Oh, Mike Holmes. Now he’s a mainstay on the television landscape but during my time on 680 News he was an up-and-coming phenomenon.
Toronto Home Show organizers asked me one year if I’d take part in the Celebrity Build Challenge and I half-jokingly said, sure, as long as I’m partnered with Mike Holmes!
I didn’t honestly think it would happen. But it did. And when I got the news, I went to Mark’s Work Wearhouse and spent a ridiculous amount of money for a pair of the exact overalls he wears. I had them hemmed, and bought a white tank-top to go with them. In the pockets of the overalls I popped a bunch of nails, a measuring tape, some hair clips for comic relief, and hooked a hammer in the loop. When we were introduced before that competition, he burst out laughing. “We look like a team!” Mission accomplished.
He really didn’t let me do anything during the build except offer moral support! We had to make something out of a pile of materials and there was a tight time limit. Bragging rights were at stake and he didn’t know my skill level. Still, it was fun to watch him make a stool out of a few bits of wood that didn’t look right for the job. We won, and as Mike held our stool high above the cheering crowd, it came apart in his hands. I truly don’t think anyone but us even noticed. The mainly female audience was concentrating on his biceps.
I got to interview Mike a couple of times since then, when he joined Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in New Orleans to help build much-needed houses, and on other occasions. He always gave me a hearty, “Hi again Lisa”, which I know either means he truly remembers me or his PR person reminds him of our previous chats before he makes the call. Either way, he’s a class act. He made indignation over shoddy workmanship a thing and people love him for it.