Everything about Bachelorette Canada, eh?

Bachelorette Canada makes Muzique in Montreal

Montreal is a city with European flair, an international vibe; a truly unique spot in this country. It was also the sight of the most dramatic episode of The Bachelorette Canada this season.

Was it wrong for Chris to mention Drew during his one-on-one time with Jasmine, calling the salesman out for his actions? Where Chris saw Drew’s actions as bullying, Drew claimed he was joking. But while there may be interpretation in the reading of Chris’ name on the one-on-one date card—that honour was actually for Mikhel—there was no mistaking Drew saying Chris wasn’t a man. But, what makes a man? Is a man someone who likes football, lives in Toronto and exudes cockiness? Is someone less of a man because he invents things and prefers philanthropy to philandering?

This season of The Bachelorette Canada has been an interesting one because it’s presented the wide chasm between who we are and expectations on who we’re perhaps supposed to be. It may be all in the editing—and goodness knows reality TV is created in the editing suite—but Drew is being presented as the biggest asshole I’ve seen in the Canadian franchise. If he is indeed like that in real life then I have no time for him at all. My high school’s halls were filled with jerks like him, backslapping dudes who are still reliving their Grade 12 gridiron successes while waiting for their work shift to be done. But if he’s not really like that … well, I feel badly for him because Drew’s been labelled. And as he’s been portrayed as acting so far this season, being labelled as something is tough to shake.

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Because of the he said/he said between Drew and Chris, Jasmine made the right call and chose not to award a rose at the end of the football group date. That left Drew seething and calling Drew a “bitch” (pretty hard not to take that the way it was intended) and Chris wondering if he made a big mistake.

Really, Chris and Drew’s actions took away from what was a pretty great episode of The Bachelorette Canada, with Mikhel and Jasmine making a real connection during a slow dance and hot tub time after spray painting a rose on a brick wall (and him getting a real one) to Benoit scoring his own rose for performing so admirably in the Cirque du Soleil trapeze.

Jasmine nixed the cocktail party, opting to head right into the rose ceremony. Jasmine did pause after handing out blossoms to Mike, Kevin W., Thomas and Kevin P. before she pulled Drew aside to discuss whether he was there for her or himself. He reappeared, clearly shaken, and Jasmine resumed her task, giving Chris and Drew the final two roses. Unfortunately, Kyle (and his bow tie), Andrew and David were shown the door.

Do you think Jasmine was right to keep Chris? Should she have sent Drew home? Should they both go home? Comment below or via Twitter @tv_eh.

The Bachelorette Canada airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.

Images courtesy of Corus.

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Cackles, crying and crafts on The Bachelorette Canada

The sun was shining and the abs were on display in Week 2 at the Sandals resort served as the backdrop for this week’s Bachelorette Canada episode. Of the 13 men remaining, David was the only one who didn’t go on some sort of date with Jasmine last week.

“Dateless Dave” continued his streak off the top as Scott the carpenter was selected for a group date alongside Mike, Drew, Thomas, Benoit and JP. Drew kept up his douchebaggery by mocking Dave and asking if he wanted to go in Drew’s place. I think Dave got off easy, as Jasmine and the chosen few headed off to dance. Kudos to the show’s producers for throwing two tests at the boys that challenged not only their skills (singing last week, dancing this week) but how willing they were to be outside their comfort zone. Conray and Andrew of Shady Squad demanded a lot of the fellows, encouraging them to instil confidence in their dance routines. Scott, who has had almost zero airtime, grabbed a lot on Tuesday as he admitted to having no signature moves. Infuriatingly, moments after Drew told producers he tells girls exactly what they want to hear, he was doing it with Jasmine, leading her to believe that had a pure connection. Was it careful editing, or is Drew really a bad guy who’s playing Jasmine?

The boys hit the street to perform, where Scott did an arm spasm, Mike ate an imaginary banana, Thomas whipped his hair around, JP did pushups, Benoit shook his butt and Drew did Drew things. At dinner, JP piped up to the rest of the guys that he didn’t trust Drew. That’s two guys who don’t think he’s there for Jasmine. In an interesting twist, Drew let his guard down and revealed he’d been engaged, showing a side no one had seen. The most awkward conversation of the night went to Scott, whose social skills mirrored that of the dance floor. Drew got the ever-important rose and the expression on JP’s face was classic.

