All posts by Greg David

Prior to becoming a television critic and owner of TV, Eh?, Greg David was a critic for TV Guide Canada, the country's most trusted source for TV news. He has interviewed television actors, actresses and behind-the-scenes folks from hundreds of television series from Canada, the U.S. and internationally. He is a podcaster, public speaker, weekly radio guest and educator, and past member of the Television Critics Association.

Jessi Cruickshank and Steven Sabados team up for CBC’s The Goods

From a media release:

CBC today announced two additional hosts for its new one-hour daytime program, THE GOODS. Host and author Andrea Bain and chef Shahir Massoud join previously announced hosts Jessi Cruickshank and Steven Sabados to form the complete team. Shot live-to-tape in front of a studio audience, THE GOODS will air weekday afternoons at 2 p.m. (2:30 NT) beginning October 3 on CBC.

Every weekday, THE GOODS will deliver all the inspiration and information Canadians need in one jam-packed and entertaining hour of daily television. Each of the four hosts brings their own authentic point of view and passion to the show - style and fashion for Cruickshank; home and design for Sabados; relationships and wellness for Bain; and food for Massoud – that combined will make THE GOODS the ultimate afternoon destination for audiences across Canada.

Meet THE GOODS team:

Andrea_Bain
Andrea Bain, @AndreaMBain
Andrea Bain has hosted a number of national lifestyle shows on HGTV and SLICE and appeared regularly as a relationship specialist on various Canadian daytime programs. Most recently, Bain has used her relationship expertise to pen her first book, Single Girl Problems, which will be published later this year. After graduating with a BA in Sociology from York University and a diploma in Broadcast Journalism from Humber College, Bain began her television career in a Toronto newsroom. She worked behind the scenes as a producer and, shortly after, landed her first reporting job. After some encouragement from her peers, Bain decided to step in front of the camera full time and became an entertainment correspondent for the Los Angeles-based TV station Reelzchannel, where she interviewed such notable names as Oprah, Brad Pitt and Martin Scorsese.

Shahir_Massoud
Shahir Massoud, @chefshahir
After graduating from York University’s Schulich School of Business, Shahir Massoud decided to pursue his true passion and move to New York City to enroll in the famed French Culinary Institute. While in New York, he worked in the kitchens of Mario Batali (Lupa), Jean-Georges Vongerichten (The Mark Hotel) and Saveur magazine. Massoud has since moved on to become the Corporate Executive Chef at Levetto, overseeing multiple locations all over Ontario. Massoud has also made regular appearances on various Canadian morning and daytime programs including Cityline and Breakfast Television.

Jessi Cruickshank, @JESSI
One of Canada’s most beloved TV personalities, Jessi Cruickshank has been hailed as “one of the funniest women on TV today, period” by The Province. Cruickshank is the host of CBC’s Canada’s Smartest Person, returning for Season 3 in the fall. Her self-deprecating humour, irreverent interview style and eclectic flair for fashion have made her a fan favourite. Cruickshank grew up in Vancouver, where she broke into comedy as the only girl in an all-male improv troupe alongside Seth Rogen. She soon became a household name as the face of MTV Canada, hosting the daily comedy show MTV Live and smash hit The Hills After Show, which generated record-breaking ratings in Canada and the United States. She went on to star in the nightly talk-show The After Show, and has since hosted Live from E!, Jerseylicious, Jessi Cruickshank’s Real Hollywood Survival Guide and Olympic Morning. She has also travelled the world as the Canadian Ambassador for Free The Children. Cruickshank splits her time between Toronto and Los Angeles, where she can be seen on Oh Sit!, Kirstie, The Odd Couple and as the L.A. correspondent for etalk.

Steven Sabados, @stevenandchris
Known in Canada and around the world as a pioneer of design television, designer Steven Sabados is one of Canada’s most adored and respected celebrities. Raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Sabados was born with a passion for the arts and found avenues of expression in painting, photography, architecture and fashion. After completing an education in Fine Art, Sabados moved to Toronto, where he excelled as the in-store Creative Director for some of Canada’s most successful retail brands including Eaton’s and Roots. In 1992, Sabados and partner Christopher Hyndman formed independent design firm The Sabados Group. After appearing on a variety of daytime shows, it wasn’t long before the charming and creative Sabados and the dynamic and fun-loving Hyndman were offered their own show. The smash hit Designer Guys debuted in 2001 followed by Design Rivals and So Chic with Steven and Chris. In the fall of 2008, CBC launched Steven and Chris. The highly successful daytime show was the first of its kind in Canada and quickly became a national sensation.

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Casting for Season 5 of Big Brother Canada launches today

From a media release:

After an action-packed fourth season which saw an of average of nearly 1.2 million viewers per episode*, Global’s smash hit original series Big Brother Canada returns with casting for its fifth season now underway. Canadians who think they have what it takes can apply online at BigBrotherCanada.ca beginning today. The online submission deadline is October 24, 2016.

The next crop of dynamic and outrageous Canadians interested in appearing on the must-see series can apply online with a short video about why they are the ideal houseguest, along with a photo. Applicants must be 19 years of age by February 1, 2017. Additional information, including a complete list of rules and eligibility, can be found at BigBrotherCanada.ca.

