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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Carver Kings premieres April 5 on HGTV

From a media release:

TOP-NOTCH CHAINSAW CARVERS TRANSFORM TREES INTO TREASURE IN CARVER KINGS

  • HGTV Canada Presents Jaw-Dropping Look at Producing Custom Art from Raw Wood
  • New Series Premieres Sunday April 5 at 10pm ET/PT

HGTV Canada expands its royal family this spring with the new series Carver Kings, a captivating and entertaining look at the unique world of chainsaw carving. A companion to the hit Timber Kings series, Carver Kings follows a passionate crew of elite chainsaw mavericks based out of Williams Lake, B.C. as they turn raw wood into stunning custom art for the owners of the world’s most spectacular log homes. Carver Kings premieres with back-to-back episodes Sunday, April 5 at 10pm ET/PT on HGTV Canada.

Part of the team at Pioneer Log Homes, these chainsaw experts are challenged with creating extraordinary, one-of-a-kind carvings for the Timber Kings’ most prestigious clients. Faced with near impossible deadlines, demanding clientele, last minute changes and work yard egos, the Carver Kings will stop at nothing to make sure their works of art are the crown jewel of some of the most magnificent log homes on the planet.

As some of the best carvers in the world, the Kings know every detail about the subjects they carve – from the number of feathers on a bird’s wing to the exact angle at which a bear’s claw curves. Each incredible carving comes with a unique story and viewers get an up-close look at the precise work required to create a range of carvings. Whether it’s an eagle, a mountain lion, a family tree, a gazebo or even a tiki bar, every carving becomes a striking focal point in homes across North America.

The premiere episode follows the Carver Kings as they create a modern totem pole for a Colorado log stunner that Timber King Peter Arnold needs to complete the build. The homeowner requested a piece that stands 13 feet tall and represents the native animals of Colorado – but they only have five days to complete the work. In this high-stakes job where timing and quality are everything, one mistake could prove very costly to the whole project. Meanwhile, across the work yard at Pioneer Log Homes, the most seasoned carver of the bunch gives Pioneer’s rookie carvers a surprise job to cut their teeth on.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

History’s Yukon Gold mines for riches in Season 3

There’s still gold up in thar hills, and Karl Knutson is determined to find it. Turns out that, long after the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896-1899, the precious metal continues to be dug out of the earth. That adventure has been the focus of several TV projects, including Yukon Gold, which returns for its third season tonight.

The program is History’s No. 1 docu-series, and it’s no wonder; to watch these guys and gals turn precious ounces into a cash windfall is pretty addictive stuff. Even more so for someone like Knutson, who was born into the life under his father, Marty, and strives to succeed on his own.

“The hunt for gold and being able to pull your paycheque out of the ground just does it for me,” the 28-year-old says. “It doesn’t do it for some people. I love the fact that there’s gold in the ground and we’re able to pull it out.” It’s not easy. Weather is always and issue that far north. Toss in mosquitoes and black flies, aging bulldozers, diggers and sluice plants and remote sites, and you’ve got a recipe for extreme discomfort and even danger.

And while large machinery has taken the place of old timers panning for gold in a creek bed, the process of staking a claim hasn’t changed that much from the days of the gold rush. Knutson explains anyone can go up and spend $10 to stake ground on a creek. You then have two weeks to record that property and must do a certain amount of work on the land during the year to keep it. During that time licences are filed for permission to use water to sluice the earth away from gold; Knutson says environmental concerns regarding the use of water has to be carefully mapped out and regulated so as to conserve it and the land.

Re-joining Knutson on the Yukon Gold cast are Ken Foye, Guillaume Brodeur and Cam Johnson; newbies Chris St. Jean and Nika Guilbault struggle to make a living while taking care of their baby daughter. And while Knutson appreciates the popularity of the show and the spotlight it aims on the area of Canada he loves, it’s still a bit weird to have cameras pointed his way while he tries to work.

“We love telling this story because not a lot of people get to go to the Klondike and see this, let alone live it. But at the same time, they’re slowing me down a bit,” Knutson says with a chuckle. “I only have a certain amount of time to do this and sometimes it gets stressful explaining every waking moment to them.”

Yukon Gold airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on History.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Link: City profiles northern Saskatchewan’s Nordic Lodge

From Will Chabun of the Leader-Post:

City profiles northern Saskatchewan’s Nordic Lodge
When Chris Triffo made his pitch to her, Jennifer Huculak-Kimmel was not having the best day: new business, new baby and an outstanding bill of a million bucks for the latter.

