Ooltewah residents Chad and Candice Holt always wondered how people are chosen for TV contests – until they were. The couple’s backyard was chosen out of 13,000 others in the United States as finalists in the online voting contest HGTV/CSN Battle Your Blah Backyard Contest.
Chad and Candice Holt were finalists in the HGTV/CSN Battle Your Blah Backyard Contest.“We’ve been trying to figure out what to do with our backyard since this area is so rocky,” said Chad Holt, who entered the competition after he was sent an email flyer about it from CSN. “I’ve got to put in a sprinkler system, plant sod and bring in a truckload of dirt to put something between the rocks and grass.”
Holt sent photos of his bare, rocky backyard and a small essay explaining why he needed the $15,000 backyard makeover. He was picked as a finalist and put on the website, http://csn.pxspot.com/blahbackyard.asp, where supporters could vote on his yard to win. Voting for the competition ended May 31 and Holt received more than 50 votes. Though the final results are not in yet, he said he doesn’t think he received enough votes to win.
Either way, Holt said he has decided to hold off on his backyard project for a year, saving money so he can create the oasis of his dreams. He and his wife are moving to Stuttgart-Mohringen, Germany, where he has been offered a position as IT communications contractor at Kelley Barracks, a U.S. military installation. His wife will be switching from her position at Alstom in Chattanooga to the Alstom in Stuttgart. Holt said family members will be staying at the house while they are gone and he plans to return refreshed and ready to tackle his challenging backyard.
“We’re pretty nervous and excited,” he said.