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Featured, Masterchef Canada

MasterChef Canada: Tessa Virtue helps crown the Top 2

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With the MasterChef Canada season finale airing next week, Monday’s episode featured the Top 3—Jennifer, Andre and Josh—battling it out for a chef’s jacket and the chance to pocket $100,000. To help out, Olympic Ice Dancer Tessa Virtue was on hand as a special guest (catch she and Scott Moir as guest judges on Battle of the Blades this fall).

Here’s what happened.

In the final Mystery Box challenge of the season, the cube was lifted on a MasterChef logo shrouded by fog. The theme of the challenge was Fire and Ice, meaning the concept had to be applied to Josh, Andre and Jennifer’s recipes. Chefs Alvin, Michael and Claudio and Tessa were looking for a wow factor in look and taste. Tessa was also interested in the story behind each dish.

Jennifer’s first thought was of her father and his favourite birthday food, bacon-wrapped scallops, which became the base of a recipe that included a rum and cola glaze and dulce ice cream pearls. Josh went for a duck plate augmented with a smoking puck and frozen vinaigrette for his salad. Andre aimed for something we’ve never seen from him on the show: a Japanese grill platter utilizing a fire pit, and exploding leaves.

A woman stands, with a shocked look on her face.Andre’s steak by the fire was simply spectacular to look at, with glowing embers the highlight of the plate. Michael and Alvin, and Tessa were all impressed by the look at taste. At first glance, Jennifer’s plate looked cluttered and messy, a hodgepodge of things and ideas. But the flavours were there; Claudio was particularly impressed by the dulce pearls. And Josh’s smoked duck and salad wowed Michael, Tessa and Claudio. I felt like Andre had a slight edge on Jennifer and Josh; the judges agreed and he was crowned the winner.,

Andre didn’t score a fast track to the finale—that would have been too easy—but he did land a major advantage in the Elimination Challenge, choosing who would create a tasting menu with which Canadian cheese. The problem? Andre is lactose intolerant. Oops. The choices were ash-ripened goat cheese from Quebec, cloth-bound cheddar from Prince Edward Island and blue cheese from British Columbia. Andre picked the goat cheese for himself and assigned the cheddar to Jennifer and blue to Josh. His plot was sound: give Jennifer an easy cheese she might overthink and hand Josh a cheese too strong to handle.

A man stands at an oven, cooking.Jennifer aimed for French cheese puffs, updated broccoli and cheese, and a tarte Tatin. Josh opted for a blue cheese dip that he turned into a soup, butternut squash and blue cheese ravioli, and blue cheese cheesecake. Andre decided on a mushroom macaroni and cheese, Brussel sprout and goat cheese salad, and pear and goat cheese mousseline. The judges were worried Josh would run out of time but it was Andre who missed putting puff pastry on his dessert.

Alvin enjoyed Jennifer’s broccoli and cheese recipe, Michael loved her apple tart, but Claudio thought she missed the mark with her puffs. Alvin liked Andre’s mac and cheese, Michael thought the Brussels sprouts could have been charred more, but Claudio thought the goat cheese was missing from the pears. Michael thought Josh’s soup was a little thin but flavourful, Claudio liked the pasta but it was a tad short on cheese flavour, and Alvin thought the cheesecake was very, very good.

The result? Jennifer was the first home cook earmarked for the season finale. Going head-to-head with her is Andre. Josh put up one heck of a fight and showed consistent growth as the weeks went by during Season 6. He should be proud of what he accomplished.

Who do you pick to be this season’s MasterChef Canada winner? Let me know in the comments below.

The MasterChef Canada season finale goes next Monday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: Property Brothers: Forever Home debuts on HGTV Canada

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Is there anything Drew and Jonathan Scott can’t do when it comes to renovation projects and television shows? From the original Property Brothers series, now in Season 13, to spinoffs like Property Brothers at Home: Drew’s Honeymoon House, the Scott brand means education, information and a healthy dose of humour.

