Robert Vila, b.k.a. "Bob", was a home improvement expert best known for his show This Old House, and later Bob Vila's Home Again. Vila had been hired to endorsed Craftsman Tools, of which a later point Tim Allen and Richard Karn would be associated with their roles on the show by endorsing Builder's Square and 50 Floors, respectively.
A running gag was that Tim considered him a rival and sought to outdo him in some manner. At one point in an offscreen moment, he had been a guest on Tool Time, to Tim's consternation. Binford Tools then held a contest where viewers would vote by mail as to their most favored guest, who would be invited back to the show to compete in a lawn mower race against Tim. It was evident Tim did not want Bob back, as he first claimed Bob Vila was not on the ballot due to a typo, which Al questioned and Tim said he "made sure" of the typo, only to then admit to an outright deletion. Tim then claimed the winner of the contest was Mario Andretti, of which Al then claimed his tally was for Bob Vila, who got the most votes, albeit as a write-in candidate. Forcing to accept defeat, Tim then meets Bob Vila in an actual appearance on Home Improvement. Bob tried to take the rivalry in stride, saying the point of the race was to raise money for charity, saying the real winners are the poor. Tim agreed in his own way, saying "the beneficiaries will come in first place, with me a close second, and you a distant third, pulling mulch out of your beard!"
Trivia[]
Although Vila was portrayed as rival to Tim Taylor on the show, Tim Allen admitted in an interview with Nintendo Power magazine that if he could design his own video game, it would be one where the player learns basics about construction, carpentry, and masonry. The victory scene in his game was where the player was invited to display his skills on Bob Vila's Home Again and being congratulated by Vila. In truth, Allen returned the favor by making an appearance on Home Again with a home improvement project of his own in Beverly Hills, Michigan.