Out gay designer Matt Locke made it all the way to the final two on HGTV's Design Star, almost following in the footsteps of David Bromstad, the winner of the first season and now host of his own series on HGTV, Color Splash. The morning after Matt lost the final challenge, AfterElton.com's Christie Keith spoke to him about his life after the show, how being on Design Star helped heal his rocky relationship with his family, and the controversy surrounding fellow gay contestant Mike Verdugo.

AfterElton.com: It's great to have a chance to talk to you again, and I'm really happy to have seen you get so far and do so great in the season – that was really wonderful and lots of fun. I really was touched by what you said in the finale, that it helped heal your relationship with your family. You and I had talked about that in the interview before the season started. And when I saw the episode of you when you go back and do your parents’ hobby room, I wanted to ask you about that.
ML: Oh yeah – let’s talk about it.

AE: You had said that you had some rocky stuff with your family around you being gay and that your relationship with them had suffered a lot, that you’d gone to LA and were somewhat estranged from them. But you told me that your mother and you had really bonded over HGTV, and it had helped bring you back together. So now that we’ve seen the whole season, and I saw that your family was there at the finale – I saw they were sitting with your partner. So obviously things have moved a lot, and can you tell me a little bit about that?
ML: Yeah – I’m gonna use this word, the reconciliation with my family was nothing short of breathtaking. And I’m still overwhelmed by it. I just talked to my mom today, found out that she admitted that right there at the finale, where you see her sitting by Heath there were words exchanged, that she said, “Matt, I did a ‘180’ and I just instantly fell in love with him, and I think he’s the one."

AE: Oh, wow!
ML: And I – when she said it, I thought, “I’m not going to overreact, I don’t want to scare away this... it felt like this beautiful iridescent butterfly had floated in from the rainforest. And I thought, “If I speak directly to it, it will disappear."

AE: Wow.
ML: I’m so surprised by how far my family has come with everything, and how amazingly supportive my parents turned out to be. And on top of that, like the icing on the cake, we were in Tennessee where Heath [Matt's partner] is from, and so we took that opportunity to go spend time with his family. And they treated me like I was family, with just such kindness and respect. And he had never brought anybody home either. So it just kept getting better and better, and I kept thinking, “This isn’t supposed to happen." Contestants on reality shows are supposed to have their fifteen minutes and try to get a little bit of success out of it, and then go home. But in my case it really was a true evolution. And the result is, I say this on camera and I think they put it online, when they asked me right before they revealed the result, “How do you feel?” And I say, “I feel like I’ve already won."

AE: Yeah, you do.
ML: And I really can’t quite believe it. I mean, I am disappointed that I lost, but I am overwhelmed with happiness at how every other thing has turned out in my life. So my overall impression is I did win. And I love Jennifer so much, I just feel happy for her.

AE: Yeah, I’m happy for her, too, but I wished it had been you.
ML: Well here’s a little insider scoop. They probably will not appreciate hearing this, but they asked us, “When we reveal the result, let that person have his or her moment on camera. We know you guys love each other, and will want to hug, but just let the winner have the moment, and then you guys can embrace." And then they said, “The other one can gracefully step away."

Now Jennifer, as sweet and humble as she truly is, had told the producers of the show, “I’ve already practiced my little walk – I know exactly how I’m gonna back away from Matt." And so when the confetti shot out of the cannon in the sky, I think she was genuinely shocked.

AE: Wow.
ML: And not only shocked, but she and I locked eyes, and she said, “I’m sorry." And I said, “Don’t be." And we just stared at each other, and I gracefully backed away, and we just kept looking at each other. And I kind of thought, “Jennifer, you need to be happy and excited," and for a long, long time, we just kind of were frozen in that moment, and I just think she just is an amazing person, because even in that time, like, her dream came true. Literally. She came there wanting a television show, and she got it. Yet even in that moment, it’s not about her. And that’s really who she is.

AE: Yeah, well it just goes to show: I think that the nice ones are always the ones who win. And I love her sparkle, and her vivacity, and her talent. But I was questioning a little bit, since her painting talent is so similar to what David Bromstad does, how that was going to go into the mix. And part of the reason I wanted you to win, was not just because you’re gay or I liked you or whatever, but also because they don’t really have anyone that has your design aesthetic on HGTV right now.
ML: I so appreciate you saying that, and funnily, that’s what my mom said all along.