How Did HGTV's Evan Thomas And Keith Bynum Meet?
Ever since Chip and Joanna Gaines departed HGTV after five seasons of "Fixer Upper," the title of "Best HGTV Power Couple" has been up for grabs. The network has featured a number of couple-centric shows in the Gaines' absence, from "Home Town," starring Ben and Erin Napier, to "Renovation Island," with Bryan and Sarah Baeulmer. Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas of "Bargain Block" are the latest hosts to win viewers over with their palpable chemistry. Bynum is a designer, while Thomas is a builder and carpenter — the perfect blueprint for HGTV fame. On "Bargain Block," they combine their talents, finding abandoned, dilapidated properties in Detroit and turning them into affordable homes for first-time buyers. As they transform houses all over the city, their love for each other is just as evident as their love for the home renovation biz.
Want to know how this like-minded duo ended up together? Read on to learn about the early days of Bynum and Thomas' relationship.
Evan Thomas and Keith Bynum can thank the Internet for bringing them together
Whenever a TV show is hosted by a couple — especially if that couple has a natural rapport onscreen, like Evan Thomas and Keith Bynum — viewers are going to get curious about their history. In a 2023 interview with Anthony Allen Ramos of GLAAD, Thomas and Bynum opened up about their relationship of ten years. It turns out they had a thoroughly modern meet-cute, initially connecting on a dating site.
"So we actually met on Match.com in Boulder," Thomas revealed. "And Boulder is an amazing place, I love it. But it's a very straight place ... So on Match, there weren't very many gay guys who were actually on it." When they crossed paths, it felt like fate: "From the first date, I think we both knew it was gonna go somewhere," Bynum said. In fact, they were so confident in their spark that they maintained a long-distance relationship before finally moving to Michigan together.
As soon as they were settled in, Thomas and Bynum began a full-scale home renovation. "Talk about stressing a relationship, but I feel like if you can get through that type of thing..." Bynum said, "...it bodes well for your relationship," Thomas chimed in. Finishing each other's sentences? Seems like a match made in heaven.
Bynum and Thomas say that working together has only strengthened their bond
Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas have always been effusive about their love for each other. In a 2021 interview with Pride Source, they answered plenty of questions about their relationship — including what it's like to have a husband who is also your co-star.
"This has been one of the best experiences because you really get to know somebody in this type of environment," Bynum shared. Thomas agreed: "A lot of people have told us that it would be a struggle to work with their partner and essentially be around them 24 hours a day. We joke about being worried we have become co-dependent being around each other so much, but overall, it's a great relationship and we are very fortunate."
Not everyone could handle their work-life arrangement — but then again, not everyone could hold down a successful television program on one of the most popular networks in America. Let's hope that their bond carries them through many more seasons.