Big Brother | TV, eh?

From a media release:

Global’s smash-hit original series Big Brother Canada is back and bigger than ever with Season 4 premiering on Wednesday, March 2 at 9 pm ET/PT. Hosted by Arisa Cox, the much-anticipated fourth season promises more surprises, more challenges, and more houseguest shenanigans all under the watchful eye of Big Brother.
Recently nominated for a sixth Canadian Screen Award, Big Brother Canada also welcomes the return of an all-new season of the Big Brother Canada Side Show, premiering on Friday, March 4 at 10 pm ET on Slice and Saturday, March 5 at 8 pm ET on Global. This year Arisa Cox is joined by panellists Peter Brown (Season 1 houseguest) and Sarah Hanlon (Season 3 winner) who talk through the exploits of the week, analyze game strategy, make predictions, and discuss those oh-so important showmances.

For die-hard fans, Big Brother Canada After Dark is back seven days a week where the cameras never stop rolling in the Big Brother Canada house. Viewers can catch all the late-night activity, secret conversations, and backroom alliances beginning Friday, March 4 at 3 am ET on Slice. And for those who still want more #BBCAN4 action, free live feeds from the Big Brother Canada House will also be available on BigBrotherCanada.ca.

Following a coast-to-coast casting call, a new group of houseguests are moving into an overhauled Big Brother Canada house outfitted wall-to-wall with cameras and microphones capturing their every move. The houseguests compete for a grand prize of $100,000, a $25,000 gift card from The Brick, and an OxiCleanTM prize pack valued at $10,000 that includes $500 of fabric care products and a $9,500 wardrobe makeover. The upcoming season of the fan favourite series continues to offer unparalleled digital extensions that augment the social dynamics and real-time momentum of the 24/7 television production. Big Brother Canada extends from series to site at BigBrotherCanada.ca with exclusive content, full episodes, 24-hour live streams, and a host of surprises and opportunities that allow fans to directly impact the show.

Based on Endemol Shine Group’s worldwide hit franchise and commissioned by Shaw Media, Season 4 of Big Brother Canada is produced by Insight Productions in association with Shaw Media. Erin Brock and Sue Brophey serve as Supervising Producers. John Brunton and Barbara Bowlby serve as Executive Producers.

Big Brother Canada premieres on Global, Wednesday, March 2 at 9 pm ET/PT and airs Wednesdays at 9 pm ET/PT, Thursdays at 8 pm ET/PT (eviction episode), and Sundays at 7 pm ET/PT. Viewers who miss the premiere can catch up on Big Brother Canada for free following the broadcast the next day on BigBrotherCanada.ca and Global Go.

Update: Season 1 of Slice’s First Dates is being re-broadcast on Global starting this Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. Here’s what I wrote about the show when it debuted last September on Slice.

There’s a wall-sized sign on the wall in the restaurant where First Dates is filmed. The sign says: Things Can Get Messy, and it’s a pretty apt discription of Slice’s latest original series.

Filmed in one of Earls’ Vancouver locations, First Dates uses Big BrothersÂ setup of filming with a multitude of cameras and microphones that capture every stepâ€”and misstepâ€”single Canadians make on the dating scene.

Tuesday’s debut focuses on a trio of blind dates that run the gamut from success to bona fide train wreck. This being a nice Canadian production, however, there are no tears and screaming when a match isn’t made, though you can tell from Billi-Ann’s body language she just isn’t feeling it with Charles. Perhaps it’s his penchant for speaking in the third person, or his intimate knowledge of drinks with college-level amounts of booze in them. Regardless, it doesn’t take long for viewers to realize this HR dude by day, party guy by night, is no match for Billi-Ann.

Much more successful are Denai and Edward, who flirt their way through dinner, aided by her numerous comments about his cuteness, his endless muscle flexing and a shocking moment where he undoes his pants during the appetizer course. Is this the way the kids act during dates nowadays? Are they at the point where twenty somethings throw caution to the wind and flash some skivvy to attract attention? Apparently.

That’s not to say First Dates isn’t highly enjoyable. It is, if you’re looking for pure guilty pleasure entertainment. First Dates the perfect show to sit and watch with friends so that you can laugh, poke fun atâ€”and perhaps commiserateâ€”along with for an hour.

First Dates airs SundaysÂ at 7Â p.m. ET on Global.