Bynum and Thomas sat down for an exclusive interview with The List to share their experience on the show.
We renovated that house together, and then we did it while we lived there.
What were you studying before that?
What were you planning on?
Evan:I was in physics.
I finished my PhD and then, it was at that point that we decided to move here.
That’s a really big career shift.
I decided to continue on with that and try and grow that business.
I remember the following day, there was a story saying that he put offers in on ten houses.
I was like, “What, what, what is going on?
Like this is so crazy.”
That’s what put Detroit on the radar for me, was that particular social media interaction.
It was clear that Detroit had a really great opportunity for the creative side.
That was really what sold me on it, was Detroit’s arts scene.
Evan:We also didn’t have a lot of money.
Keith:We always get that questions like this.
Evan:People are so fascinated by couples who work together.
Keith:I love it.
I love the creative.
I love the fun part of the design.
I like all of the artistic side of things.
Evan is also extremely into the process.
He really loves making things work with that Ph.D. brain and that math side with the physics.
The process was perfected.
It really creates a unique and fun product.
Evan:That’s probably why it works.
Usually, we’re pretty much in agreement.
Keith:We’re both pretty mild-mannered, so it doesn’t ever get terribly loud or messy.
It’s so funny.
It’s extremely formulaic.
It’s very well researched.
There’s a process there.
It’s really incredible to watch his mind work.
Evan:That was a totally different experience.
[“Rock The Block”] was filmed totally different than our show.
The budget is completely different.
The key in of house is completely different.
Everything about it is completely different.
Keith:There was not a single similarity.
We had this mindset of, “Okay, it’s got to be like ‘Bargain Block.’
That’s our experience with television, that’s all we know.”
We get down there, and I was like, “Ah.”
Evan:We were told that it was going to be different, and it was very much different.
Keith:It was very different.
Evan:There’s not a single thing that was the same about our show.
Every aspect of it was different.
It’s super exciting, but at the same time, you’re like, “Okay.”
It was a wild experience.
What was that adjustment like?
Keith:Oh man, that square footage difference was insane.
In fact, it’s a bigger first floor than most of our bungalows.
It was like, “Wow.”
It felt like six houses in six weeks instead of [one].
I think everybody else was I know Egypt and Mike have done much larger houses.
We attacked it like it was six different houses.
Evan:Well, not really.
We still had
Keith:With the same design.
Evan:Well, you do.
Keith:Now they’re like, “Here, here it is.”
I’m like, “Now what do I do?”
We don’t have to worry about, “Can we buy handmade tiles?”
It’s like, “No, what’s available at Home Depot today?”
It was really fun.
On your show, “Bargain Block,” a big part of it is making the houses affordable.
Those houses don’t sell for $300,000.
That’s not what happens there.
That’s what we’re still doing.
Like we were seeing that there was a massive response to a really well-done affordable house.
I was like, “Everybody has to have a hundred thousand house.”
I was like Oprah everybody got a house!
For the most part, it was a fun experience.
The process was fun.
The people were fun, but the judgings were definitely really hard.
Keith:We both did have a crying spell on the bedroom bath.
We realized that we had … Like the bathroom and bedroom are great enough."
I didn’t want to spend the money there.
The judging aspect is ten times harder.
They were so nice, too.
Evan:It’s not like one of those shows where you’re read to filth.
Keith:We love “Drag Race,” they are so much nicer than “Drag Race.”
He was like, “We have to put a fun closet in.
We have to do something really crazy.”
The bathroom will sell the whole thing," and I was wrong.
At least you’ll own it.
You’re like, “I’ll take that one.”
It really was my fault.
Evan:Was pretty fun, actually.
Evan:I don’t know if I’d call it an edge.
Keith:I wouldn’t call it an edge…
Evan:Definitely things that set us apart.
Our style [is] obviously very different.
Keith:That’s the Leanne Ford approach.
She doesn’t care who hates her designs.
She knows she’s good.
I’m working to get to that level one day.
Maybe I’ll get close to Leanne.
Were there any specific differences that really stuck out to you?
Evan:Well, you’re renovating a 3,500 square foot house in six weeks.
Keith:It felt like a city.
Evan:It was like a…
Keith:Little town.
It was like a little “Rock The Block” town where there were tons of people.
It’s a totally different production than our show.
There’s way more crew members, way more construction people, way more everything.
It was exactly like that.
It was like a dream.
Evan:No, I don’t.
Keith:You know what?
Frog space is a free room over the garage.
Evan:Finished room.
Keith:Finished room.
I always get it wrong.
It was meant to feel like a totally different space.
Keith:I can already see social media lighting up, saying, “That’s totally different.
It doesn’t make sense for the rest of the house.”
I feel like we’re going to get a lot of Twitter action.
All press is good press, right?
Keith:You know they keep saying that.
Evan:That’s what they say.
Keith:But whenever you read that you have a super annoying voice on Twitter.
It’s like, “Hey, I can’t help that.”
That’s an open-ended question.
Keith:Do you want an answer from each of us?
Cause I think that would be fun.
I’ll go first because that’ll give Evan some time to think.
I love people’s image boards, all those types of things that put together a visual of it.
That is step one, create a visual and then not to be afraid of color.
It is so easy to fix if you mess up.
That’s what I always tell you.
What’s a couple of hours to paint a wall?
If you really screw up, you could paint over it.
A lot of people have hesitations about taking that design step, and I think it would be fun.
Somehow, that one nice, more expensive new piece elevates the whole space.
“Rock The Block” Season 3 airs Mondays at9 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV and streams on discovery+.
