Q&A: Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas Talk 'Bargain Block New Orleans'

My favorite HGTV show right now is Bargain Block, which follows Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas as they buy the cheapest, skankiest houses they can find and then turn them into affordable housing. The duo are also real-life partners and they have a humor and charm that sets the show apart from much of what you'll see on the network.

They have a new show premiering on Wednesday in which they decide to spend the winter months in a more renovation-friendly climate. I've seen the premiere episode of Bargain Block New Orleans, and it is as delightful as the mother show. I recently had the opportunity to speak with them ahead of the premiere and they were as thoughtful and funny on the phone as they are on the show.

The conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.

And from what I understand, you guys met on Match.com when you were both in Boulder. Is this the origin story for you two? 

Keith: It is. That is true. All those years ago now. 

So how did you make that decision of Boulder to Detroit, which on the face of it seems like you couldn't pick two places farther apart from each other? 

Keith: Well, that is true. I've always been very open-minded. And Evan is also sometimes open-minded. And I am very persuasive, I have found.

But we were working up in Colorado. And the flip market there when we left Boulder because it got too expensive. And I have a problem paying rent. Not like I can't pay rent. I don't like paying rent over paying for a house. So I've never really rented.

I rented for a few months in Boulder. And then we bought a house up in the mountains in Idaho Springs. And we started renovating houses up there.

But the amount of money to put into those to get them done, you're tying up just a shocking amount of money that we didn't have. And so I was looking for other markets to be able to do more volume. And Detroit kept popping up.

Evan finished his PhD right about the time we were kind of finishing up our latest project in Denver. And we just decided to take a leap and move to a state we'd never been to. To a city we'd never seen. And buy a $12,000 house. And the rest is history, as they say. 

Evan, how did you end up going from moving there to doing the show? I remember on the first episodes of the show, it looked as if you guys were basically living in the houses that you were flipping. There would be the scenes of the two of you with the little wagon carrying your stuff around from house to house. So what was that experience like to get to the point where you're on TV, but you didn't have thousands of dollars in your pocket? 

Keith: You know, that's still the case. So, I mean, we might not have a wagon now, but that is still very much the case. No, affordable housing doesn't rake in the money like you might think. (laughs)

Evan: It was an interesting experience to live in those houses. You learn to deal with a lot of things that you never thought that you'd be okay dealing with.



Do you have an example? 

Keith: Oh, so many examples. 

Evan: So many, like not having the bathroom, not having a kitchen, having an air mattress on a subfloor that's dirty.

Those are things that I think a lot of people would struggle with. Squirrels in the attic for days, eating everything, all the wires, and the lights would go out mysteriously. That was just a nightmare. It was an interesting time there for a while, but I'm grateful that we have moved beyond at least that. 

Being in a relationship, it's got to be tough going through that. On the other hand, as you're going through it, there has to be part of the two of you thinking "Well, if we're able to deal with this, the smaller problems of life aren't going to be an issue.

Keith: It's kind of funny when we're with friends and they'll get in like a little bickery argument, which we do over stupid stuff like paint and whatever. But it's kind of taught us not to take it overly seriously, it's just a passing moment.

That's the thing with the TV side. People always ask us, "What has changed about you with TV?" And I just am so much more aware of everything that comes out of my mouth or how I say it. And it's probably for the best. Because people kind of just float through life without a lot of awareness and you're kind of forced to be aware when you're on TV. 

Keith: I can get lost in art and all that kind of stuff for, you know, most of my daytime could be just completely consumed, but it is good to have that. Like who would say TV is a grounding thing? But for me, it's like grounding.

One of the other aspects of your original show is the relationship you guys have with Shea, which is really nice. And she was not the original realtor at one point, but it seems like at least on camera, you guys have a really good relationship, which is nice. 

Keith: We do. It is kind of strange, when you meet someone that you just know you've got some kind of connection to, and you just know it instantly. And those are rare people, but Shea was that. And obviously we work with her anytime we're selling anything in Detroit, but it is kind of wild.

Evan: You can't help but like almost feel like you're in a, not a battle, but TV creates a little bit of a world where you think, okay, we have to work together and be a team. And it really has brought us together. It's so fun to be able to get to spend the day working with her.

Keith: We just literally laugh all day. And we kind of joke about it. What friend group gets to do this, you know? And I think we're all just kind of grateful that we get to do it. 



And you were able to sneak here into the new show. I saw the one episode and you're talking to her on the phone. So she got her minute or two in the new episode as well. So that was good.

Evan: Yeah, she'll be in a few times. She's coming down. We can't give away too, too much, but she'll be there. We're working on making sure that she's even more there. 

When I first heard the two of you were doing a show in New Orleans, it seemed like an odd choice. But watching the series, it feels like the historic houses that are there sort of fit into your design sensibility. It seems like a good fit.

Evan: Yeah, it is. There are a lot of abandoned similarities in terms of there's a lot of abandoned houses. The prices are more than Detroit, but also the sale price is more. So there is a lot of similarities in terms of things like margins. There is a lot of similarities in terms of just what's available on the market and the types of neighborhoods that we're used to working in. So, yeah, there are differences, but there are also similarities. 

Keith: It felt very much like home. It just didn't feel like a market that we were strangers to in a lot of ways. We made a few financial mistakes by paying a little bit too much, I think, but overall it just felt like right in line with what we do in Detroit. The houses are in as bad if not worse shape. 

And then what is really fun is that I think Evan and I have decided that we really do like challenges. And I'm sure people are like, "Duh, of course you like challenges" But I feel like we have have the Detroit house - at least for that market - down pretty well. The older affordable house. The houses that we do there we really know well.

And this New Orleans adventure opened our eyes to a whole new world of construction. The needs, concerns and everything that goes along with this different market. It was a very fun experience from a business perspective.



I wanted to ask you about your new general contractor Charles. On the show, it looks as if the two of you just drove over to meet him and pretty much instantly connected. But was it that way in person or did it take awhile?