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Next up was Kevin W. and a one-on-one with Jasmine. After connecting with her on a personal level last week, I wasn’t really surprised. Kevin is a modern-day superhero, a former soldier, firefighter and all-around good guy. The pair headed aloft in a helicopter where hand-holding gave way to a make-out session before feasting on jerk chicken and caving before having dinner in a grotto. (Hope no bat guano fell into their Two Oceans wine.) But after flying high, Jasmine was brought down to earth when he admitted to being a serial first dater. Now, it may just be he hasn’t fallen in love with anyone and is very particular, but it was a red flag for her nonetheless. An awful story about his brother being stabbed later, and Kevin was given a rose and several smooches.

David didn’t go 0-for-6 as he joined Mikhel, Kyle, Andrew, Kevin P. on an art-related group date. Each guy was tasked with creating a piece of art for someone special—Jasmine, obviously—with help from students. But where guys like Kyle, Kevin P. and Andrew had fun with the kids, Mikhel struggled and admitted he was intimidated. Kevin P. was awarded precious one-on-one time with Jasmine and a rose.

At the rose ceremony, Mikhel landed a massive kiss on Jasmine and presented her with a coral necklace; Chris talked kids’ charity; and Kevin W. interrupted Scott, frustrating the other guys. Sticking around for another week with the Kevins and Drew were Andrew, Mike, Kyle, Mikhel, Chris, Thomas, David and Benoit. I was shocked JP was shown the door, though perhaps Jasmine wasn’t a fan of him being a butler-in-the-buff. As for Scott, well, he was too awkward and shy to make a real connection.

Are you hoping one of the guys tells Jasmine that Drew is there for the wrong reasons? Comment below or via Twitter @tv_eh.

The Bachelorette Canada airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.

Images courtesy of Corus.

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Bachelorette Canada gets jammin’ in Jamaica

The second episode in this dating franchise is one of the most entertaining. The gowns and suits are gone, and the need to act out in a crowd—for the most part—has given way to focusing on the person looking for a relationship.

So it was with The Bachelorette Canada, as Jasmine and her suitors stripped off their finery and headed to Ocho Rio, Jamaica, in a bid to not only foster some relationships but show off their beach bods. Usain Bolt was not involved in Tuesday’s episode, but I did spot something I need to add to my daily routine pronto: being handed a hot towel upon my arrival home to freshen up. It’s so refined.

Kevin, over his raging bout of stomach flu and still carrying that damned ekuele, was ready to connect with Jasmine and Wale spouted off a bunch of clichés to express how excited he was to be at the Sandals resort. But it wasn’t all fun and games and drinks by the pool. Party crasher Noah Cappe had serious business to attend to: delivering the first date information of the budding season. (While we’re by the pool, does anyone know why Mikhel has a nipple ring? I don’t have a problem with it, I’m just curious.) First solo date went to Thomas, a.k.a. Sexual Tongue; he and his man bun were thrilled to score some alone time with Jasmine. After tooling around the grounds in an ATV, the pair let their hair down (he, literally, and she into a bikini) for a beach picnic. Thomas’ near-death experience turned modelling career was enough to get Jasmine enthusiastic about what the future holds and he snagged a rose. (The rose, stuck to his muscle shirt, cracked me up for some reason.)

Meanwhile, back at the resort, Chris described the rift between two groups of men. On one side was Drew (the supposed bully of this season and guy who is there “for the wrong reasons”) and the Toronto party guys, and on the other Chris and the sensitive out-of-towners. According to Drew, you have to have balls to live in Toronto, and guys like Chris just don’t have them. (I’m not sure why Drew thinks living in Toronto equals having guts. It’s not like New York City of the 1970s here. Since when did living in a clean, metropolitan city equal being tough?) After calling Chris a dork to the Toronto guys, Drew then head-faked the inventor into thinking he’d been selected for a one-on-one date with Jasmine. Jerk.

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Instead, it was a group date where Drew and Chris would be competing for personal time alongside other guys. After arriving at Tuff Gong Recording Studios, where Bob Marley used to record and inhaling some of the history (pot), the fellows were divided into two groups to write a reggae song for Jasmine. Seth was stressed, Chris was excited and Jasmine had eyes for Seth and his “Trudeau hair.” The Jaz-men, consisting of Chris, Seth, Kyle and Kevin P. were victorious (when can I download their song from iTunes?) and snagged personal time with Jasmine. Chris was the first to make a move, grabbing Jasmine and pulling her onto the dance floor, but it was Seth that made the first move by kissing her. Sadly, his tongue and teeth kept getting in the way. Kevin P. showed up and witnessed their liplock but to his credit shook it off and asked Jasmine why she was there and what she was looking for. That netted him a rose.

