ usual fare. Bynum told HGTV.com that his biggest challenge on the new show is “taking a space this big and creating that homey vibe that we’re known for. With 3,500 square feet to play with, it's serious business.”
On “Bargain Block,” Bynum and Thomas take homes others have classified as undesirable and rehab and redesign them. They actually live in each house as they work on it. Bynum is the design man, while Thomas is the carpenter. Together, they transform abandoned and boarded-up houses into real homes.
“We love taking on the absolute worst of the worst,” Bynum told Pride Source last year. “The house that no one wants or believes in, that’s our jam.”
While talking to Pride Source, Bynum shared how he was disowned by his family when he came out, and how the broken-down homes he brings back to life remind him of himself. “I kind of personify the houses,” he said. “I was down and beat up and even my family didn’t want me after I came out, but someone believed in me, and I’m in such a better place now. The houses are the same. They just need someone to believe in them again.”
“Rock the Block” airs 9 p.m. Monday nights on HGTV.
Read More
Michigan's Trans Migration Project Is Helping to Protect Trans People Just By Getting Them Somewhere Safe
A faith-based collective of partners across Michigan is shepherding out-of-state trans people to Michigan for the gender-affirming care and affirmation they [...]
Go Girl! Saugatuck Celebrates Women’s Weekend at Nation’s Largest Gay Resort
Women hearing the siren call of Lake Michigan may want to mark May 31-June 2 on their calendars. Those are the days that the largest gay resort in the country [...]
Michigan Democratic Party LGBT and Allies Caucus Holds Spring Meeting
One of the most often derided cliches of political journalism is to say “a lot is at stake in this election” but it is quite literally true this [...]
Why So Many Local Queer Folks Are Flocking to Mishpacha, Temple Beth Emeth’s Thriving LGBTQ+ Affinity Group
Ari Smith was a little worried when her rabbi called to ask her about something he was noticing in her part of the sanctuary during weekly services at Temple [...]
Why a Local Academic Is Fostering Queer Discussion and Community Through an Old-Fashioned Book Club
Queer books on public library shelves have come under fire across the country in recent years, but you wouldn’t know it at the Ypsilanti District Library [...]
Biden-Harris Campaign Launches LGBTQ+ Voter Initiative at Affirmations — How You Can Get Involved in the 2024 Election
The election season is officially heating up in Michigan, with a special focus on queer voters. On April 10, local and statewide community leaders and elected [...]
