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Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler take over Sundays on HGTV

Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler are, arguably, the faces of HGTV Canada. They’ve both got long-running series on the air in Canada and around the world, co-starred in the home giveaway series Home to Win and allowed TV cameras to follow their lives both on and away from the construction site.

Now the pair is taking over Sunday nights—beginning this week—on HGTV Canada with projects that peel back the curtain on their family lives. Yes, there is still plenty of renovation drama in Moving the McGillivrays and Bryan Inc.—it’s what put food on the table long before the TV cameras came into focus—but there is personal footage fans have seen only snippets of in the past and been clamouring for.

(l-r) Layla, Scott, Myah and Sabrina McGillivray
(l-r) Myah, Scott, Layla and Sabrina McGillivray

The first up is Moving the McGillivrays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, a surprisingly intimate look at the journey Scott, wife Sabrina and daughters Myah and Layla go through on the path to creating their forever home while Scott keeps his responsibilities to Income Property, his production company, McGillivray Entertainment, helping Habitat for Humanity and his public speaking engagements. What appeared to be a fairly straight-forward case of finding the right house for his family turned into a nightmare. Scott and Sabrina, a teacher, knew they needed a house with storage, near their parents and close to a good school. After winnowing the list down to three properties, the couple made their pick. Episode 1 covers those first steps into renovating … and the most emotional footage of Scott I’ve ever seen on camera.

“As tough as it was for me in those moments, it was even tougher for me to see my kids seeing that,” McGillivray says during a press day at HGTV Canada’s headquarters. “It’s been a tough show and a bit of a roller coaster for sure.”

But as dramatic as the renovations on their new home are, fans will get a kick out of Sabrina and Scott’s relationship. She’s not afraid to put her husband in his place, call him out on bad jokes or roll her eyes at his confidence. And, thanks to some unearthed early footage of Scott walking around his first-ever income property, you understand why he became the success he is. Forget the orange shirt and floppy mop of hair in that grainy video: the then 21-year-old Scott McGillivray had a plan.

“After I bought the first property, at 21,” he recalls. “I was in university and had a student loan and I almost didn’t buy that first property. I just kept running the numbers in my head and realized, ‘We’re gonna make money on this property. This is insane.’ And when it actually worked, it was a massive confidence booster. I literally got a cheque for that first property, for $30,000 and I asked my friend, ‘Why isn’t everybody doing this?’ I’m still saying that today.”

Sarah and Bryan Baeumler
Sarah and Bryan Baeumler

But while Moving the McGillivrays reveals Scott’s wife and kids, Bryan Inc.—bowing Sunday at 10 p.m. ET/PT—spotlights the role Sarah Baeumler has had for years alongside her husband. While viewers have seen Sarah weighing in on design tips during House of Bryan: The Last Straw, where the couple built a forever home, and participating in Season 1 of Home to Win, she’s been part of Baeumler Quality Construction since Day 1.

“I’ve always been involved in the company, but more on the office side,” she says. “Bryan’s the guy on-site managing the projects and I was part of the office team looking at marketing and branding. I dabbled in design in House of Bryan. This is the first time Bryan has said, ‘I think it would be good for you to see our side of the business and understand what it means, from the ground up.'”

“I think the view out there is that Sarah shops,” Bryan says. “She runs the Baeumler Family Foundation, totes our four kids around and has been heavily involved in the construction company for 15 years. The only difference with this show is that we’re filming Sarah’s involvement.”

The education starts immediately on Sunday night when the pair purchase two homes, with a plan to renovate and flip them for profit. Sarah, project manager, quickly learns working within home-buying and design budgets is easier said than done. Throw in designing the company’s offices, keeping their media company and production company on track and … oh yeah … parenting four kids, and the duo have a tough task ahead of them. Episodes catch the pair on the construction sites, in the office, with the children … just a typical day in the Baeumler’s lives.

“There are big, big stakes with this show,” Bryan explains. “There is a name on the side of my truck that my father threatened me with my life if I ruined. The reality of that, versus let’s just break the bank to get exactly what we want … I think people will get a welcome peek into that side of it.”

Moving the McGillivrays airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada.

Bryan Inc. airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada.

Images courtesy of Corus Entertainment.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Corus Entertainment brings three new lifestyle series to MIPCOM

From a media release:

Corus Entertainment today announced three unscripted, lifestyle series for international sale at MIPCOM. The company continues to grow its slate of outstanding original unscripted series developed for its portfolio of Women and Lifestyle channels and this season debuts Home to Win (10×60), Backyard Builds (8×30) and $ave My Reno (14×30) to the international market.

