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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

W Network’s Game of Homes returns for drama-filled Season 2

The home renovation show with the best twist on a TV title ever returns with one of the biggest prizes in Canadian TV. Season 2 of Game of Homes is back Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on W Network with resident judges Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan, host Dave Salmoni and four pairs of two looking to score one heck of a grand prize: a house, furniture inside the house and a plot of land to put it on.

Where Season 1 had the backdrop of Vancouver, the sophomore go-round is based just outside of Toronto, and eight weeks of toil turns into triumph for two people. Will it be Kim and Harry, who want to win the house for financial freedom and a chance to spend more time with their kids? Maybe best friends Domenic and Michael, hoping to move out of their parents’ home. There is also engaged couple Courtney and Tyler; and mother and son duo Shelley and Alex, looking to win the house to secure financial stability for Alex’s future. Regardless of who wins, the road is a bumpy one.

“When things happen and they realize, ‘Holy shit, I could win a house,’ that’s one reality,” says Salmoni during a break in filming. “Then there’s the reality of the first time they don’t enjoy being part of a TV show. ‘I’m having a first AD scream at me?’ ‘I have to do that again?’ There are a lot of things you don’t consider when you sign on to do a design show.” Salmoni, an animal trainer and host of such nature series as Rogue Nature and Into the Pride and heading up Mark Burnett’s adventure series Expedition Impossible, dispenses tough love to the competitors, who are challenged to renovate a room at a time in the run-down abodes they’ve chosen. At the end of each episode, McAllister, Ryan, a guest judge weigh in on whose room looks the best.

“Colin and I are very practical and there can only be one winner,” Ryan says. “But to get there, there is a big emotional journey. We have connected with the contestants, but we have to keep that barrier alive where we can be critical without offending.”

“I want them all to win, but I’m there for the rules,” Salmoni explains. “If you tell me you’re tired? Tough, this is what you signed on for. If you received some comments from the judges that you didn’t like? Tough, do better next time.” There’s a lot of that attitude—both from the judges and contestants—in Episode 1. The dazzle of being part of a television show quickly fades when hours stretch into days, ingenious ideas crumble and tempers flare. McAllister, Ryan and guest judge Todd Talbot pull no punches in their criticisms of the living room renovations and leads to bruised egos.

“The stress of it is expected for a show like this,” Salmoni says. “What I didn’t expect was the weather. It’s getting cold and there’s no heat in the houses. They’ve been struggling.” Luckily, the grand prize is worth it.

Game of Homes airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.

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Featured, Wynonna Earp

Tim Rozon on his hairy Wynonna Earp role

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To say Tim Rozon is a fan of comic books would be a grave understatement. Rozon, who portrays Doc Holliday on CHCH’s Monday night sci-fi romp Wynonna Earp, blew his daily per diem on comics while attending WonderCon to promote the show for Syfy. He geeked out meeting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman and DC’s Jim Lee and spent all his free time walking the convention floor. So to land a role on a series based on Beau Hill’s graphic novels was, literally, a dream come true.

We spoke to Rozon about the research he did before playing Doc, the character’s complicated relationship with Wynonna, dealing with a devilish dude like Bobo Del Rey and why growing a real moustache was so important.

I’m a history buff, so going into Wynonna Earp I assumed Doc and Wynonna would be friends because of his connection to Wyatt. That doesn’t appear to be the in the show; if anything he appears to be aligned with Bobo.
Tim Rozon: People ask if Doc is good or bad and my answer to that is, what’s good and what’s bad? I’ve played villains and I don’t play them thinking I’m bad. I think what I’m doing is good. Doc lives in a grey area of good and bad and I think everyone on this show is driven by their own mission. Everybody feels they have something they need to get done for themselves and Doc is hell-bent on something. He’s going to use whoever and whatever he can to get that mission done. If he’s using Bobo or Wynonna, it really doesn’t matter to Doc.

Do things change? You’ll have to wait and see.