Now the pair is back with another new series in Property Brothers: Forever Home. Bowing on Monday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV, the duo help couples who are settled into their existing home but seek a makeover to make it their forever property.

In the first of seven episodes, the lanky lads are in Las Vegas to meet Susan and Troy, who love their neighbourhood, the backyard and the home overall. But, with a third child in their midst, it’s time to update and upgrade, especially some needless ups and downs because of small steps on the main floor, a double island in the kitchen and a tiny laundry room.

The solution? Raise the entire main floor, nix the double islands for one big area and create a multi-purpose room.

While Drew focuses on manual labour, Jonathan shows Susan and Troy interior design options and inspirations. With a few swings of the sledgehammer, the job is underway. The results are, of course, stunning.

My only quibble with Property Brothers: Forever Home might be the locations they film in. I say “might” because I’ve only seen the first instalment, in Las Vegas, but I worry all of the homes featured are in the U.S. Call me a homer, but I really like to see Canadian locations featured, mainly so I can try and figure out how much it might cost to renovate my home. As I said, Episode 2 could very well be in Vancouver, Calgary or Halifax, rendering this whole paragraph pointless.

If you’re any kind of a fan of the Scotts, you’re doing to enjoy their latest creation.

Property Brothers: Forever Home airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada.

Image courtesy of Corus Entertainment.

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Featured, Frankie Drake Mysteries

Comments and queries for the week of May 31

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To misquote Billy Joe Armstrong “Wake Me Up When December Ends.” Except for Frankie Drake, Baroness and occasionally TNOT, I’m afraid none of the shows [on CBC’s fall schedule] appeal to me. The winter slate of shows look more interesting with The Sounds. —King

Wow, after all these years there’a finally a Canadian version of Family Feud. I wonder who will host it. I will definitely watch this. I’m glad Northern Rescue is getting a good window in the fall but I wonder if that means a potential second season might take a whole extra year to debut if it gets renewed. I also enjoyed Battle of the Blades. Definitely a great family show. CBC actually has a fabulous family slate coming up in the fall and the thing with the family shows is they get watched soon after airing because I often run out of things I want to watch with the kids. My own adult shows I have to wait till the kids are in bed to watch IF I don’t go to bed soon after them, lol. —Alicia

We love [Hudson & Rex], and while I don’t necessarily need every character to sound like a Newfoundlander, it would sure be nice if the odd one did. Why go to the trouble of letting us know where it takes place if we’re not going to hear one single person with an accent, like a whole retirement home and not one senior sounds like a Newfoundlander? It bothers me and it doesn’t seem realistic. You’re going to offend people from the east coast. Can we try to fix that next season? Thanks. —Julie

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

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Featured, Industry News, Mohawk Girls

Tracey Deer on improving gender balance in Canadian TV and film: “You have to be brave to change things”

After covering the Canadian television industry for five years, I assumed the gender balance was even. I know several female showrunners like Emily Andras (Wynonna Earp), Sarah Dodd (Cardinal: Blackfly Season), Jennica Harper (Jann), Catherine Reitman (Workin’ Moms) and Michelle Lovretta (Killjoys), many female writers and female directors. And, after the CBC announced they would ensure 50 per cent of directors on their projects would be female, I naively thought, “All good.”

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

A recent report by Women in View examined more than 5,000 contracts issued between 2014 and 2017 in television, and between 2015 and 2017 in film. The report has been tracking gender balance in Canada’s film and television industry, and the most recent uncovered some movement toward gender balance since the first study in 2012, but women of colour and Indigenous women remain woefully under-employed.

“There are still gaps and, sadly, it’s women who are making the change,” Women in View’s Board Chair Tracey Deer says. “Women showrunners are hiring women. We need our male colleagues to get on board as well and then I think we’re going to see some massive changes.” Deer, who most recently directed, co-created and co-executive produced Mohawk Girls, believes the industry is slow to change because it has been male-dominated for so long. Add to that the industry is a collaboration—when you find someone you work well with, you’ll hire them again—and it’s an uphill battle for women.

