From a media release:

Yukon Gold, HISTORY’s number one Canadian documentary series of 2013, begins production on season two this month. Produced by Paperny Entertainment, Yukon Gold is a Canadian original series tracking four mining crews on a modern day gold rush as they scour the harsh land of the midnight sun hoping to strike it rich. Season two of Yukon Gold is slated to premiere on HISTORY in spring 2014.

Season two of Yukon Gold returns to follow the up-and-down lives of the four viewer favourite gold mining crews from around Dawson City, Yukon – “Big” Al McGregor, Bernie Kreft, best friends Ken Foy and Guillaume Brodeur, and Karl Knutson. Remote film crews will be shooting from July until the season freeze-up in early October this year. The series is executive produced by David Paperny, Cal Schumiatcher and Audrey Mehler.

From a media release:

CTV Announces MASTERCHEF CANADA Casting Details

• Online application tool now open at CTV.ca/MasterChefCanada

Get online and get cooking Canada! Aspiring chefs and foodies across the country have been salivating at the prospect of being crowned Canada’s first MasterChef since the announcement that CTV ordered MASTERCHEF CANADA for a winter 2014 debut. Beginning today, Canadians can go to ctv.ca/MasterChefCanada and submit an application for their chance to be a part of the Canadian version of the internationally acclaimed series. Deadline for entries is Thursday, July 25.

Auditioning for MASTERCHEF CANADA is as easy as pie! Potential hopefuls can visit ctv.ca/MasterChefCanada and follow the links for full casting details and FAQs. A recent photo is required, and applicants are welcome to submit a video that demonstrates skill, while expressing their passion for cooking.

Among the eligibility requirements that should be noted for MASTERCHEF CANADA applications:

• Applicants must be amateur chefs, and cannot ever have worked as a professional chef.
• Competitors must be at least 19 years of age by September 1, 2013.
• Competitors must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.

MASTERCHEF CANADA provides an opportunity for Canadian amateur chefs to develop their culinary skills as they compete for the MASTERCHEF CANADA title. Thousands of applicants will be whittled down to 50 semifinalists who will then present their signature dish to the judges in hopes of winning one of the coveted MASTERCHEF aprons. In keeping with the MASTERCHEF format, the contestants will face individual and team-based cooking challenges, which result in one or more home cooks being eliminated each week, until finally Canada’s first MASTERCHEF is crowned.

From a media release:

Chefs tackle Canada’s fields, forests and frigid waters in The Chef’s Domain

• Series premieres with back-to-back episodes Tuesday July 2nd 8 p.m. & 8:30 p.m. EST/10 p.m. PST & 10:30 p.m. PST
• Featured during Discovery World’s Free Preview

The Chef’s Domain is a visual and culinary delight. The 10-part series features masterful field-to-table feasts by acclaimed chefs in St. John’s, the Okanagan, Niagara region, Montreal, Tofino, Prince Edward County, Saskatoon, Calgary, Cambridge and Sherbrooke, all with a backdrop of the bounty and beauty of each region.

Every chef dreams of sourcing their ingredients just outside their back door, but it’s not an easy task. The Canadian climate and landscape are equal parts a challenge and inspiration for these passionate and engaging chefs. The results are extraordinary meals with locally grown, harvested, hunted and foraged foods.

The series premieres with back-to-back episodes on Tuesday, July 2 at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. EST/10p.m. & 10:30 p.m. PST as part of Discovery World’s month long free preview. Produced by Lively Media in association with Bell Media’s Discovery World, the series will air regularly on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST/10p.m. PST.

“The combination of adventure, breathtaking scenery and incredible food are the key elements of this series,” said Leanna Crouch, Executive Producer of the program. “We gave each chef the chance to get out of their kitchen and forage on their own. It’s as much a travel program as it is a food series.”

“There’s a reason we chose these great Canadian chefs. There’s something that makes these people special in a way that’s not so common. Whether they’ve built up their culinary experience in the big city, or a small town, they all have the skills to express their passion for food in incredibly creative and contrasting ways. But, as different as they are, they all share a similar attitude. They’re “locavores,” so to speak, and for them it’s so much more than just a current trend in progressive cuisine. They’re investing in their communities and supporting each other, while respecting the diverse environments across Canada that they live in. And in doing so, they’re making a philosophical statement, and that’s what the program really highlights,” commented Stan Lipsey, Discovery executive for the program.

