A co-host of two popular home improvement TV shows has been accused by Toronto Police of being a chiseler.
Barrington Anthony Sayers, the featured carpenter on all 52 episodes of W Network’s series Me, My House and I, and co- host of The Unsellables show on HGTV, was arrested Saturday by officers from 53 Division.
In a statement Monday, Toronto Police said an investigation was launched after a woman complained about incomplete renovations on her home and accused the owner of Anthony Sayers Custom Builder and Design of doing shoddy work, harassing her and extortion.
Police said the 41-year-old also uses the name Anthony Sayers.
A graduate of George Brown College with 17 years of professional experience in the building trades, he is charged with two counts of criminal harassment, attempted fraud under $5,000 and extortion.
On its website, HGTV promotes The Unsellables as a show that "transforms unsightly and unsellable properties into real estate gems ‹ and encourages homeowners to let go of the past, get smart and prepare for a sale."
It invites viewers to "join property guru and British TV personality Sofie Allsopp and her trusty contractor Anthony Sayers as she coaches and cajoles home sellers through a major clean-up and targeted makeover that will help them seal the deal. There’s plenty of drama and inspiration along the way--and lots of how-to tips for turning real estate lemons into lemonade!"
Allsopp took the show back to the UK in 2009, but returned to Toronto for a subsequent series that began in 13 months ago.
Filmed in Toronto, The Unsellables airs in Canada on HGTV and in the U.S., Real Estate TV in the UK and The Lifestyle Channel in Australia.
A website for Me, My House and I says Sayers, a native of Jamaica, "worked for some of the top custom builders in Toronto," loves to work out at a gymn, dancing at clubs and calls Bingo at a senior's centre.
The latest episode of The Unsellables aired at 7:30 a.m. and will be repeated at 4:30 p.m. on HGTV.
Sayers, who is not in custody, was ordered to appear at College Park Court on March 28.
