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Swimming with the fishes on The Amazing Race Canada

I’m consistently fascinated by the odd times Amazing Race contestants depart for a new Leg. In Tuesday’s newest journey, for instance, Jillian and Emmett departed Jasper, AB, at 12:56 a.m. Why not round it up to 1 a.m.? Why set it that late anyway? Can anyone answer that question for me? I really, honestly, want to know.

But back to the contest itself. Following a dramatic Leg, The Amazing Race Canada upped the ante in Week 2 with a pair of Express Passes—ways of skipping challenges without incurring a penalty—up for grabs. Out of the gate, Jillian and Emmett and Steph and Kristen have proved themselves to by not only physically strong teams but savvy ones too. So it was no surprise they emerged from the first bus into Calgary—following another rappel test—and decided to team up in a hunt for the Express Passes. (Can I just say it was a little disappointing to follow up last week’s height test with another one in Calgary?) They were thick as thieves … until Jillian and Emmett discussed and decided it was more important to finish Legs of the Race in first place than it was to score the passes.

With that, they left the girls to hunt through hundreds (thousands?) of vinyl records at Canada Boy Vinyl on their own while they headed off to the “Swim” Detour, corralling thousands of hatchery trout into one area and scooping them into cages. Steph and Kristen’s gamble paid off after an hour of work—scoring them an Express Pass and one to hand to another team—but costing them precious time. Luckily, they were fast and physical, outgunning other teams at the hatchery to land a respectable fifth place for their troubles. Jillian and Emmett, meanwhile, never gave up their lead after that, cruising into first place again. When they’re not bickering, Jillian and Emmett are simply unstoppable.

Meanwhile, there was a log jam in the hatchery, as every other team save for Joel and Ashley chose to scoop up fish. Instead, the father and daughter opted for the “Sim” side of the Detour, involving using a crane simulator to move a concrete weight through an intricate obstacle course in under six minutes combined. (Steph and Kristen, Kelly and Kate and Rita and Yvette took one look and swapped challenges.) After much practicing, the pair completed the task in their first try and hit the mat in a very respectable fourth place.

Things never improved for Kelly and Kate and Rita and Yvette, who entered Calgary in the last bus and never made up ground. In a footrace to the mat. Rita and Yvette edged out Kate and Kelly for the last spot. I could right away by Jon Montgomery’s tone that it was a non-elimination Leg, meaning the two friends have a Speed Bump to contend with in Vietnam. My take? Amazing Race Canada introduced a non-elimination way too early and should have waited until next week.

Here’s how the teams finished the Leg:

  1. Jillian and Emmett (trip for two to Paris)
  2. Stéphane and Antoine
  3. Frankie and Amy
  4. Joel and Ashley
  5. Anne and Tanya
  6. Steph and Kristen
  7. Julie and Lowell
  8. Rita and Yvette
  9. Kelly and Kate (non-elimination Leg)

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

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

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Christina Cox and Dylan Bruce stop by for explosive Motive

Fans of Christina Cox and Dylan Bruce rejoice! She of Blood Ties, Defying Gravity and Shadowhunters (pictured above), and he of Orphan Black and American Gothic drop by for Tuesday night’s new episode of Motive. And, like the guest cast who have appeared before, both become instantly memorable.

Here’s what we can tell you about “The Dead Hand”—written by showrunner Dennis Heaton—without giving too much away.

The main storyline is um … the bomb
The whole episode is, actually. As teased by the above picture, Angie’s day—week actually—is wrecked when Susan (Cox) arrives at the precinct with a bomb strapped to her chest. The Navy IED expert is upset her son, Jake, was convicted of killing his sister, Nancy, and forces Angie to re-open the case.

Motive2

The whole team checks in
Vega, Betty, Lucas and Paula do some digging and quickly find not everything in the case is as cut and dry as it first appeared. Jake, a recovering drug addict, blacked out while robbing his parent’s house and when he came to his sister was at the bottom of the stairs, neck broken. The problem? A 45-minute space between police interviews that has the team scratching their heads.

Dylan Bruce is a killer co-star
Bruce’s Rand Hardy is identified as the killer in the case right away (as is Motive’s M.O.), and as the story goes through twists, turns and doubles back, Rand is revealed to be one sick puppy. It’s a treat to see Bruce play a complicated character.