Andrew, Mikhel, JP, Wale and Kevin, meanwhile, landed the episode’s second group date and it was an intensely physical affair. Sand, wrestling and trying to win precious moments with Jasmine meant these dudes were all business. High school wrestling served JP well and he triumphed over Captain Canada, Kevin W. for extra time with the bachelorette. An impromptu game of Truth or Dare revealed the following: Mikhel has had his heart broken and vowed never to let it happen again and Kevin W. has been cheated on but has never cheated. Kevin W. and Jasmine both traded stories of their personal lives; I think he should have held her hand, but that’s just me. Regardless, he was given a rose.

By the end of the rose ceremony, the guys who were sticking around alongside the Kevins and Thomas were Mikhel, Benoit, Kyle, Andrew, David, Drew, JP, Scott, Mike and Chris. That left Seth and Wale on the outs, and exiting the series.

What did you think of Jasmine’s decision? Comment below or via Twitter @tv_eh.

The Bachelorette Canada airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.

Images courtesy of Corus.

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Laughs, liquor and sexual tongues on The Bachelorette Canada

I have something to tell you, and I’m kinda proud of it. The Bachelorette Canada is my guilty pleasure. Please, go ahead and judge me (you’re not the first to do it), but sometimes there’s nothing more fun that watching a television show where you don’t have to think. You can just sit and be entertained. That’s what you get from the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise, and I’m OK with it. (It’s also the only series I actively yell at the TV during.)

So, going in with that attitude, I was pumped to watch Jasmine Lorimer begin her journey for her male co-star in life as The Bachelorette Canada debuted Tuesday night on W Network. Was it entertaining? Hell, yes! I love watching guys act tough in front of a lady, and the addition of alcohol pretty much ensures that’ll happen. I also enjoy watching the dudes who are “there for the wrong reason,” and jeopardize everyone’s “journey.” There was certainly some of that on Tuesday too.

After a quick introduction into who Jasmine is (a laid-back, spontaneous, adventurous hairdresser), her personal struggle (the death of her father at 12) and watching her tool around Vancouver on a bike, Jasmine chatted with Jillian Harris (Ed didn’t come up) about expectations. Then it was down to business, as the 20 bachelors rolled up in the requisite limos to deliver them in front of Jasmine. Among the standouts? Mike the firefighter, who caught Jasmine’s eye and connected over the proximity of their hometowns; Chris the inventor, who produced a burning rose to her; and Kevin P., who wowed Jasmine with a song—she admitted to being attracted to musicians—and vomited minutes later due to food poisoning.

There were, of course, the fellows that went with gimmicks to catch Jasmine’s eye—the aforementioned Chris; Tony and his cowboy hat; Kyle on one knee; Scott making a wooden box; JP, a.k.a. Butler in the buff; and Eddie, a.k.a. Canada’s Crush, fumbling through a telescope setup—but that never makes a big impression. What does is stimulating conversation. Jasmine got that from Drew, Thomas and (a.k.a Sexual Tongue). David scored major points not only with Jasmine but Chris too when he had a string section accompany his original tune … until he cockily said, “Top that!” to the other guys. Dudes are the best at getting in their own way and David proved it. We also learned that cowboy Tony may be an angry drunk, a fact that wasn’t lost on Jasmine.

Was I surprised firefighter Mike got the First Impression rose? Not at all. He clearly had a connection with Jasmine and is a humble guy. He doesn’t appear to play head games or boast, so unless he does something lunk-headed, he’s got the inside track to Jasmine’s heart. Sticking around for another week alongside Mike are Kevin W., Drew, Sexual Tongue Thomas, Mikhel, Kyle, Seth, Scott, Andrew, Chris, Benoit, Wale, Kevin P., JP and David.

(Also? Noah Cappe, so good on Carnival Eats, is a capable Bachelorette Canada host, stepping in to lay ground rules and support and then dipping back into the shadows to let the drama play out.)

This is going to be a good season.

The Bachelorette Canada airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.

Image courtesy of Corus.

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Jennifer Valentyne returns to TV hosting Bachelorette Canada after show

Rogers’ loss is Corus’ gain. Months after she was fired from City’s Breakfast Television, Jennifer Valentyne will host W Network’s The Bachelorette Canada After Show.

Debuting following the first episode of The Bachelorette Canada on Sept. 13 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Valentyne helms the weekly half-hour live chat at 10:30 p.m. ET, discussing the drama, laughter, tears and who is—and isn’t—there for the right reasons. The network reveals past and present Bachelors and Bachelorettes will drop by to interact with Valentyne and fans of the franchise.

As previously announced, Jasmine Lorimer is Canada’s first-ever Bachelorette, seeking a soul mate from a passel of 20 male suitors. Carnival Eats host Noah Cappe hosts The Bachelorette Canada.

The Bachelorette Canada premieres Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.

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