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New Canadian original series Timber Titans anchors Discovery’s winter programming lineup

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From a media release:

Discovery announced today that the all-new Canadian Original docuseries TIMBER TITANS – produced in collaboration with Great Pacific Media, the producers of HIGHWAY THRU HELL and MUD MOUNTAIN HAULERS – premieres on Monday, Feb. 5 at 10 p.m. ET. TIMBER TITANS joins Discovery, Investigation Discovery, and Animal Planet’s winter lineup of compelling, adventurous, and real-life programming that also includes new series THE SUMMIT AUSTRALIA (Discovery), MILLION DOLLAR ISLAND (Discovery), and AUSSIE SNAKE WRANGLERS (Animal Planet), and returning fan-favourites MOONSHINERS (Discovery), LAST OF THE GIANTS (Discovery), and MURDER UNDER FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (Investigation Discovery).

The winter programming lineup features the following programming:

Discovery

MOONSHINERS Season 13
Every spring, a fearless group of men and women venture deep into the woods of Appalachia, defying the law, rivals, and nature itself to keep the centuries-old tradition of craft whiskey alive. Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. ET.

MYSTERY AT BLIND FROG RANCH Season 3
Duane and Chad Ollinger have spent close to a decade trying to unearth $3 billion in Aztec gold that they believe is hidden in a vast network of underground caverns deep within Blind Frog Ranch. After arriving for the season, they discover that claim jumpers have been illegally digging on the property, attempting to locate and steal the treasure – leading to a tense and volatile confrontation. Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET.

Discovery Canadian Original Series LAST OF THE GIANTS Season 3
LAST OF THE GIANTS follows acclaimed adventurer Cyril Chauquet (CHASING MONSTERS) and his crew on a high-adrenaline, action-packed mission from the rugged coast of West Africa to the Bolivian Amazon. The team risks life and limb to search for, and save, the last of the planet’s legendary goliath fish. Thursday nights at 10 p.m. ET.

EXPEDITION UNKNOWN Season 12
Globetrotting explorer Josh Gates is back scanning the depths of the ocean, trekking into the heart of Central American jungles, and diving into flooded tunnels beneath an active volcano, in search of answers to the world’s greatest mysteries. Thursday nights at 8 p.m. ET.

THE SUMMIT AUSTRALIA Season 1
Morals will be severely tested, physical limits pushed to breaking point, and bonds busted in THE SUMMIT. Friday nights at 9:30 p.m. ET.

MILLION DOLLAR ISLAND Season 1
A high-stakes social experiment in which 100 contestants must forge friendships and build alliances as they plot to stay on a remote desert island for up to 50 days and compete to win their share of the ultimate $1 million prize. Upon arrival, each contestant is given a bracelet worth $10,000. During their time on the island, contestants gain and lose bracelets through various challenges, but when a player leaves the island, they must choose who will receive their portion of the money. Friday nights at 8 p.m. ET.

BERING SEA GOLD Season 17
Things are heating up in Nome, Alaska and the Bering Sea miners are back for a wild season. While the miners discover their new operations come with a whole new set of difficulties and dangers, Nome is pummeled by the worst storm it’s seen in a century. Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET.

BIG LITTLE BRAWLERS Season 1
In Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, an extraordinary group of little people with larger-than-life personalities must navigate ego, injury, and limitations imposed by themselves and society, as they attempt to achieve their piece of the American Dream in the most ambitious little person wrestling league on the planet. Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET.

Discovery Canadian Original Series TIMBER TITANS Series Premiere
From Great Pacific Media, the producers of HIGHWAY THRU HELL and MUD MOUNTAIN HAULERS, and set deep in the British Columbian wilderness, TIMBER TITANS is a high-stakes, character-driven documentary series following four logging companies in British Columbia as they fight through extreme weather and merciless terrain to harvest one of Canada’s most vital natural resources. The series premieres Monday, Feb. 5 at 10 p.m. ET.

Investigation Discovery

AMERICAN MONSTER Season 11
Monsters can be found lurking behind any innocent smile and on any street corner in America. Never-before-seen-video footage stares straight into the eyes of these killers who hide in plain sight. The most wholesome people imaginable could be hiding a sinister secret, but when it’s revealed, murder is the result. Friday nights at 9 p.m. ET.

MURDER UNDER FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Season 3
Across the United States, high school football unites small-town communities. But when a heinous murder shatters that Friday night dream world, the crime ripples beyond those immediately impacted, and the community will never be the same again. Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET.

