Keith Bynum and his partner Evan Thomas made history in 2021 after they became the first HGTV LGBTQ couple. With their remarkable talents and personalities, the couple quickly became one of the network’s favorite hosts. Bynum’s love for home designs began at a young age.
Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas have hosted HGTV’s Bargain Block series for three seasons. After a year’s wait, Bargain Block season 4 is set to premiere in 2024. Here’s everything you need to know about Bargain Block‘s Keith Bynum.
Keith Bynum Is Originally From Texas
Keith Bynum was born on January 5, 1987. Although he’s famous for his projects and love for renovating and flipping houses in Detroit, Michigan, Bynum is originally from West Texas. The home designer was also raised in Texas, having spent his growing years there.
Started His First Company At Age 14
Keith Bynum’s passion for home renovation and design began at an early age. Even in those days, home renovation and design were generally expensive. Bynum believed redesigning a home could be done on a budget. To this end, he began his first company at age 14. Although he later sold the business, it became a successful retail and manufacturing chain. Later, at age 24, he co-owned another business, JoniKeith Co., with his sister. The business centered around home decor.
Keith Bynum Has An MBA
Before becoming one of Detroit’s top home designers, Keith Bynum ensured he had the necessary business skills. Having started a business at 14, Bynum knew too well that passion might start a business, but knowing how to keep it afloat is another thing. Keith Bynum enrolled and graduated with an MBA in Entrepreneurial Development from Texas Tech University.
Keith Bynum Met Evan Thomas Through Online Dating
Technology played a huge part in Keith Bynum’s funding love. At the time, Bynum and Evan Thomas were living in Boulder, Colorado. Thomas has obtained a PhD at the University of Colorado Boulder. With not many gay guys living in Boulder in 2013, Evan Thomas was the only other gay guy available on Match.com. Bynum and Thomas hung out on a date and connected almost immediately on many levels.
Keith Bynum’s Interest In Flipping Houses Started Around 2015
With less than a decade of renovating homes and flipping, Keith Bynum has certainly come a long way. Although he already had an interest in home design, flipping houses wasn’t something that naturally occurred to him until he was influenced by a social media post. At the time, Bynum was randomly following a house flipper on Instagram. According to Bynum, the house flipper “posted that he had purchased 10 houses and had a revenue stream of more than $1 million. I thought, ‘Hmm. Interesting.”
Bargain Block Isn’t Keith Bynum’s First HGTV Appearance
Besides their attraction for one another, Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas chose to collaborate in flipping houses. It didn’t take time before their projects began getting recognized. As always, Bynum was renovating homes on a budget, which made it ideal and applicable to many prospective and existing homeowners. Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas appeared on an episode of HGTV‘s Tiny Paradise. The show focused on tiny homes in idyllic locations. Keith Bynum appeared in season 1, episode 6 (“Tiny House, Mountain Vistas”), where he helped build a tiny house for a friend in Black Hawk, Colorado.
Keith Bynum & Evan Thomas Moved To Detroit In 2017
Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas had spent their initial years together working on properties in Colorado. Thanks to Bynum’s house-flipper influence on social media, the couple decided it was best to move their business to Detroit. To start life in the Motor City, Bynum and Thomas purchased a $12,000 property south of the Eight Mile Road and Livernois Avenue juncture.
However, when they arrived, they quickly realized their new home was far from paradise. The inside of the house wasn’t anything remotely as they had been made to believe. Besides having a faulty plumbing system, the kitchen was infested with roaches. According to Bynum, “I was standing in the dining room with two suitcases and a dog, just crying. We ended up living in an Airbnb for two weeks.” Besides being a learning experience for both of them, they made a decent profit after selling the home for $64,000.
Keith Bynum & Evan Thomas Embarked On A Weight Loss Journey In 2024
Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas never tire of setting couple goals, either as business partners or in their relationship. Bynum shared an Instagram post on June 28, 2024, to reveal the couple’s weight loss journey. In the post’s caption, Bynum revealed, “Over the last six months, Evan and I have been on a journey to eat healthier and exercise more. Swipe to see the picture that kinda woke us up! From new years to now, Evan is down around 45 pounds and I am down about 20. I will say, working in New Orleans during what would have been a sleepy winter up north really helped shape us up. We were more active than ever this winter and I’m glad for it!” While viewers wait to see what Keith Bynum and his partner are up to in the new Bargain Block season, there are several other interior design hosts on HGTV.
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