Unscripted series being sold at MIPCOM include:

Home to Win (10×60)
The hit series Home to Win brings 20 of its HGTV Canada celebrities under the same roof to pool their extraordinary expertise, creativity, and reno know-how. Celebrity builders and designers include Scott McGillivray (Income Property, Moving the McGillivrays), Bryan Baeumler (Leave it to Bryan, Bryan Inc.), Mike Holmes (Holmes on Holmes, Holmes and Holmes), and Sarah Richardson (Sarah’s Rental Cottage, Sarah 101). Together they will completely remodel an average, run-of-the-mill house into a dramatic, inspirational dream home. Home to Win will culminate in a one-hour challenge episode where home-winning hopefuls will compete to win this spectacular house. Produced by Architect Films in association with Corus Entertainment.

Backyard Builds (8×30) – In Production
When indoor space isn’t enough, Backyard Builds showcases the endless opportunities outdoor areas can provide. The series stars contractor Brian McCourtand design expert Sarah Keenleyside who work with homeowners to maximize their backyard potential to create tailored, one-of-a-kind structures. Whether it’s a converted shipping container, cake studio, treehouse village, or poolside oasis, this contractor and designer duo can extend any living space on a budget. Produced by Frantic Films in association with Corus Entertainment.

$ave My Reno (14×30) – In Production 
In the upbeat new series $ave My Reno, cash-conscious homeowners finally catch a break when Sebastian Clovis, the savvy contractor with contagious energy, and Sabrina Smelko, the resourceful DIY designer, toss out overpriced reno quotes and make dreams come true with a slashed budget and spectacular renovation. Sebastian and Sabrina save by putting homeowners to work and hunting for salvaged goods. Sabrina is a wiz at finding restored pieces at great prices while creating amazing designs and crafted items. Sebastian is the master at smart spends for breakout builds and custom surprises. Together, they give homeowners the reno they want on a budget they can afford. Produced by Great Pacific Mediain association with Corus Entertainment.

Corus Entertainment has a longstanding history of international success in the Kids programming category through its production and distribution giant Nelvana, and in more recent years the company has expanded its content offering into the unscripted Women and Lifestyle genre. As commissioning broadcaster and distributor of Canadian series that have achieved international success, withMasters of Flip now available in more than 90 territories worldwide and Buying the View in more than 60 territories, Corus brings its production, broadcast and distribution expertise to this new slate of internationally appealing series. Corus’ Women and Lifestyle networks include: Food Network Canada, HGTV Canada, W Network, Sliceâ„¢, Lifetime, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada), CMT (Canada) and Cosmo TV.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Wild Archaeology visits “Little John” (Part 2 of Beringia)

Last week  on Wild Archaeology, we left off at the Little John site and Jacob had just broken his freshly-found artifact: an 11,000-year-old piece of bone. OOPS!

We begin this week’s adventure learning Dr. Norm Easton and his team have found artifacts at this sub-arctic dig site estimated to be between 11 and 12,000 years old—more than twice as old as the pyramids of Egypt. What is singularly unique with this particular dig site is Dr. Easton’s approach. Not only is he an archaeologist, but he is an ethnographer. As a result of his loyalty to White River First Nation, he has gained the people’s trust and been formally adopted into the family for whom the dig site is named. The community has his back.

A significant chunk of Tuesday’s instalment focuses on culture: regaining, establishing and maintaining connections to traditional culture. We also get a glimpse into Jenifer and Jacob’s connections to their own cultures through song and stories as we begin to get acquainted with our hosts.

Dr. Rudy and Dr. Easton discuss how they believe ancestors of White River First Nation experienced the land and utilized the resources available to them. Trails still exist that were used millennia ago, the ground still hard-packed beneath overgrown vegetation. Jenifer and Jacob demonstrate the use of atlatls. Acting essentially as arm extenders, these tools serve to amplify the force of a spear throw. Using their ingenuity, these ancient people created technology from the materials they had available in order to hunt the mega fauna.

On the artifact discovery side of things, Jacob finds the remains of an 11,000-year-old bison bone that was subjected to an impact fracture, indicative of human interaction with the local fauna. I think that makes these two tied for interesting finds.

