Brandonite among finalists as drama, tension builds on 'Handyman Challenge'

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Mark Emrick of Brandon is one of the 16 finalists on the reality show Canadas Handyman Challenge on HGTV.

Brandon will find out tonight if one of its own is handy enough to continue on the reality show "Canadas Handyman Challenge."

Mark Emrick, 48, is one of 16 finalists on the HGTV reality show after surviving elimination in the first round.

The firefighter instructor with the Manitoba Fire and Emergency Services College was initially picked as one of the top 10 from the Winnipeg crowd with a wooden treasure chest beer cooler with a trap door that hides four beer glasses.

The hitch: each contestant could only use a four-by-eight-foot sheet of plywood for their entry.

Emricks project clearly wowed the panel of celebrity judges Scott McGillivray of the show "Income Property," Bryan Baeumler of "Leave It to Bryan" and Paul Lafrance of "Decked Out."

"If you show up with a project thats built well and theres beer in it, youre in," Baeumler said during Emricks first appearance on the show.

During the Winnipeg episode, filmed at the Western Canada Aviation Museum, Emrick had to pass two other challenges to earn his finalist spot.

In the first challenge, Emrick and the other contestants had to build a sugar-bag-launching slingshot or catapult.

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Brandonite among finalists as drama, tension builds on 'Handyman Challenge'