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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Corus Entertainment renews eight Canadian series for its 2018-2019 programming slate

From a media release:

Corus Entertainment continues its commitment to investing in Canadian original content with renewals of fan-favourite series across its suite of networks, including HGTV Canada’s Backyard Builds, Love It or List It Vancouver, Property Brothers, Property Brothers: Buying and Selling, $ave My Reno and Worst to First; Food Network Canada’s Carnival Eats; and Global Television’s Border Security: America’s Front Line. Today’s renewals follow Corus Studios’ recent MIPTV greenlight announcement of new Canadian series slated for launch in 2018/2019. Additional series renewals and greenlights for Corus’ roster of networks will be announced at a later date.

Newly greenlit returning Canadian original series include:

Backyard Builds – Season 2 (14×30)
Backyard Builds showcases the endless opportunities outdoor areas can provide. Contractor Brian McCourt and designer Sarah Keenleyside work with homeowners to extend their living area outdoors by creating one-of-a-kind structures and clever designs. Backyard Builds is produced by Frantic Films in association with Corus Studios for HGTV Canada.

Love It or List It Vancouver – Season 5 (26×60)
Love It or List It Vancouver showcases families in B.C. who are struggling with homes that no longer suit their needs. Whether they’ve outgrown the home they once loved or the luster has worn off, homeowners are faced with the dilemma of whether they should love it or list it. Each episode features interior designer Jillian Harris pitted against West Coast realtor Todd Talbot as they implement their plans to battle it out for the homeowners’ allegiance. Love It or List Vancouver is produced by Big Coat Media in association with HGTV Canada.

Property Brothers – Season 7 (18×60)
Canadians Drew and Jonathan Scott have become household names in real estate and home renovation. In Season 7, Drew and Jonathan help out couples in Calgary and Las Vegas to find, buy, and transform extreme fixer-uppers into incredible dream homes. First, real estate specialist Drew tracks down hidden gems with untapped potential, and then it’s up to identical twin brother and contractor Jonathan to expertly overhaul these ramshackle properties. Convincing homebuyers to take a radical risk is their first challenge, then they’ve got to deliver ambitious renovation projects on time and on budget. Property Brothers is produced by Cineflix in association with HGTV Canada.

Property Brothers: Buying and Selling – Season 6 (8×60)
In Property Brothers: Buying and Selling, Jonathan and Drew Scott help homeowners take their next step up the real estate ladder. Jonathan renovates the family’s home for a successful sale, while Drew hunts down the best options for their next property and oversees the selling and buying. Property Brothers: Buying and Selling is produced by Cineflix in association with HGTV Canada.

$ave My Reno – Season 2 (14×30)
Cash-conscious homeowners catch a break when Sebastian Clovis, the savvy contractor, and Sabrina Smelko, the resourceful designer, toss out overpriced reno quotes and make dreams come true. Sebastian and Sabrina save through smart spends, upcycling, DIY and putting homeowners to work. With their contagious energy, together they give homeowners the reno they want, on a budget they can afford. $ave My Reno is produced by Great Pacific Media in association with Corus Studios for HGTV Canada.

Worst to First – Season 2 (10×60)
Worst to First sees best friends, professional contractors and brothers-in-law Sebastian and Mickey take on the challenge of transforming the most undesirable house on the block into a stunning forever home. Worst to First is produced by Great Pacific Media in association with Corus Studios for HGTV Canada.

Carnival Eats – Season 5 (13×30)
Hosted by Noah Cappe, Carnival Eats gives audiences an inside look at the mouth-watering and outrageous foods famously found at fairs and carnivals, the wacky characters who create them and the culinary thrill seekers who devour and delight in them. Carnival Eats is produced by Alibi Entertainment in association with Food Network Canada.

Border Security: America’s Front Line – Season 2 (20×30)
Securing the longest border in the world is the work of the men and women of US Customs and Border Protection. Season 2 of Border Security: America’s Front Line follows CBP officers as they search for illegal travelers, weapons, and contraband. Guns, drugs, money and more – it’s all in a day’s work. Border Security: America’s Front Line is produced by eOne Entertainment (eOne) in association with Global Television.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Dogs find their forever homes in Bell Media Studios’ Dog Tales Rescue, May 31 on Gusto

From a media release:

Hot on the paws of today’s National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day, Gusto announces the premiere of new docu-series DOG TALES RESCUE, Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT beginning May 31.