Airing exclusively on Global in spring 2017, Big Brother Canada plucks a group of hand-picked strangers from their homes, sequesters them from the outside world, and places them inside a house outfitted wall-to-wall with cameras and microphones that capture their every move. Competing for a grand cash prize, each week the houseguests battle in a series of challenges that give them power or punishment, voting each other out until the fate of the final two is decided by a jury of fellow houseguests.

 

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The Killjoys get “Schooled”

Sure, it’s nearing the end of July, so most kids are enjoying being out of the classroom. Unfortunately, for Killjoys‘ Dutch, D’Avin and Johnny, they become enrolled embroiled in strange and dangerous goings-on at a special school for super-smart kids. Here’s Space’s official synopsis about Friday’s new episode, “Schooled”:

A simple escort mission takes a frightening turn when the Killjoys discover students have mysteriously disappeared from a school for gifted Westerley children.

And here’s a sneak peek from us about what fans can expect.

Dutch and D’Avin’s super-sexy fight scene
Unlike their near-deadly Season 1 grapple, this one’s all about bragging rights. We’ll call it a draw; let us know what you think.

Image courtesy of Bell Media.
Image courtesy of Bell Media.

The Killjoys go back to school
The mystery at the Prodigy School gives viewers a chance to see how the Killjoys would fare as parents. D’Avin and Johnny? Naturals. Dutch? Not so much. But while D’Av’s scenes with the kids are super-sweet, there’s dark stuff going on at the school. The simple mission outlined by Turin doesn’t go as planned—when do they ever?—and our trio is forced to work with Delle Seyah.

Image courtesy of Bell Media.
Image courtesy of Bell Media.

D’Avin vs. Sabine
She has a small role in “Schooled,” but Pree’s latest hire, Sabine, makes an impression on D’Av. Sabine is played by Tori Anderson, who many of us last saw starring on Open Heart. Can we take a moment to remember Open Heart?

An homage to Marion Ravenwood?
There’s a particular scene involving Pawter that left us with a major case of déjà vu. We’re pretty sure the Killjoys writing team was channeling Raiders of the Lost Ark when our favourite doc was trying to gain her freedom.

Killjoys airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on Space.

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Link: The women of Baroness von Sketch Show: Our most embarrassing moments

From Andrea Karr of Canadian Living:

Link: The women of Baroness von Sketch Show: Our most embarrassing moments
“We probably wrote 300 sketches for season one and 90 made the show. It’s all about listening to the ideas. Is the idea relatable? Does it come from a true place? It doesn’t have to stay at a true place—a lot of our stuff goes to absurd places—but is it rooted in some element of truth?” Continue reading.

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Best day ever on The Amazing Race Canada

The latest Leg of The Amazing Race Canada contained two things I dread: eating wiggly bugs and performing karaoke. And, to be honest, it’s the karaoke that scares me the most out of the two. So I watched much of Tuesday’s episode with an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach because I knew both challenges were happening on the same night.

The Leg, through the hot and sweaty streets of Ho Chi Minh City, was a wild one where teams that were in middle and bottom of the pack jumped to the front while previously strong ones like Ashley and Joel and Jillian and Ashley were humbled as they dropped in the standings.

“Expect the unexpected,” Ashley said when Steph and Kristen revealed they’d gotten the Express Passes and handed them over to Frankie and Amy. Ashley was dead on. What seemed to be a relatively easy “Flip Flop” Detour—tossing around bottles of booze Cocktail-style—threw Ashley and her dad and Emmett and Jillian for a major loop, allowing other teams to roll in, complete the task and depart, while they struggled dozens of times to get in sync. The result? Joel and Ashley finished in fifth while the former Big Brother competitors were battling with Anne and Tanya for the last team to arrive at the Pit Stop.

Alas, it was the end of the road for longtime friends Anne and Tanya, who started the Leg in last place and never recovered. It was fun to watch them race this week; with no pressure to perform head-to-head with another team, they just soaked the experience in.

Meanwhile, Kelly and Kate had what they described as “Best. Day. Ever,” completing the scooter challenge in second place and devouring the bugs, bat and pulsating coconut worms with aplomb. Their Asian heritage served the girls well both with the insects—they both revealed they eat stuff like that all the time—and especially with the V-Pop Detour: they converted the karaoke lyrics to Chinese to help learn Vietnamese and charged through the challenge on their first try. It was a stunning Leg for the two friends, who landed in front of Jon Montgomery in first place.

The success of Kate and Kelly, Rita and Yvette, Julie and Lowell and mother-daughter team Frankie and Amy proved this may be one of the most equally-matched casts The Amazing Race Canada has ever put together and—as usual—appearances can be deceiving. Franke and Amy placed fourth for the Leg and scored the other Express Pass from Steph and Kristen, immediately giving them an advantage in the coming weeks.

What did you think of this Leg of the Race? Comment below or via @tv_eh.

Here’s how the teams finished up this Leg:

  1. Kelly and Kate (won trip for two to Los Angeles)
  2. Steph and Kristen
  3. Rita and Yvette
  4. Frankie and Amy (receive Express Pass)
  5. Joel and Ashley
  6. Julie and Lowell
  7. Jillian and Emmett
  8. Anne and Tanya (eliminated)

The Amazing Race Canada airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CTV.

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