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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Dan Petronijevic puts his trades skills to work in the new Crave original docuseries, Blue Collar

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From a media release:

Part workplace comedy, part trial by fire, Crave’s new original docuseries BLUE COLLAR celebrates the resilience, loyalty, humour, and hard work found in everyday, working-class life. The series follows  Dan Petronijevic (THE TRADES) as he swaps punchlines for pressure by stepping into some of Canada’s toughest, dirtiest, and most physically demanding jobs. All 10 episodes of BLUE COLLAR are available for streaming on Friday, March 27.

Each episode of BLUE COLLAR focuses on a single profession, and features Petronijevic as he arrives as a rookie with no script, no stunt doubles, and no way to fake it. Throughout, he works alongside seasoned professionals who set the pace and have zero patience for dead weight.

From firehoses to fishing nets, and welding torches to carnival rides, the professions Petronijevic faces head on in BLUE COLLAR include: waste management and recycling; commercial fishing; sanitation; pest control; auto recycling; firefighting; tree planting; farming; and amusement park services.

Host Dan Petronijevic is a Canadian actor whose versatile career spans film, television, and voice work. He has appeared in feature films including the American Pie franchise and is known for roles in 19-2, CARDINAL, and LETTERKENNY. He currently plays Backwoods, a refinery worker, in Crave’s cult comedy, THE TRADES.

BLUE COLLAR is produced by Blink49 Studios, Kontent House Productions and Little Bear Big Wolf Pictures in association with Bell Media’s Crave. Toby Dormer, Allison Brough, Vince Buda, Ryan J. Lindsay, and Daniel Fortin are executive producers. Dan Petronijevic is executive producer and host. Portia Corman is series producer and writer.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Corus’ original series Life is Messy premieres alongside a new season of Renovation Resort this spring on Home Network

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From a media release:

Corus unveils a star-studded ensemble lineup this spring with two highly anticipated original series led by longstanding powerhouse talent. Legendary duos Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler return with Season 3 of Renovation Resort (8×60 – MEM), and Kortney Wilson and Kenny Brain are back with the all-new series Life is Messy (8×60 – Scott Brothers Entertainment). Both series offer inspiring stories, practical ideas, and memorable renovations that Canadians from all walks of life can appreciate. Rounding out the programming lineup are new and returning international acquisition series, including Rachael Ray’s Rebuild, and George Clarke’s Flipping Fast. All series will be available to stream on STACKTV.

Home Network kicks off the return of its high-stakes renovation competition series just in time for cottage season. McGillivray and Baeumler are back with Season 3 of Renovation Resort—and this time, they’re headed to the lake! Premiering Sunday, April 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, four teams of talented builder-designers from across North America go head-to-head in the premier real estate renovation battle, transforming a long-neglected lakeside resort into the ultimate vacation destination. Over eight weeks, these duos battle to create breathtaking, one-of-a-kind vacation homes in the Kawarthas. The competing teams include:

  • Tatianna and Thomas, Vancouver, B.C.
  • Marcy and Melissa, Niagara, Ont.
  • Chalon and Liz, Texas, U.S.A.
  • Taylor and Mehrdad, Vancouver, B.C.

Each team must push their creativity and skills to the limit, navigating unexpected twists and bigger, bolder challenges than ever before. With a lineup of special guest judges who will critique every daring design choice, the last team standing will take home a game-changing $100,000 prize and the coveted title of Renovation Resort champions. Viewers can catch up on previous seasons of Renovation Resort on STACKTV.

Helping families regain control from clutter and disorganization, design expert Wilson and builder Brain are ready to step in with the series premiere of Life Is Messy on Thursday, April 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Home Network. When homes get buried under excessive mess and spaces shrink from too much stuff, life can feel overwhelming. The unstoppable pair utilize small budgets to create big ideas and greater spaces, guiding families through the physical and emotional evolution that comes with letting go.

Each week, audiences will watch Wilson and Brain save families from their chaos, including homes taken over by active toddlers, tired parents playing musical bedrooms with dogs and children, and a single mother feeling boxed-in back in her childhood home. These hijacked spaces will be reimagined with smart designs and clever storage solutions, turning dysfunction into comfort, and helping families reclaim their space so they can breathe again.

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Canada's Drag Race, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary, Uncategorized

Crave announces Canada’s Drag Race: All Stars with Brooke Lynn Hytes, Priyanka and Jimbo

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From a media release:

Hold on to your beavers! Crave announced today that it is expanding the Drag Race universe in Canada with the all-new Crave Original series, CANADA’S DRAG RACE: ALL STARS. Brooke Lynn Hytes serves as host and resident judge, alongside judges Priyanka and Jimbo, forming the first all-drag judging panel in Drag Race her-story. The full cast is set to be announced at a later date.  