Motive airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on CTV.

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Made by Destruction recycles trash into usable treasures

I’m a big fan of shows like How It’s Made and Food Factory, two programs that go behind-the-scenes to show how all manner of things are created, from everyday items we use to the food we put on our plate.

But while those programs spotlight the creation of things from base materials, Made by Destruction comes at it from a different angle. Created by Toronto’s Yap Films, the folks behind Close Up Kings, Dig WW2 and Battle Factory, Made by Destruction—airing back-to-back episodes beginning Monday on Discovery—takes cast-off items and turns them into something else via recycling.

Mondays debut begins with the lowly photocopier. As technology surges forth in that industry, old models are being broken down to create the most unlikely of objects: trumpets. Sims Recycling Solutions in California goes through the painstaking process of breaking down office-size copies into its component parts.

Using cool CGI and engaging narration, Destruction outlines how defunct machines are shredded to extract the copper hidden in the power supply and motor casings, netting about five pounds of the metal. It’s fascinating to watch how a heavy-duty conveyor belt, series of shredders, magnets and vibrating meshes extracts the minute coils of copper collected, loaded into shipping containers and transported to Olin Brass in Illinois, where the instruments are created. Once there, 70 percent recycled copper is mixed with zinc to make brass cast bars. The bars are transformed into thin sheets, wrapped and sent to S.E. Shires in Massachusetts, where the final product is made.

Other stories featured in the first half-hour show how companies in Denmark and the Netherlands team to transform potatoes into biodegradable egg cartons, and a U.S. company turns empty plastic milk jugs into park benches.

All three stories—and the series overall—show the truly interesting journey old items go through to create new things. I’ll be tuning in.

Made by Destruction airs back-to-back episodes on Mondays at 7 p.m. ET on Discovery.

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Celebrate Canada Day with Canada Vignettes

A big thanks to loyal TV, Eh? reader and supporter Robert Carnell for bringing back a flood of memories on this Canada Day. With folks like The TV Junkies providing a fantastic celebration of what they love about Canadian TV, Carnell’s tweet to me regarding Canada Vignettes prompted me to share them this July 1.

I distinctly remember watching these psychedelic looking shorts from the National Film Board of Canada amid episodes of The Polka Dot Door on TVOntario. After referencing the NFB’s website, I learned Canada Vignettes came to fruition after the CBC children’s programming department requested short films to compliment their own programming. A $13 million grant given by the federal government to promote national unity led to the NFB earmarking $2 million for shorts celebrating famous Canadians, our history and a celebration of the country.

Over 80 filmmakers got involved and the films were broadcast not only on CBC and TVO, but CTV, Global and TVA as well.

Anyone who grew up in the 80s will remember at least one of these vignettes—The Log Driver’s Waltz has over 1 million YouTube views—which one is your favourite? Let me know in the comments section below … and Happy Canada Day!

The Log Driver’s Waltz

Faces

Delta Plane

Emergency Numbers

Flin Flon

Newfoundland

Crossing Guard

Land of the Maple Leaf

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Comments and queries for the week of July 1

X Company‘s creators discuss the heartbreaking finale and look towards Season 3

As an American former combat photojournalist, I usually avoid various combat series. But this one is just riveting. It’s so well acted and emotionally layered that I find myself comparing it to Anthony Doerr’s brilliant WW2 bestseller All the Light We Cannot See. Both that book and this series capture a certain time beautifully and reminds us of the terrible consequences of war, on boh sides. Thank you for making great television. P.S.: Please don’t kill off Alfred, Aurora or Neil. For various reasons, they all need a break! —Karen


Bad moves and bad weather on The Amazing Race Canada

Best thing on Canadian TV and look forward to it every year. Canadian TV does not have the benefit of the the big networks but does a brilliant job with this show, keep it up. —Jean


Jennifer Valentyne exits Breakfast Television Toronto

I said I wouldn’t, and haven’t watched BT since Jennifer was let go and I now watch CP24. I can’t believe they let go the one person who went beyond and above. She tried everything and always pretended that she was extremely interested. Kevin is so annoying as he constantly cuts people off; I seriously don’t know how his co-workers don’t tell him to shut up and let me finish a sentence. Dina calls in sick more often than not. Bring Jennifer back and I will come back, as will I am sure a lot of other viewers. —Jacq

 

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

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