I love the fact that, at this point, Wynonna and Waverly just think he’s a super-fan with a great wardrobe.
Yeah! I mean, the writing is great. The funniest thing for me about the character is he’s not scared of a gunfight, but a selfie? He has no idea what that is. Getting in an elevator is what’s going to give Doc pause now.

Wynonna4

Talk about growing the moustache and your research into Doc Holliday.
Here’s the thing. Doc Holliday is an iconic character and I grew up loving him. He’s been done really well by a lot of other people before. If I say, ‘I’m your Huckleberry,’ people know who that is. For those that don’t, it’s Val Kilmer as Holliday in Tombstone. I knew exactly who Doc Holliday was when this part came up and it was important for me to be as historically accurate as possible. So I went back and did a little research and the original moustache was big and had that little soul patch thing. I knew I was going to at least go with the moustache. It took about four months to grow that and I need it to play him. There is something about being on set with the hat, the gun and the moustache that really helps that character come out. It’s hard for me to do it right now. I’m so far away from Doc in regular life.

We also made sure that I had the right gun. In my research, I knew that it was a Colt Thunderer that we needed. And when I talked to production they told me that’s what they’d got, so I was really happy. I was carrying around a replica of the same gun he had.

Wow, did you take it? Do you have it?
I wish! I said, ‘Can I have this and hang it on my wall?’ They said, ‘No Tim, it’s a gun. You need a permit.’

Wynonna Earp airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on CHCH.

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Featured, Masterchef Canada

MasterChef Canada pump(kin)s up the competition

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After a week off because of the Juno Awards, MasterChef Canada was back with the Top 10 cooking on Sunday. Doctor Shawn clearly should cook outside of his comfort zone more often: despite no knowledge of baking or working with pumpkin, he wowed the judges and had the best Elimination Challenge plate of the night.

But the biggest shock wasn’t what Shawn was able to do, but what Michelle wasn’t. One of the strongest home cooks going into this season was eliminated after her pumpkin soup was deemed unsatisfactory by the judges. Her elimination led to plenty of tears by the remaining competitors and a little head-scratching on my part. Yes, I know every judgment is made solely on your latest dish, but Michelle has, overall, been pretty impressive. Alas, she’s gone and we’re left to wonder what could have been. Meanwhile, April Lee and Jennifer got a massive wake-up call and need to improve if they want to continue.

At the other end were Mary (pumpkin gnocchi), Shawn (pumpkin soup) and Terry (pumpkin risotto)—Jeremy and Matthew’s absence from Elimination Challenge judging meant they were safe—whose pumpkin plates won raves from the judges and landed them all captain status in next week’s team challenge. Shawn and Mary have been obviously strong out of the gate, but Terry is quickly closing in on them. He’s also got a great story; you can’t help but cheer for him to win.

And then there’s Veronica. She appeared to be the villain of the season early on—being a confident lawyer will do that—and she seemed cold and detached. Clearly she’s anything but; she and the likable Michelle are best friends and she spent a lot of time sharing personal stories regarding her father. She’s also one hell of a cook; her Japanese Matcha Roll Cake was outstanding and claimed her not only the Mystery Box challenge win but a spot in a Becel margarine ad. After Michelle was eliminated, Veronica pointed out that the other home cooks are merely competitors and she’ll take them down one by one. The remaining Top 8 better watch out.

MasterChef Canada airs Sundays at 7 p.m. ET on CTV.