Animal Planet

AUSSIE SNAKE WRANGLERS Season 1
AUSSIE SNAKE WRANGLERS follows the day-to-day drama of six men and women who work in one of Australia’s most dangerous occupations – snake catching. In each episode, venomous snake guru Stuart McKenzie answers multiple distress calls from everyday Aussies whose homes have been invaded by these fearsome reptiles. Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET

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Featured, Push, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Push Season 2 to premiere on CBC and CBC Gem

From a media release:

Produced by Fenix Film & Television and Small Army Entertainment in association with CBC and Accessible Media Inc. (AMI), PUSH Season 2 will premiere on Sunday, January 14th at 7:30 PM on CBC and the free-streaming service CBC Gem. PUSH Season 2 features eight, 30-minute episodes.

The ground-breaking CBC original docu-series, PUSH, is back for a second season. Pulling back the veil on life as a wheelchair user, PUSH once again takes audiences into the inner world of the ‘Wheelie Peeps’, an unlikely group of friends bonded by their shared experience of life on wheels. Season 2 features returning favourites including the group’s fearless and unfiltered leader, Bean Gill; Canada’s favourite potty-mouthed and self-proclaimed redneck, Brian McPherson; concert pianist, entrepreneur and adventure-seeker, Riccardo Baldini; and more! Nothing is off the table as this bold group of friends tackle everything life throws their way. From the logistics and stigmas of sex with a fellow wheelchair user, to navigating new motherhood as a “quad mom”, to facing the people and places who knew them pre-injury, Season 2 has The Peeps confronting their past, facing their demons and supporting new members of the group through the early days of wheelchair life.

Benveet “Bean” Gill is the “mother hen” and unofficial ringleader of the Wheelie Peeps. Bean shares, “After I was paralyzed, I made it my mission to go find my homies, my fellow friends in wheelchairs. After a while, there was a big group of us and we called ourselves the Wheelie Peeps. I believe in having a strong support system around you, and I’m grateful to have one. I went through so many dark days alone and after seeing the power of community, I vowed to never let anyone have a dark day alone again. The Wheelie Peeps have lifted each other up. We help each other when equipment breaks. We laugh with each other, and we have cried many tears together. We learn so much from each other.”

PUSH Season 2 premieres on Sunday, January 14th at 7:30 PM on CBC and the free-streaming service CBC Gem. AMI-tv will additionally air PUSH Season 1 on Monday, January 15th, and Season 2 on Monday, March 18th.

Shot from May to October 2023 in Edmonton, Alberta, Fano, Italy, and Salt Lake City Utah, PUSH Season 2 is executive produced by Sean De Vries and Kaitlan Stewart and produced by Kaitlan Stewart with Benveet “Bean” Gill acting as consulting producer. Dylan Wertz is series showrunner, Frederick Kroetsch and Rebecca Campbell are at the helm as directors and Daniel Ennett as story producer and co-director. 

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

HGTV Canada and MEM greenlight Renovation Resort for Season 2

From a media release:

HGTV Canada and MEM announce today the Season 2 greenlight of Renovation Resort. Following the success of Season 1 as the #1 Canadian original series on Specialty in Spring 2023*, the new season will feature four all-new renovation and design duos competing to create the ultimate vacation rental. Season 2 of Renovation Resort will air on HGTV Canada and be available to stream live and on-demand on STACKTV.

HGTV Canada’s Scott McGillivray and Bryan Baeumler return as co-hosts and judges in the eight-episode season distributed by Corus Studios. Scott and Bryan will decide which team takes home the title of Renovation Resort Champion and a game-changing prize of $100,000.

Casting is currently underway for four new pairs of renovation pros to compete in a battle to transform empty shells into one-of-a-kind vacation properties. The pairs will be put to the test, each renovating and redesigning one of the resort’s four cabins; as well as creating unique, multi-season outdoor backyard spaces. Interested applicants can apply here.

Viewers can also watch Scott McGillivray this Spring in Season 5 of Scott’s Vacation House Rules, where he and design partner Debra Salmoni show homeowners how to transform their vacation properties into profitable pieces of paradise. Production on Season 6 of the Corus Studios series is currently underway by MEM and is expected to premiere in 2025.

