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.
Dragons' Den

Dragons’ Den Season 11 audition tour announced

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From a media release:

It’s time for entrepreneurs across Canada to polish their pitches to be part of DRAGONS’ DEN’s extraordinary 11th season on CBC-TV. This February, producers will hit the road on a 33-city audition tour to find the country’s best businesses in need of a Dragon investment.

As seen on DRAGONS’ DEN last night, auditions will be open to the public and kick-off in Toronto on Feb. 6 in the Barbara Frum Atrium at CBC’s Toronto headquarters (250 Front St. W.). All audition dates and cities are listed below, and venues are listed online. Tour dates will continue to be updated through the DRAGONS’ DEN website (cbc.ca/dragonsden/auditions).

The audition tour will welcome participants of all ages, with businesses at any stage of development. Aspiring entrepreneurs should prepare to pitch their concept to the DRAGONS’ DEN producers in five minutes or less. If they show the producers they have what it takes to pitch in the Den, they could be invited to Toronto to face the Dragons. Prospective pitchers are encouraged to apply online and bring a completed application form to the audition.

Online auditions are open now and will continue in-person throughout February, March and April across the country. Producers will be on the lookout for entrepreneurs in the following cities:

Feb. 6 – Toronto, Ontario
Feb.10 – Guelph, Ontario
Feb. 10 – Regina, Saskatchewan
Feb. 11 – Windsor, Ontario
Feb. 12 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Feb. 13 – London, Ontario
Feb. 13 – Vancouver, B.C.
Feb. 13 – Winnipeg, Manitoba
Feb. 17 – Richmond, B.C.
Feb. 17 – Cranbrook, B.C.
Feb. 18 – Calgary, Alberta
Feb. 19 – Nanaimo, B.C.
Feb. 20 – Edmonton, Alberta
Feb. 20 – Sudbury, Ontario
Feb. 20 – Victoria, B.C.
Feb. 24 – Burlington, Ontario
Feb. 24 – Collingwood, Ontario
Feb. 25 – Prince Edward County, Ontario
Feb. 26 – Kingston, Ontario
Feb. 27 – Barrie, Ontario
Feb. 27 – Montreal, Quebec
Feb. 27 – Ottawa, Ontario
March 2 – Grand Prairie, Alberta
March 2 – Oshawa, Ontario
March 3 – Moncton, New Brunswick
March 4 – Abbotsford, B.C.
March 4 – Charlottetown, P.E.I.
March 5 – Halifax, Nova Scotia
March 5 – Hamilton, Ontario
March 5 – Vancouver, B.C.
March 9 – Waterloo, Ontario
March 10 – Kelowna, B.C.
March 12 – Calgary, Alberta
March 12 – Niagara, Ontario
March 18 – Quebec City, Quebec
March 19 – Montreal, Quebec
April 2 – Toronto, Ontario

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Featured, Podcast

Comments and queries for the week of January 15

TV, Eh? podcast episode 198 – One Season Wonders

TV North by Peter Kenter (with notes by Martin Levin) says T. and T. was shown on Global. —Stephen

Thanks for the clarification! 

More choice, smaller bills in store for TV viewers

Until Internet services are improved across the country, the cable/satellite companies won’t have to fear losing much of their customers. Many Internet service providers place high-speed data caps on their customers and I can see more companies doing this as well. Some of the bigger ones like Bell might put data caps to curb streaming from other streaming services but not count their own streaming service toward that cap. It’s been talked about that the current infrastructure is unable to handle the increase in streaming which leads to lower speeds. —Ally

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? greg@tv-eh.com or @tv_eh.

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Bachelor Canada, Bachelorette Canada

The Bachelorette Canada Launches National Casting Tour in Search of the Country’s Most Eligible Bachelors

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From a media release:

W Network is on the hunt for Canada’s most eligible bachelors. Beginning Tuesday, January 19 through to Tuesday, January 26, The Bachelorette Canada hits the road in search of charming, adventurous, charismatic men looking for true love that are up for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Bachelorette Canada is travelling across the country, with open casting calls being held in Vancouver (January 19), Calgary (January 21), Winnipeg (January 22), Toronto (January 23 and 24), Montréal (January 25), and Halifax (January 26).

Casting is taking place at the following locations:

Vancouver, BC
Tuesday, January 19, 10 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. PT
The Westin Grand, 433 Robson Street

Calgary, AB
Thursday, January 21, 10 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. MT
The Delta Calgary Downtown, 209 4th Avenue SE

Winnipeg, MB
Friday, January 22, 3 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. CT
The Hilton Winnipeg Airport Suites, 1800 Wellington Avenue

Toronto, ON
Saturday, January 23, 3 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, January 24, 10 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. ET
The Grand Hotel & Suites, 225 Jarvis Street

Montréal, QC
Monday, January 25, 3 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. ET
Hotel 10 Montreal, 10 Sherbrooke Street West

Halifax, NS
Tuesday, January 26, 3 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. AT
Four Points by Sheraton Halifax, 1496 Hollis Street

How to Audition

To be eligible for The Bachelorette Canada, participants must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada and over the age of majority. Applicants must bring valid photo ID (either of the following: (1) passport or (2) birth certificate, driver’s license, or government issued photo ID). Please bring originals only. Dress to impress and avoid wearing white, black, busy patterns and clothing with logos.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Mayday flies into Season 15

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I’m always conflicted about watching an episode of Mayday. I’m fascinated by how airplanes work and the unfortunate circumstances that bring them down, but I also love to fly, so seeing a flaming ball of wreckage on a runway sends shivers up my spine. Of course, the point of Mayday‘s real stories isn’t just to focus on the accidents themselves but how such incidents go a long way to improving airplane safety.

Season 15 kicks off Friday at 10 p.m. ET on Discovery with “Fatal Transmission,” the tale of a fiery collision between a United Express commuter flight and a small private plane in Quincy, Ill., that leaves investigators flummoxed. Did the fact the pilot and first mate had been working for 12 hours straight figure into what happened? Did having no flight attendant present during the 20-minute jaunt contribute to the death toll? Have pre-recorded in-cabin safety instructions become merely background noise?

Throughout the course of the episode, the impact multiple takeoffs and landings have on a flight crew, the common practice of letting first mates control the bulk of a flight to acquire hours of experience, and a lack of air traffic control at small airports are all offered as possible reasons for what occurred next: a deadly conflagration that claimed 14 lives.

Mayday‘s strength in storytelling remains the eyewitness accounts, and that continues Friday as flight instructor Paul Walker provides a dramatic and tragic account of what happened. Heartrending news footage continues the story until the National Transportation Safety Board and lead investigator Tom Haueter arrives. It doesn’t take long until the shocking reasons for the accident are revealed.

Mayday airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Discovery.

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Degrassi

Link: Degrassi’s enduring popularity proves teenagers will never get tired of their honest reflection

From David Berry of The National Post:

Degrassi’s enduring popularity proves teenagers will never get tired of their honest reflection
A quarter-century later, though, it’s hard not to see that as its best feature. Where 90210 has been lost in a sea of both fictional and “reality” descendants, each one grasping at ever-more histrionic reveals, Degrassi continues to plug away. The latest iteration, Degrassi: Next Class, debuts this Friday on Netflix, where, if history is any guide, it’s likely to stick around for a long time. The beauty of Degrassi is that it keeps getting older, but teen problems stay the same age. Continue reading.

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