“CANADA’S DRAG RACE is a proven hit with Crave audiences, and we’re excited to build on its momentum with this new series,” said Justin Stockman, Vice President, Content Development & Programming, Bell Media. “Together with our partners at Blue Ant Studios and World of Wonder, we’ve cultivated a vibrant, successful, and distinctly Canadian chapter of a global franchise and can’t wait to see the queens who helped define it return to the main stage.”  

The six-episode, one-hour spin-off of Crave’s award-winning original series CANADA’S DRAG RACE welcomes back queens with unfinished business to compete for the chance to be crowned “Canada’s Ultimate All-Star,” and win a cash prize of $100,000.  

CANADA’S DRAG RACE: ALL STARS is Crave’s fourth original series collaboration with Blue Ant Studios and World of Wonder, in a list that includes Canadian Screen Award-winning series CANADA’S DRAG RACE and CANADA’S DRAG RACE: CANADA VS. THE WORLD, and SLAYCATION. 

CANADA’S DRAG RACE: ALL STARS is set to premiere on Crave later this year and will air day-and-date on WOW Presents Plus globally. 

Seasons 1-6 of CANADA’S DRAG RACE, and Seasons 1-2 of CANADA’S DRAG RACE: CANADA VS. THE WORLD and SLAYCATION are available to stream on Crave and WOW Presents Plus.  

In association with Crave, CANADA’S DRAG RACE: ALL STARS is produced by Blue Ant Studios with World of Wonder. Executive Producers for Blue Ant Studios are Matthew Hornburg, Mark Bishop, Donna Luke, and Laura Michalchyshyn. Trevor Boris is Executive Producer/Showrunner, Shivani Srivastava is Supervising Producer. Executive Producers for World of Wonder are Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, and RuPaul Charles. 

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary, The Nature of Things

CBC’s “Cluck! Chickens Exposed” cracks open the mysterious world of those feathered friends

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I live in a community, just north of Ottawa in Quebec, where chickens are allowed. If I want to, I can build/construct a chicken coop—to community regulations, of course—purchase a handful of chickens and reap the benefits. I’ve jokingly thought about doing it, but I know that it would be a lot of work—I’m a lazy sort—though this new documentary has piqued my interest again.

Airing Thursday at 9 p.m. as part of The Nature of Things, “Cluck! Chickens Exposed” heads to the barnyard to uncover some facts and fictions about the feathered beasts.

Living where I do, I’ve visited quite a few farms and, therefore, learned about the variance in breeds and personalities. I knew chickens were descendants of dinosaurs (does that mean when we say, “It tastes like chicken,” we really should be saying, “It tastes like dinosaur?”), but had no clue about their intelligence, sensory powers and social pecking order (pun intended).

There are more chickens on the planet than people, says host Sarika Cullis-Suzuki off the top of “Cluck!” A visit to the Hillpoint Estate Farm flock in B.C., with 50 egg-laying hens and a handful of roosters, reveals some interesting facts about chickens. The pecking order is indeed a hierarchy, defined by males and females, that shifts based on age, health, strength, comb size, and companions. At Hillpoint Estate, top dog, er, chicken is Maximus, a rooster whose size and spurs keep everyone in line. Will Maximus’ reign be usurped by Hercules? You’ll have to tune in to find out.

The episode, produced by Invert Films, illustrates how chickens spot and defend themselves against predators both on the ground and in the air, how each eye has a specialized use, and if these flock animals have the ability to recognize themselves as individuals.

You’ll never look at chickens the same. Through either eye.

“Cluck! Chickens Exposed” airs as part of The Nature of Things on Thursday at 9 p.m. on CBC.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Canada’s National Bobsleigh team looks to rebuild in three-part Redemption Run

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With the Winter Games in Italy just weeks away, Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton is sliding onto CBC Gem and CBC with the exciting, engaging three-part documentary series Redemption Run.

The first episode brings viewers to Whistler, B.C., 16 months before the Games, as members of Canada’s National Bobsleigh program walk along the ice track, observing angles and the ice surface itself. Then, we’re given the facts: Canada dominated bobsleigh for years, capturing medals on both the men’s and women’s sides.

Then, it all fell apart.

In 2022, 60 athletes signed a letter alleging a culture of fear and safety concerns, superstar Kallie Humphries left Team Canada to join the U.S. team, and Christine de Bruin was suspended for three years for an anti-doping violation. Add to that the dismantling of the track in Calgary, poor podium results, and things didn’t look good for the team.

But this series is called Redemption Run for a reason, providing interviews with pilots, team members and coaches, as well as stunning visuals both inside and outside the sleigh, to tell how the team is bouncing back to be contenders, and perhaps medal winners, in Italy.

It’s not an easy task, and the producers do an excellent job telling the team’s story through intimate, honest and raw interviews, sport explainers and truly emotional moments. You can’t help but pull for Canada on their road to redemption.

Redemption Run premieres January 23 on CBC Gem and airs February 1 at 7 p.m., with back-to-back episodes on CBC. 

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