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Holmes + Holmes teams father and son for personal project

I’ve been a fan of Mike Holmes since the first episode of Holmes on Homes aired way back in … well, it was a long time ago. Holmes Inspection, Holmes Makes It Right, I’ve seen them all at least once and often several times over. The guy has an infectious personality, unmatched knowledge of right and wrong when it comes to home building and an urge to educate and inspire others. Those traits have been carried down to his kids Amanda, Sherry and Mike Jr., who have all appeared on his series.

After renovating his father’s garage—documented for the network with a short-run series—Mike Sr. and Jr. return to HGTV Canada with Holmes + Holmes, where they turn the latter’s bachelor abode into a great place for he and his girlfriend, Lisa. Debuting Thursday at 10 p.m. ET/PT, Holmes + Holmes is as much a renovation program as it is a spotlight on the evolution of Mike Jr. as a person while in the shadow of his superstar father. Footage of Jr. back in 2004 shows a skinny teen who is more interested in playing video games than he is hefting a hammer, but he’s learned a lot in the 12 years since.

He’s learned so much so that he’s able to challenge his dad, and has the know-how to back it up, on certain things. With $50,000 devoted to the renovation, Jr. plans to spend $30,000 on rebuilding inside with the remainder spent on outside issues. But as folks who watch these programs can attest, budgets go out the window once work commences and awful secrets are revealed as walls come down. And while Jr. is thinking of a mere facelift for his place, Sr. is leaning towards a complete gutting and rebuild of the bungalow.

There is a marked change in the tone of many DIY and renovation programming from straight hands-on, nuts and bolts stuff to a lighter, character-driven model and Holmes + Holmes is certainly that. Both men have spent hundreds of hours working in TV and know their stuff when it comes to the mechanics of a job. What viewers want now is to see folks like the Holmes’ interact and show a more personal side. You certainly get that with this; much time is spent in Episode 1 as Jr. states he’s got the knowledge to complete the job on his own without help from dad, and there is plenty of good-natured ribbing between them and a barbecue challenge. And though she’s a rookie to the TV thing, Lisa has got it together, both serving as a grounding influence for Jr. and a set of fresh eyes taking in the Holmes’ renovation process for the first time.

It’s going to be a fun ride.

Holmes + Holmes airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada.

Image courtesy of Corus.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Wild Archaeology visits Head-Smashed-In

This week our intrepid explorers from Wild Archaeology headed to Head-Smashed-In, the oldest known buffalo jump—it goes back at least 6,000 years—located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta. This particular site has been widely studied due to the deep connection between those communities in the plains and the buffalo.

Upon arrival on site we met Dr. Reg Crowshoe, a Piikani Elder, who described the story of Head-Smashed-In:

“Way back when Creator gave us the buffalo, Creator said, ‘You ask the buffalo to feed you.’ They couldn’t find the buffalo. They looked all over. Then one woman went to get water and she heard this song. So when she heard this song she seen it. It was a buffalo stone. She heard this buffalo stone singing. She took it and gave it to the elders and other sacred people. The sacred people said that buffalo stone is going to find us buffalo to eat. So there was a ceremony. That song was part of that ceremony.”

Dr. Crowshoe then summarized: “That story told us ‘You ask the buffalo for the rights to hunt buffalo.’ So when they went through the ceremony, that song that woman heard, that song was like a hunting permit in the white man world.”

Next, archaeologist Jack Brink described the science of how the plains people managed to drive a herd of buffalo through this narrow drive lane, taking advantage of their poor eyesight, and the optical illusion that the downhill run naturally creates. It was here at the end of a stampede, encouraged by the hunters, the buffalo would meet their demise, spilling over the ledge and falling to their deaths. These communal buffalo hunts necessitated the cooperation of hundreds of people, skinning, butchering, cooking and preserving the products the buffalo provided.

Jack then demonstrated how the lines of cairns, or what he calls traffic markers, were used to steer the herd through the final drive lane leading the buffalo to the jump. To illustrate how these markers worked, Jacob and Jenifer each constructed one from rocks and brush found from the vicinity. The object was to create a large peripheral mass using brush secured by rocks the buffalo would naturally avoid as they stampeded through what appeared to be a valley.

This episode, although no artifacts were found, was such a fascinating story to learn about. I am truly sad there are only three more episodes to cover this season. Each week I look forward to all that I learn, and I am still telling people, “you have to watch this show!”

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

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

HGTV Canada breaks ground on Season 2 of Home to Win

From a media release:

HGTV Canada and Architect Films announced today that production has begun on the second season of the successful Canadian original series Home to Win, which ranked as the #1 specialty competition series (A25-54) in its first season.* This season, HGTV Canada is bringing together 30 of the best-known celebrity builders, designers and real estate experts to pool their extraordinary expertise, creativity and reno know-how. Joined by host ET Canada’s Sangita Patel, they will completely transform an average house into a dream waterfront property. Home-winning hopefuls from across the country will vie to compete for this spectacular house in the dramatic series finale. The new season is currently slated to premiere on HGTV Canada in Spring 2017.

