5 minute read
Newfoundlander Kenny Brain was Made For TV!
MADE FOR TV
From contestant to co-star, Newfoundlander Kenny Brain has found fame on the small screen.
By Pam Pardy
On the HGTV program, “Making It Home with Kortney and Kenny,” you could say Kenny is the one who helps make it ’ome. The contractor from central Newfoundland and his co-star, Kortney Wilson, transform homes, and people’s lives, one glorious episode at a time.
Kortney is an actress, singer and designer. She’s well-known to HGTV audiences for her earlier show “Masters of Flip,” which she co-hosted with her then husband Dave Wilson. She teamed up with Kenny in 2021.
Meanwhile, Kenny’s popularity on the reality series “Big Brother Canada” in 2014 shone a bright spotlight on his East Coast good nature and sense of humour. Intelligent and handy, Kenny was a nobrainer pick to co-host with Kortney when she was ready to launch her new series for HGTV, “Making it Home.” When we sat down to chat with the pair via Zoom in the fall of 2022, Kenny talked of home and the spectacular summer he missed due to filming, and commented on the fact that calling his mom regularly is always the best way to keep up with the weather back home.
Though Kenny obviously feels at home – and at ease – with Kortney, too. The banter between the two that’s portrayed on “Making it Home with Kortney and Kenny” is genuine, and that warmth shines through on the video call. Experiencing the ebbs and flows of their fun, yet tender, teasing is uplifting. These two are the real deal – displaying and sharing the good and the bad of a life spent in what can be the very hectic world of home renovations and reality TV. “We’re both emotional and so the two of us together on set, it can be like, ‘okay, we got to stop...,’” begins Kortney.
“Yeah, exactly,” finishes Kortney.
As evident on the show, the two have huge hearts and are always raw and honest. When asked why she picked Kenny to be her co-star, Kortney admits it was – at least in part – because he didn’t seem all that much into her.
“I don’t agree with everything she does... I don’t think you should pump people up if you don’t feel that they need to be pumped up. And there’s some things that I didn’t agree with [design-wise], and I think that’s why we work together so well,” Kenny reflects.
Kortney says she’s long appreciated Kenny’s honesty. “I knew that I needed somebody that was not afraid of me in any way and wasn’t intimidated, and that can sometimes happen when you’ve seen somebody on TV. I didn’t want somebody in the background. I wanted somebody to be my partner.”
Kenny turned out to be more than a business partner and co-host, he’s turned into a true friend, she adds. “I asked him to be our flower man,” Kortney says with a warm smile. Flower man? Oh yes! Kortney is getting married and Kenny will be right there with her.
Kortney Wilson and Kenny Brain co-host "Making It Home with Kortney and Kenny" on HGTV
One particularly endearing aspect of the show – particularly for those from Newfoundland and Labrador –is when Kenny unintentionally speaks like he’s ‘ome. Kortney says, “It happens all the time. Like he’ll say something… we’ll be in an interview, when we chat between things that we’re doing... and he’ll say something and I’ll be like, ‘What is that?’”
“Squish? What do you mean? Like it’s squish? I don’t know ‘squish’!” laughs Kortney, who grew up in Ontario.
“I’m like, ‘It’s crooked. Squish,’” says Kenny, with a what-are-yagonna-do shrug.
Among the show’s fans are (naturally) Kenny’s parents, and his dad is getting right into it. “Both of my parents are extremely proud,” Kenny says. “My dad’s actually going to be in this season. He comes to Nashville with me on his Harley... I won’t give away too much, but he’s going to be in the episode on his Harley.”
He adds, “Seeing how happy I am and how passionate I am about what I do, my parents are extremely proud of me. I mean, they call me regularly to ask about Kortney. They feel like they know Kortney and she’s a part of the family now, and especially since Dad has actually met her – he’s like, so in love with her.”
Any plans for the two to visit Newfoundland and Labrador? Not yet, Kenny says, but they’ve talked about it. “I want to bring her back because I know she would absolutely adore it, as anyone who visits does.”
It’s on her bucket list, Kortney adds. She needs to have a Jiggs dinner and get Screeched-in, Kenny teases. “Oh my God, yes, we got to get her Screeched-in. She got to be an honorary Newfoundlander.”
Season 3 of “Making It Home With Kortney and Kenny” is airing now on HGTV.
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