In each episode of The Chef’s Domain a chef sources their ingredients right from the garden, the ocean, the wilderness and local vendors, and creates a multi-course feast. From organic growers to cheese makers, to bakeries and wineries, to the countryside and coastline, the series is a celebration of Canada’s local food producers.

In the first episode, premiering on July 2 at 8 p.m. EST, Chef Jeremy Charles and sommelier Jeremy Bonia, owners of the award-winning restaurant Raymonds, raise the gastronomic bar in St. John’s, NL. To celebrate the restaurant’s two-year anniversary, the charming duo hunt for fresh game meat, hit the coastal waters for scallops and forage for mushrooms to create a blowout spread.

Airing immediately after at 8:30 p.m., the second episode follows Okanagan Chefs Dana Ewart and Cameron Smith of Joy Road Catering as they throw a feast for the local growers and suppliers who have made their company a success. Undaunted by the challenge, the chefs source all but a few ingredients hailing from within a 25-mile radius.

The third episode, airing in the regular time slot on Tuesday July 9 at 8:00p.m. EST, features the lively and sometimes irascible Chef Stephen Treadwell and sommelier James Treadwell of Treadwells in Niagara, ON while they host a gala dinner featuring pinot noirs from the region. Recognized as a pioneer in Niagara Cuisine, Chef Treadwell creates perfect pairings for each wine that compliment each dish in the multi-course meal of local trout, cheese and rare farm fresh greens.

The series also features:

• July 16 – Chef Emma Cardarelli of Montreal’s Nora Gray
• July 23 – Chefs Nicolas Nutting and Matt Wilson of Tofino’s The Pointe at The Wickaninnish Inn
• July 30 – Chef Matt DeMille of Prince Edward County’s Pomodoro
• August 6 – Chef Christie Peters of Saskatoon’s The Hollows
• August 13 – Chef Hayato Okamitsu of Calgary’s SAIT Culinary Institute
• August 20 – Chef Jonathan Gushue of Langdon Hall in Cambridge
• August 27 – Chef Danny St. Pierre of Sherbrooke’s Auguste

From a media release:

YTV’s The Next Star Season 6 Premieres on Monday, July 15 at 7 p.m.

• Hit talent competition introduces new second screen experience and new web series

Corus Entertainment’s YTV and Tricon Films and Television announced today the Season 6 launch of The Next Star. The only talent competition that showcases young singing sensations on a journey to break out as Canada’s next hit artists will premiere on Monday, July 15 at 7 p.m. ET/PT. After travelling across Canada, where over five thousand aspiring stars auditioned for their chance at a national platform for their talent, the finalists will come to Toronto to appear on The Next Star’s career-making stage.

The show’s returning music industry judges include R&B star Keshia Chanté, music industry exec Mark Spicoluk and Canada’s country sweetheart Tara Oram. This esteemed panel who have all experienced the ins and outs of being young, breakout stars, will have the tough task of narrowing this field of hopefuls to just twelve. Popular on-air YTV personality Carlos Bustamante (YTV’s The Zone, Big Fun Movies), will host this season and be there alongside the auditioning hopefuls during the incredible cross-country tour and throughout the in-studio competition.

YTV is introducing fans to a new second screen experience, Next Star Nation, which directly connects fans to the series. This second screen experience expands on the pre-existing cross-platform experience, where fans interact online by voting, participating in the Virtual Next Star Contest, playing Next Star themed games and watching exclusive video. Next Star Nation will also offer behind-the-scenes exclusive content, live tweeting and daily fan interaction to make this an experience that no YTV show has offered before, available online, by tablet and smartphone.

In addition to the second screen experience, fans will also have access to exclusive content online with two new web series: The Next Star Aftershow and Backstage Pass, hosted by Next Star Nation’s Mark “Suki” Suknanan.

As the competition heats up, one lucky contestant who doesn’t make the cut, will be given a second chance as a wild card to fly to Toronto and compete with the Top 12, bringing the total number of finalists who advance to the next round to 13. Viewers can look forward to additional elimination twists in Season 6 as well as surprise special guests.

From Nick Patch of the Canadian Press:

Looking back on 10th anniversary of ‘Canadian Idol’
It was a decade ago this week that “Canadian Idol” debuted, and it was also something of a premiere for host Ben Mulroney.
Then only 27 and better-known to Canadians as the son of a former prime minister rather than a ubiquitous fixture of entertainment news coverage, Mulroney recalls watching the show’s taped premiere at a friend’s place with 10 or so others. Afterward, they hopped in a taxi and headed off to a midtown Toronto sports bar, and they were dropped off a small hike away. Continue reading.