Following the day-to-day operation of King City, Ont.’s Dog Tales Rescue and Horse Sanctuary, the 10-episode, half-hour series features sanctuary co-founders and animal lovers Danielle Eden-Scheinberg and Rob Scheinberg as they care and rehabilitate sick, elderly, and abused animals. Along with a dedicated team of 50 passionate staff, the sanctuary accepts local surrenders and works with shelters both domestically and abroad searching for animals in need of help. DOG TALES RESCUE also debuts this fall in Québec on Canal Vie.

Furthering its commitment to delivering diverse quality lifestyle content, Bell Media Studios and partner Motion Content Group also confirm today that DOG TALES RESCUE has been renewed for a second season, joining the recently announced multi-season commitment of series WHERE TO I DO?.

In the series premiere of DOG TALES RESCUE, Thursday, May 31 at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT, Rob and Danielle introduce the Dog Tales Rescue and Horse Sanctuary. The team puts together a creative photo shoot to help boost adoption rates, and Lead Horse Handler Ilana tries to integrate a new horse with the herd. Potential new adoptive parents Shelley and Emmanuel come to meet dog Samuel after seeing a social media post in which he was featured. Before they can adopt Samuel, they must bring their dog Phoebe to Dog Tales to see if the two dogs will hit it off.

Founded in 2004, the Dog Tales Rescue and Horse Sanctuary is a world-renowned dog rescue and horse sanctuary set on 50 acres in King City, Ont. The Dog Tales property includes kilometers of walking trails, a therapy pool, a grooming spa, a pig mud bath, a horse paddock, a fenced play area, and a splash pad for the dogs. Dog Tales provides rescue animals with medical care, training, and, of course, lots of love!

DOG TALES RESCUE is a co-production between Motion Content Group and Bell Media Studios. Melanie Darlaston is Executive Producer for Motion Content Group. Jennifer Couke and Michelle Crespi are Executive Producers for Bell Media Studios.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Home to Win: Bryan and Sarah Baeumler and Sangita Patel preview Season 3

Bryan and Sarah Baeumler are no strangers to working together. The pair, in addition to being married and with a passel of kids, the home builder and interior designer are business partners too. Viewers have seen that both in House of Bryan and most recently in Bryan Inc. But the pair is still getting used to working with the massive group of HGTV Canada talent assembled for Season 3 of Home to Win.

Returning Sunday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada, Home to Win once again reunites 26 of this country’s biggest names in builders and designers with host Sangita Patel to renovate one piece of property for one deserving Canadian. But unlike the last two seasons of Home to Win, the home is only up for grabs for a first-time homebuyer (get details on how to audition). And, in the bursting Southern Ontario real estate market, that’s huge.

“It was a great concept, a great idea,” Sarah Baeumler says alongside Bryan and Patel during a press junket at Corus Entertainment headquarters. “When we’re talking to people that want to buy a house and what to look for, the idea and cost right now is a very difficult thing to talk about because it’s out of most people’s realm. To be able to do this and have somebody win their first-time home is spectacular.”

As with last season, Sunday’s return follows Bryan Baeumler and Scott McGillivray as they walk through a trio of homes that are potential projects. The show’s producers hit a home run when they paired the veteran builders together for the task; as contributor Tanya writes in her preview, Baeumler and McGillivray share a similar sense of humour and get on like gangbusters.

“We show up, have fun and have a laugh,” Bryan Baeumler says. “I’ll be honest, nobody laughs at me as hard as I laugh at me. Scott’s the same. We don’t get a lot of time to hang out when we’re not [filming] because we’re both very busy with family, kids and work, so it’s nice to just hang out with the brother I never wanted and have some fun.”

We won’t give away which of the three homes Baeumler and McGillivray choose as the one to be made over (well, that, and we’re not allowed to say), but it’s a great choice. And one with plenty of challenges. Still, folks like Brian McCourt, Sarah Keenleyside, Kortney and Dave Wilson, Drew and Jonathan Scott, Sabrina Smelko, Jo Alcorn, Carson Arthur, Danielle Bryk, Kate Campbell, Sebastian Clovis, Mike Holmes, Mike Holmes Jr., Paul LaFrance, Tiffany Pratt and Samantha Pynn are up to the test. With Sarah Richardson and Tommy Smythe coming up with the overall design style of the home, the over two dozen-strong team gets to work.

