Stony Brook handyman competes on HGTV show
Matthew Boyce is a native Long Islander who has been chosen as one of 20 contestants for the new season of HGTV's "All American Handyman" show. Credit: Handout
Q&A: MATTHEW BOYCE
Job: Owns building design company, Green Innovative Design
Age: 40
Community: Stony Brook
Claim to Fame: One of 20 contestants chosen for new season of "All American Handyman," an HGTV series in which contestants compete to be named America's best handyman. One winner will receive $10,000 and their own show on the network. The new season begins Sept. 4.
How did you get into this field?
Ever since I was a kid, I was always tinkering with stuff. I had to know how things work. I took that into a profession, architecture, which is not just designing a house -- it's putting it together, how it's built. That's always intrigued me and still does to this day.
What do you enjoy about doing this kind of work?
To do something right and the way it's supposed to be done -- I can walk away from a job and never think about it again because I know I've done my best.
What was it like to audition for the show?
In November I got into a car accident . . . it was horrendous, I had a dislocated hip, a fractured pelvis, a fractured femur. By January, I hobbled into the audition -- it was for 'Design Star' [HGTV reality series] -- on crutches and there were 500 people there. I had to wait on line for two, three hours . . . then in April I get a call [for 'All American Handyman.']It's amazing I even got to where I did. It's so surreal."
How did it feel competing against other contestants?
I went in feeling, I'm handy, I'm beyond handy . . . -- I've made stuff, I've built houses, I've put in doors and windows and hardwood floors. I'm more than just fix the toilet, put a door on its hinges. So I go into this competition and I think I can swim pretty good here. Then I walked into the first challenge and I go 'Whoa! There's a whole bunch of me's here!' They're all really good.
Can you say how you did on the show?
All I can say is my whole thing was that I didn't want to be the first to go, which came true.
"All American Handyman" debuts on Sept. 4 at 9 p.m. Viewers can vote for fan favorite at hgtv.com. Boyce said that should he win, he will donate the $1,500 prize to .Habitat for Humanity
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