“I don’t fault [men] that,” Deer stresses. “However, it’s complicit, and part of this problem. We need to shake it up, expand our network and not keep working with the same people over and over again.” There is some good news: between 2014 and 2017, there was a jump in women filling 17 per cent of the jobs to 28 per cent. But just 1.81 per cent of contracts went to women of colour, and Indigenous women only .69 per cent.

In 2017, no directing, writing or cinematography roles in television went to Indigenous women. Of the 3,206 television contracts issued during the full four-year period, just 22 went to Indigenous women, and only 12 of 1,637 film contracts. Just .87 per cent of writing roles and 5 per cent of directing jobs went to women of colour.

“There are lots of us out there who are at the calibre that is needed to do the work,” Deer says. “We constantly want to be bringing women up. But to hire women isn’t inherently throwing a bone to women, it’s about doing your own project a greater good by bringing on the different perspective that women, specifically women of colour and Indigenous women. We all bring different perspectives to our work and that makes it richer, not poorer.”

She believes the major change needs to begin at the top, at the broadcast level and the funding agency level, with a mandate to have a certain number of women and men. The people are there, Deer says, and ready to work.

“I talk a lot about people being brave,” she says. “You have to be brave to change things. When it rests just on the individual to do the right thing and be brave, it’s a really scary thing. It has to happen across the board.”

You can find more information and reports on the Women in View website. 

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Featured, Industry News

CBC unveils 2019-2020 primetime schedule

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In addition to the CBC revealing the new shows joining the lineup this fall and winter, the network pulled back the curtain on its primetime schedule.

We have yet to confirm actual debut and premiere dates, but here’s what each night will look like.

MONDAYS
8 PM – MURDOCH MYSTERIES *Season 13* (FALL/WINTER)
9 PM – FRANKIE DRAKE MYSTERIES *Season 3* (FALL)
10 PM – THE NATIONAL

TUESDAYS
7:30 PM – FAMILY FEUD CANADA *NEW SERIES* (LATE FALL)
8 PM – STILL STANDING *Season 5*(FALL)
8:30 PM – THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES *Season 27* (FALL/WINTER)
9 PM – TALLBOYZ *NEW SERIES* (FALL)
9:30 PM – BARONESS VON SKETCH SHOW *Season 4*
10 PM – THE NATIONAL

WEDNESDAYS
7:30 PM – FAMILY FEUD CANADA *NEW SERIES* (LATE FALL)
8 PM – THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW *Season 3*(FALL)
9 PM – NORTHERN RESCUE *Season 1*(FALL)
10 PM – THE NATIONAL

THURSDAYS
7:30 PM – FAMILY FEUD CANADA *NEW SERIES* (LATE FALL)
8 PM – BATTLE OF THE BLADES RETURNS (FALL)
9 PM – DRAGONS’ DEN *Season 14* (FALL)
10 PM – THE NATIONAL

FRIDAYS
7:30 PM – FAMILY FEUD CANADA *NEW SERIES* (LATE FALL)
8 PM – MARKETPLACE *Season 47*(FALL/WINTER)
8:30 PM – IN THE MAKING *Season 2* (FALL)
9 PM – THE NATURE OF THINGS *Season 59* (FALL/WINTER) – New Night
10 PM – THE NATIONAL
11:30 PM – CBC ARTS: EXHIBITIONISTS (FALL/WINTER)

SATURDAYS
Afternoon – ROAD TO THE OLYMPIC GAMES *Season 5* (FALL/WINTER)
6:30 PM – HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA (FALL/WINTER)

SUNDAYS
Afternoon – ROAD TO THE OLYMPIC GAMES *Season 5* (FALL/WINTER)
7 PM – HEARTLAND *Season 13* (FALL)
8 PM – ANNE WITH AN E *Season 3*(FALL)
9 PM – THE FIFTH ESTATE *Season 45*
10 PM – THE NATIONAL

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