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Featured

Comments and queries for the week of April 8

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Jennifer Valentyne exits Breakfast Television Toronto

Such a loss. So much energy and a truly good person. What is the matter with the people at Rogers? —Eleanor

You have made one big mistake. I for one will never again watch City TV. How do people like you sleep at night? —Bernadette

We can all say Jenn is better off, but I am pretty sure she doesn’t feel that way. The truth is that it’s a crappy situation all around. Same thing happened at CHCH and it sucks. I won’t say I am not going to watch BT anymore because there still are great people on, however it’s so annoying when these big corporate companies come in, take over and put people out of jobs. I personally wish you all the best Jenn, and look forward to hearing about your new adventures. Keep smiling even through the hard days. We love you, xoxo. —Andrea

A special call out to Jenn and Gord. Not sure most of you know, but both of them have been huge supporters of The Children’s Breakfast Club, an Ontario charity that supports less fortunate kids in Ontario. The club receives all of its support through private donations, no government ties. Both Jenn and Gord were huge club supporters and showed us for many years to garner support for Rick and the team! You could say it was part of their job, and they did a heck of job doing it! Best of luck Jenn, and luck will have little to do with your success in the future! —Bill

Perfect example of the decision makers not really having their finger on the pulse. I’m sure this decision was made in a corporate boardroom by a suit that has no idea of her viewer loyalty. Often it’s a money decision disguised as a direction change, but a smart decision would’ve been to work her into whatever new direction they were taking and valuing 23 years of solid viewer loyalty. Another station WILL scoop her up and take her 23 years of viewers’ loyalty as well! —EZ

Another nail in the coffin of watching BT. I was a loyal viewer for years, but with more commercials than news content, less host interaction, boring talk segments and now Jennifer leaving. I am watching CP24 each morning. I’ve had it with Rogers TV! —Rita

Well! No reason to watch BT in the morning before going to work anymore. Best part of my day was watching happy-go-lucky Jennifer.
Jenn, you can do better than BT! Take some time off and relax … you deserve it! —Rod

Will Bryan Baeumler ever come to any state in U.S.? Love his show and his work. None better! Thank you. —Barbara

The best way to keep track of Bryan Baeumler’s upcoming events and appearances is by heading to his official website.

 

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

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Paranormal Survivor returns with new terrifying tales

When it comes to believing in ghosts and the supernatural, I lean towards the side of skeptic, though I’ve had experiences I can’t explain. Orbs captured in a photo floating between my stepsons, a general sense of unease during a week-long stay at a Pelee Island cottage. I love watching paranormal investigators obtain odd things with audio and video equipment as they dash around haunted locations. And while those blips and static-choked voices are certainly interesting, the stories told by those directly affected by the paranormal can be truly scary.

That’s certainly the case of Paranormal Survivor, returning for a second season Friday night on Travel + Escape. Broadcast during the channel’s free preview, Our House Media’s project sits down with the real people who have been at the wrong end of spooky experiences and re-enacts them for viewers.

“We’ve always be interested in the documentary with dramatization genre,” says OHM president Joe Houlihan. “You have people telling true stories that are dramatized. There is an audience that’s really interested in the paranormal, from true believers to skeptics. It’s a scenario where, if you find the right stories, the first-hand accounts are utterly compelling.” That’s certainly the case of the folks producers spoke to for Paranormal Survivor. In Friday’s return episode, hobby farm owner Al recounts how the feeling of dread he felt arriving home every night evolved into being bear-hugged by an unseen force; Karen of Fenelon Falls, Ont., describes a harrowing history of sexual abuse at the hands of an unseen assailant; and Kristen tearfully recalls her dead aunt chasing her.

Far from being salacious, Paranormal Survivor simply presents the victims’ stories, corroborated by the investigators who took on their cases and observed something strange going on. Everyone believes something happened to these people, but exactly what is up for discussion. Houlihan explains victims told their tales, writers put together the scripts and actors were cast to re-create those terrible moments; the result is truly chilling footage you should watch with the lights on.

Where does Houlihan fall on the spirit scale? He’s a skeptic too, though he admits to an encounter of his own.

“I lived in a 100-year-old house in the U.K. and I saw an apparition of an old lady,” he recalls with a laugh. “It wasn’t anything scary or threatening, but it was something where you say, ‘OK, that was weird.’ In my heart of hearts, I know what I saw.”

Paranormal Survivor airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on T+E. The network is currently in a free preview.

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