Somehow, veteran TV producer convinced her a reality TV series following her and husband Darren Kimmel, as they ran their fishing camp in northern Saskatchewan, could work.

We see the result at 10 p.m. Wednesday night when Citytv Saskatchewan airs the first two episodes of Nordic Lodge. Continue reading.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Cold Water Cowboys returns to Discovery

discovery

From a media release:

The worst winter that Newfoundland has seen in 30 years sets the stage for the return of Discovery’s hit original series, COLD WATER COWBOYS. Bravery reigns in the second season of the riveting Canadian Screen Award-nominated series, airing Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT beginning March 10, as the captains and their crews attempt to arrive at The Rock’s fishing grounds. The clock doesn’t stop ticking as returning Captain Richard Gillet and fellow fishermen – including newcomers Andre and Michelle Jesso, and Morris Antsey – pit themselves against Mother Nature in the hunt for bragging rights, and a fortune of fish in the hold!

Returning to its timeslot where it outperformed all other Canadian Entertainment Specialty channels*, the epic second season of the megahit series from Paperny Entertainment features new boats and new crews joining last year’s stars – each of them determined to prove they have what it takes to be among the COLD WATER COWBOYS. It’s a season filled with bigger, bolder gambles as fishing vessels become icebreakers, harsh conditions take a toll on vital equipment, and crews  are pushed to the breaking point. Fishing in Newfoundland has always been a family affair, and this season sons, fathers, brothers, husbands, and wives are on deck to join the race for the best catch.

In anticipation of the hit series’ second season, Discovery.ca presents the Cold Water Cowboys: Atlantic Empire simulation game – a combination of both strategy and skill based gameplay, show characters and locations, along with a strong social media component. Players control their own fishing vessels while going for broke as one of the cold water cowboys in the unforgiving North Atlantic using map-based gameplay to  net as much crab, shrimp, turbot, herring, and mackerel to build a fishing dynasty.

 

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Paul Lafrance brings his crazy-cool designs inside for Custom Built

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With Old Man Winter holding much of this country in its sub-zero grip, you can’t help but wonder if Disaster Decks and Decked Out host Paul Lafrance pitched his latest show, Custom Built, to HGTV just so he could ensure he’d stay warm.

The truth is a lot simpler.

“The exterior world is a niche for me, but I’ve been doing interior renovations for the last 20 years,” he explains. “The backyard was a draw for me because it’s such an empty canvas, but I want to connect with more people and tell their stories.”

The man who goes through life with three loves—music, Lego and people—returns to HGTV with his latest creation, debuting Tuesday night. In it, Lafrance and his loyal team of Joey Fletcher, David Kenney and Kate Campbell head indoors to create mind-blowing designs for homeowners. The first episode introduces viewers to Jeff and Allyson, who want their tired 60s-era bathroom updated to match the rest of their gorgeous heritage home. It doesn’t take long for Lafrance’s creative juices to get going after a walk around the couple’s property uncovers barn beams. By the end of the storyline those beams have been transformed into a stunning bathroom counter and a previously hidden antique door and brick work become the focal point of the new shower.

The spiky-haired Tragically Hip fan is quick to mention his co-stars when discussing Custom Built. The word “family” is used several times to describe Fletcher, Kenney and Campbell and part of this new television project spotlights the trio. Each episode heads back to Lafrance’s Southern Ontario workshop where a one-of-a-kind smaller piece is created for a client.

“That’s just showing something that’s been going on for years,” he says. “There has always been a shop. That’s the headquarters, the club house. That’s where creative ideas are birthed and built and fabricated for the renos that we’re doing. Being able to show the mad skill that all three of them have and the individual talents each brings to the table … I love that. There isn’t some leader that has his minions around him. My favourite days are when they come up with something more creative than I did.”

The veteran of HGTV still can’t believe people tune in to watch him tear things down and build them back up again. After all, he’d be doing this job whether camera crews were around him or not. What will those cameras will be capturing over the next several months? More episodes of Custom Built, hopefully more seasons of Disaster Decks or Decked Out. And, perhaps, a series documenting Lafrance building a new home for his family.

“Viewers want to see the real people, not characters,” he says. “I want people to know that if they’re watching me on TV, that’s the real me. If they were seeing my wife and my girls, they’re seeing the same thing.”

Custom Built airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV.

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