Renovation Resort and Scott’s Vacation House Rules are produced by MEM, Scott McGillivray is CEO, Angela Jennings is President, Nanci MacLean is COO, and Kelly Wray is Executive Producer.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

CBC competition series Best in Miniature returns for Season 3 on December 26

From a media release:

BEST IN MINIATURE (8×60) is back with 10 exceptionally talented miniaturists from Canada and abroad, promising a season of unrivaled creativity and innovation. Season 3 premieres Tuesday, December 26, with all episodes available to stream at 9 am ET on CBC Gem, followed by daily back-to-back episodes on CBC TV beginning Tuesday, December 26 through Friday, December 29 at 8 pm (8:30 NT) and 9 pm (9:30 NT).

This season, the 10 miniaturists will unleash their creative superpowers, crafting petite wonders in 1/12 scale, as time ticks away. In each episode, the judges will decide whose delicate dreams have come to an end, and who’s got what it takes to move forward for the chance to claim a prestigious residency and $10,000. The miniaturists better not get worked up over the minor details because if they survive the chopping block, they’ll score the ultimate prize.

Actor and stand-up comedian Aba Amuquandoh returns as host, alongside judges, UK miniature expert Emma Waddell, and esteemed Canadian interior designer and entrepreneur Micheal Lambie.

Meet the Season 3 competitors vying to be crowned Best in Miniature, including five Canadians:

Shelley Acker from Kentville, Nova Scotia has been making miniatures for almost 25 years and is the owner of Freedom Miniatures, a full-service miniatures and hobbies store. Shelley’s skills in miniatures were showcased as one of two Art Directors on the 2022 multi-award-winning documentary feature film Bernie Langille Wants to Know what Happened to Bernie Langille.

Jen Arnold from Winnipeg, Manitoba is a full-time social worker, who finds her strength in the time she spends building hand-held memories, and considers her art as her own form of self-care. Her work has been featured in The Winnipeg Free Press, Global News Morning Winnipeg, Winnipeg radio station 680 CJOB, CBC Radio Information Morning, as well as in the Lac Du Bonnet and Manitoba Clipper.

Lance Cardinal from Bigstone Cree Nation in Alberta is a First Nations 2-Spirit artist, designer and television personality, who has quickly become one of the province’s leading First Nation artists and entrepreneurs. His 30-year journey has allowed him to work with world-class organizations all over Canada, including The Edmonton Oilers, IKEA Edmonton, Kunitz Shoes, Rugby Canada, Unbelts, Telus World of Science, Rogers Place, Fort Edmonton Park, and Re/Max Field.

Tiffany Monk is originally from England and now lives in Sutton, Quebec. Tiffany is a versatile multidisciplinary artist with a background in prop making, sculpting and model making for film. She has worked on a number of diverse film and TV projects in both England and Canada including John Carter, The 100 and a number of independent stop-motion animation films and projects.

Arline Smith is from the UK and now lives in Port Hope, Ontario. She is a many-faceted artist and has spent the past fifty years creating everything from a pea to an elephant. After graduating from Liverpool College of Art, she joined The Royal Shakespeare Company as a costumier and worked alongside Sir Ben Kingsley and Dames Helen Mirren and Judy Dench.

In the lead up to the Season 3 premiere, Miniature enthusiasts can catch up on Seasons 1 & 2 on CBC Gem.

BEST IN MINIATURE is produced by marblemedia, a Blue Ant Media company, in association with CBC. Matt Hornburg, Mark Bishop, Diane Rankin and Donna Luke are executive producers; Erica Lenczner is series producer; the series is created by development producer Kelsey Espensen. 

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Crave orders a fifth season of its hit original series, Canada’s Drag Race

From a media release:

A week from the premiere of a new season of CANADA’S DRAG RACE, Crave today announced that it has ordered a fifth season of the wildly-popular series. CANADA’S DRAG RACE, the #1 most streamed Canadian Reality show on Crave this year, is available to audiences in Canada, in both English and French. The series is produced by Blue Ant Studios in association with Crave and World of Wonder.

Canadian drag artists looking to flaunt their distinct brand of Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent can submit their applications now at https://www.canadasdragracecasting.com/. Applicants must be 19 years of age as of Nov. 1, 2023, and a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.

CANADA’S DRAG RACE is set to premiere its fourth season on Crave on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 9 p.m. ET, and is also available on World of Wonder’s SVOD platform WOW Presents Plus in the U.S., and in more than 160 countries around the world, and coming soon to BBC Three and iPlayer in the U.K. Crave recently announced the new series and format, SLAYCATION, in partnership with Blue Ant Studios and World of Wonder, with CANADA’S DRAG RACE: CANADA VS: THE WORLD set to return for a second season next year.

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