Matt Young always knew he was a disaster as a home handyman. Even his buddies told him he was hopeless around power tools and should refrain from attempting any type of home renovation project. But when the opportunity came to take part in the sixth season of the popular TV series Canada’s Worst Handyman, Young’s closest friend believed he was the perfect candidate.

Kory Keogan nominated the 35-year-old Ottawa drug counsellor for the show and Young’s lack of smarts with everyday tools cinched him a spot. About 900 people from across Canada were interviewed for the show and producers narrowed the search down to 40 before selecting the final five contestants.

In January, Young joined four other hapless contestants on the series, which filmed for almost three weeks at a Niagara Falls motel. Their mission was to overhaul rundown honeymoon suites and transform them into “romantic retreats.” The person judged to be the worst renovator on the project by the end of filming was awarded the dubious title of Canada’s Worst Handyman.

Filming was long and intense, resulting in 12-hour days with a camera crew recording every move. It often led to heated moments between participants and one time, a too-close encounter between Young and series host Andrew Younghusband.

“During a plumbing (job) there was a point when I accidentally drenched the host. I had installed the plumbing but there was a problem with the faucet and the water burst where Andrew was standing and the faucet went flying,” Young says, adding that he later came to blows with Younghusband over a razzing incident that happened halfway through filming, but which may not make the final cut of the series.

“There were punches thrown, but afterwards we laughed about it. But you’re working 12 hours a day and I’m not used to having a camera in my face all the time,” he says. “The show puts you out there doing something that is completely foreign to you.”

He says he had never tried any kind of renovation project in the past, relying mostly on friends to do jobs for him. But after purchasing his first home last summer, the bachelor decided it was time to learn some handyman skills.

“I did the show because I wanted to learn how to do this stuff and if the end result is some people laughing at me on TV then I’ll be laughing, too, because I’ll be doing something I don’t know how to do,” he says.

The other participants on the show include:

• Charlene of Pickering, Ont., who loves to design and rip apart her house but can’t finish her vision, leaving her husband to complete what she started

• Ajay, a businessman and landlord from Strathmore, Alta., who doesn’t like to hire renovation experts and tries to do home projects himself with disastrous results

• Dan of Cambridge, Ont., whose home is a construction zone and who often battles “handyman anger issues” that drive his wife away while he works

• Rob, a professional insulation installer from Dunchurch, Ont., who always seems to injure himself when he tries to finish a work project.

In the first episode, the contestants are asked to perform a series of work challenges: install a vibrating bed; assemble a massage table; build a heart-shaped wood box, and; demolish a bathroom. They are judged on each challenge and receive either a pass or fail grade from a carpentry expert and a general contractor who act as teachers in the series.

Young says the other contestants were an “eclectic” bunch and even producers remarked how well the group got along with each other.

“Most people on the show had done some kind of renovation work but had messed it up. I had just never done that kind of stuff before, I didn’t even know one way to do it or even the wrong way to do something,” he says. “I was really nervous doing these challenges. I was nervous using most tools mostly because I didn’t know what I was going to do or what kind of damage I was going to do.”

Over the course of the show Young learned to use tools such as a reciprocating saw, a hammer drill and a band saw — a far cry from the time he tried to help a friend who was remodelling a house by sanding the wood floors. He says he didn’t last long on the sanding detail before he was switched over to safer duties.

“I was using the big sander but using it incorrectly and leaving marks all over the floor. Then I used a palm sander, which I later broke. That’s when they took me off sanding. I think I did some painting after that.”

Young says he didn’t seriously injure himself during the filming, adding that the bruises and cuts he received performing some of the tasks were less than those of Ajay and Rob.

He says the TV experience was worthwhile and he picked up good renovation tips that he’ll able to use in his own home.

“I got a lot out of it. I walked into this thinking it was going to be pretty lame and they’re going to have us hanging shelves or something. I didn’t know I’d be doing the things I did like smashing walls or drilling through things.

“I am a better handyman now; I’m even renovating my own bathroom.”

The sixth season of Canada’s Worst Handyman, which will air in seven parts, can be seen starting Monday at 10 p.m. on the Discovery Channel.