This season’s team of 30 celebrity builder, designer and real estate expert all-stars includes:

  • Jo Alcorn (Critical Listing)
  • Carson Arthur (Critical Listing)
  • Bryan Baeumler (House of Bryan, Bryan Inc.)
  • Sarah Baeumler (House of Bryan, Bryan Inc.)
  • Danielle Bryk (A Bryk at a Time)
  • Kate Campbell (Disaster Decks, Custom Built)
  • André Chevigny (Carver Kings, Timber Kings)
  • Sebastian Clovis ($ave My Reno)
  • Rob Evans (The Expandables)
  • Joey Fletcher (Disaster Decks, Custom Built)
  • Jillian Harris (Love It or List It Vancouver)
  • Mike Holmes (Holmes Makes It Right, Holmes and Holmes)
  • Mike Holmes Jr. (Holmes Makes It Right, Holmes and Holmes)
  • Colin Hunter (Open House Overhaul)
  • Sarah Keenleyside (Backyard Builds)
  • Dave Kenney (Disaster Decks, Custom Built)
  • Paul Lafrance (Disaster Decks, Custom Built)
  • Brian McCourt (Backyard Builds)
  • Scott McGillivray (Income Property, Moving the McGillivrays)
  • Mia Parres (The Expandables)
  • Tiffany Pratt (Buy It, Fix It, Sell It)
  • Samantha Pynn (Open House Overhaul)
  • Sarah Richardson (Sarah’s House, Sarah’s Rental Cottage)
  • Drew Scott (Property Brothers: Buying and Selling, Property Brothers)
  • Jonathan Scott (Property Brothers: Buying and Selling, Property Brothers)
  • Sabrina Smelko ($ave My Reno)
  • Tommy Smythe (Sarah’s House, Sarah’s Rental Cottage)
  • Todd Talbot (Love It or List It Vancouver)
  • Dave Wilson (Masters of Flip)
  • Kortney Wilson (Masters of Flip)
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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Wild Archaeology — Heiltsuk Nuyems

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First, I apologize for a lost week as I was attending a conference in New England. But I am ready to jump back in with a summary of Jenifer and Jacob’s adventures on Wild Archaeology as we explored the central coast of British Columbia.

The thrust of this episode focused on the Kelp Highway Hypothesis, which builds on the Pacific Coast Migration Model. This theory is based on the abundance of food contained within the kelp forests, including shellfish, marine mammals, seabirds and seaweed. By tracking these forests along the Pacific Rim, located along the coastal perimeters of Beringia (which we explored in Episodes 1 and 2), it would suggest a migratory route for populations in this region. Jenifer gets to explore with the sea otters that are indicative of a kelp forest.

Jacob goes diving again to explore the various kinds of kelp that populate a kelp forest and gets a first-hand look at the other creatures that populate this underwater ecosystem.

Then we moved inland to check out the remains of an old and remote Heiltsuk potlatch house once used by the communities that lived in this region at the time when potlatch was outlawed by the Canadian government. Like the one seen in this episode, these potlatch houses were located in an area that could be accessed quickly but still hidden deep within the coastal forests.

Finally, we visited Namu, an abandoned salmon cannery town that also housed one of the largest archaeological sites in existence. Microblades that carbon date back to 8250 BCE have been found in this region of coastal B.C. We also find some stone carvings deep in the inner tributaries in these territories.

A really picturesque episode exploring the B.C. coast. Can’t wait to see where we visit next week!

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

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Mohawk Ironworkers talks about health

Mohawk health has always been tied to the land. This week on Mohawk Ironworkers we explored health, home and heritage and what these mean to ironworkers. Additionally, how do the three H’s influence lives once you retire from ironworking?

Hayden Hemlock, a retired Mohawk ironworker from a long line of ironworkers, discussed the importance of family and community. “No matter how far you travel from home to work you always return to that home base.”  Even with his time spent growing up in New York while his father worked as an ironworker, home was still Kahnawa:ke. In the business of ironworking, there are many Mohawks, and their camaraderie is the envy of others who work in the trade. But even with this close-knit working community, home beckoned from afar.

Hayden suffered a fall while working, and his injuries have prevented him from returning to ironworking. Despite his injuries, he refused surgery and turned instead to traditional medicines in order to assist with his body’s healing process. Raised with his grandparent’s influence, Hayden developed a deep connection to the land, fostering a deep respect for, and responsibility to, protecting it. Now, instead of walking iron he spends his time building houses in his community of Kahnawa:ke.

Kaniehtakeron Martin is also an ironworker; he has taken a different approach and runs 20 miles every week to maintain his fitness.   When he first started the job, Kaniehtakeron fell into the trap of work hard, play hard, and repeat. Recognizing this lifestyle was unhealthy, he began eating and exercising regularly. “Gegs” now runs marathons in his spare time to take care of his body and to withstand the rigors of his chosen occupation.

This was one the stronger episodes in Mohawk Ironworkers. We got a real sense of the these two men, and how ironworking has affected them on and off the job. Kudos to executive producer Michelle Smith.

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

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