“This is one of the most important things about this season and what we learned from [making] the last two seasons,” Sarah says. “We didn’t take the time to come up with a cohesive plan, we went off and were creating all of these things. Being able to stand together and say, ‘OK, what does everyone feel?’ You pick something that is sort of neutral ground. Somebody like me, who is into neutral colours and white, can wrap my head around it. We all came to a consensus on the overall feel and then go off on our own little tangents.”

Are you hoping to be one of the Canadians in the running to win the home? Patel has some advice when it comes to the audition process and making your video.

“Just be real,” she advises. “Be yourself in your audition tape. Don’t do anything crazy. Tell us why you need this house and why you want to get this house.”

Home to Win 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

Media Headquarters announces greenlight of daring wilderness expedition series ‘The Brigade’

From a media release:

Media Headquarters announces a greenlight for THE BRIGADE, a groundbreaking new expedition competition series produced for Outdoor Sportsman Group Networks (World Fishing Network, Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel). Thrill-seeking and adventure-loving men and women from across the U.S. and Canada are encouraged to apply at thebrigadetv.com for their chance to join the ultimate trek and win prize money up to $1 million. THE BRIGADE is slated to debut in spring 2019.

THE BRIGADE will retrace an epic 2,600-mile fur trade route that links waterways from the coast of Oregon, traversing through two states, four Canadian provinces, two mountain ranges and five river systems before ending at the icy shores of Hudson Bay in Manitoba. Originally called “The York Factory Express,” it’s a thrilling and dangerous paddling odyssey unlike any other. THE BRIGADE must work together to navigate fierce whitewater, portage over mountains, and fish and hunt for sustenance all without fuel or GPS. There are no eliminations. Instead the competition relies on the collective strengths of its cast to hang on against all odds. Those who complete the expedition have the chance to share prize money up to $1 million.

THE BRIGADE is a once-in-a-lifetime expedition. Adventurers who have expedition experience, strong paddling skills, a multitude of outdoor abilities, and also possess willpower, strength and determination, should apply at thebrigadetv.com. Casting is now open through to May 15, 2018.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Love is in the venue with new Bell Media Studios’ series, Where To I Do?, starring Tommy Smythe

From a media release:

Viewers have more reasons than ever to say “I do” to Gusto this spring, with the brand-new original series WHERE TO I DO? airing Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, beginning May 17. The series is the first to come out of the previously announced partnership between Bell Media Studios and Motion Content Group, and has already been renewed for a second season. WHERE TO I DO? debuts this fall in Québec on Canal Vie.

The eight-episode, 30-minute series is hosted by Canadian property and design expert Tommy Smythe (THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW), as he helps couples find their perfect wedding venue. Whether they’re ravers looking for a party, entrepreneurs looking for high-end glamour, or young lovers looking to keep things simple, Smythe takes each couple to three unique spaces where their fantasy wedding could be realized.

From a medieval castle to a rustic country barn, and from a chic rooftop bar to a trendy downtown mansion, Smythe uses state-of-the-art, 3D graphics to bring each space to life and help the couple decide which venue is the perfect fit for their dream day. With the decision made, each episode culminates with a wedding-day reveal of the chosen venue.

In the first episode, premiering Thursday, May 17 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, romantic bride Tamara and rave-loving groom Paul are on the hunt for the perfect wedding venue. Renovating a fixer-upper and planning a wedding at the same time has proven challenging, especially since they both want a short six-month engagement. To add to the complications, the couple have very different visions for their big day. Tamara wants a whimsical day with simple décor and a beach feel, while Paul wants industrial, high ceilings, and lasers. On their quest to mix romance with laser beams, Smythe takes the couple to visit prospective venues in Toronto, Art Gallery of Ontario, District 28, and The Thompson Hotel Rooftop.

WHERE TO I DO? is a co-production between Motion Content Group and Bell Media Studios. Martin Oxley is Executive Producer for Motion Content Group.

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