I cannot help it, I know I am a broken record but I have to repeat myself. I LOVE THIS SHOW. One of the perks of reviewing is that networks supply us with advanced screeners. So what did I do? I binge-watched the whole season last week despite having other work to do (a thesis thing I have looming). That same day, I also  shared a brief conversation with co-host Jenifer Brousseau and we chatted about her own experience as she tunes in to watch.

“I’m glad they’re capturing our authentic journey, of what really was a powerful journey of reclamation,” she said. “There was something spiritual that took place, to touch these artifacts and be a part of history. Seeing the beauty of my ancestry and the strength and resilience of my ancestors.”

Wild Archaeology airs Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. ET on APTN.

 

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Mohawk Ironworkers — Ultimate Ironworker

We have ultimate fighters and ultimate frisbee, so it is entirely suitable that there are Ultimate Ironworker competitions too, showcased during Tuesday’s new episode of Mohawk Ironworkers.

Mike Swamp has been organizing the Ultimate Ironworker competition in Akwesasne for 13 years; the annual competition gives ironworkers the opportunity to come together and turn work into games. Competitors come from across the eastern U.S. and Canada to showcase their skills in such events as knot tying, rivet tossing and column climbing.

Among the competitors are some familiar faces, including Bill “Moon Over Manhattan” Sears from Akwesasne, but this is to be expected as this is a tightly knit community of workers. This day of competition is a celebration of skills and camaraderie, brought to life via clips from the 2015 competition, exhibiting their brotherhood. Before the games begin these hard working men and women take time to recognize those lost in the last year. One worker who was especially noticed was Angus Adams, a man whose legacy in ironworking continues in his grandson Brandon Benedict.

Tuesday’s episode, although informative, felt weak. Yes, we gained insight into the brotherhood of these brave skywalkers, and how knowledge is passed from one generation to the next. I did enjoy the segments explained by elder and retired Mohawk ironworker Paul Deer from Kahnewa:ke, listening to him explain how each of the activities related to the job.

Mohawk Ironworkers airs Tuesdays at 7 p.m. ET on APTN.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Taken: Downtown East Side — Danielle LaRue and Ashley Machiskinic

Episode 3 of Taken focused on Vancouver’s downtown east side, a district notoriously recognized as “Canada’s poorest postal code.” It is an area plagued with homelessness, addiction, drug trafficking and sexual exploitation.

The two cases chosen on Friday highlight the larger social problems faced in that neighbourhood. Angela McDougall, executive director of Battered Women Support Service explains, “that the neighbourhood over time became a place that was considered the scourge of the city. And as the scourge of the city it also became a place where women were deemed to not deserve the protection of the police, the state, or of men. It [the district] became in some cases a sacrifice zone where women were there and where men who wanted to do violence could do so with impunity.”

We are introduced to the stories of Ashley Machiskinic and Danielle LaRue. Danielle LaRue was a high-spirited, adventuresome child who loved being the clown. This was a mask she wore to hide her pain. She was abused by her mother at a young age and spent a good deal of time in and out of foster care. She ran away to Prince George, B.C., but sexual exploitation and drug abuse consumed her. Danielle hoped to escape that in Vancouver, but she had sunk so far no one was aware she was missing until an anonymous letter was received by the Vancouver police on New Year’s Eve, 2002. It was another five months before police issued an alert Danielle was missing. The case remains unsolved.

Ashley Machiskinic is remembered fondly by her cousin Mona Woodward—a social worker who at one time also came very close to being one of the many victims of Vancouver’s downtown—as a very happy, bubbly, generous girl. She had a very difficult upbringing, living in foster homes until the age of 12 when her mother brought her to Vancouver to escape.

Vancouver police veteran Dave Dickson met the young Ashley and described her as, “just a little sweetheart. She was just 14 years old when I met her. She was just another typical kid that was in the care of the ministry.” Sadly, life on the streets also turned to addiction and sexual exploitation for Ashley, with several bouts in hospital. On September 15, 2010, her body was found in the alley behind the Regent Hotel; she was thought to have fallen, but many believe she was thrown from a 4th storey window. Her death was ruled a suicide. Those who knew her beg to differ.

As a result of this public outcry, Sister Watch was formed, a multi-faceted initiative designed to combat violence against women and make life on the streets of downtown Vancouver safer for all who live there.

This was another powerful episode of Taken. Despite the difficult subject matter, I recognize how important it is this series be seen by as many people as possible. Like these two cases, so many continue to be unsolved. If anyone does have information about this or any other case you are asked to contact Taken.

Taken airs Fridays at 7 and 7:30 p.m. ET on APTN.

 

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