Tag Archives: CTV

Amazing Race Canada, Featured

Amazing Race Canada: Teamwork and Express Passes in small-town B.C.

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No one wants to be eliminated from The Amazing Race Canada, especially when you have an Express Pass in your back pocket. It’s hard to know exactly when to use the pass. Do you waste it because you have it and might as well, or should you wait for a strategic moment?

Alas, Megan and Courtney found out the hard way on Tuesday night when they were eliminated from the Race without getting a chance to use the Express Pass that Kenneth and Ryan gave them. I felt bad for the friends from Newfoundland, especially because they’d been in first place during last week’s Leg and were a hoot to watch. It will be interesting to see how Kenneth and Ryan fare now that the girls are gone; they’d given them the Express Pass in exchange for help in challenges and that paid off in the tent test.

Speaking of Kenneth and Ryan, they were forced to use their Express Pass to ensure they finished the Leg ahead of other teams. Forget big cities; it was small B.C. towns Castlegar and Nelson that threw everyone for a loop with a detail-oriented camping challenge and map-related tests in Nelson. It was during this Leg that hidden talents and Achilles heels were revealed. Ivana and Korey may not excel when it comes to directions—they spent a long time wondering where the heck they were—but showed a gift for pottery when they arrived at the Throw It Detour and blasted past the teams who’d been struggling there for awhile. Andrea’s graphic design and arts background served she and Adam well during the tent and pottery tests, putting them in third place.

Zed and Shabbir hit their stride, literally, nailing every challenge in pretty quick succession on the way to a first-place spot on the mat and a trip to Chicago.

Karen and Bert—who are quickly becoming my favourites because of his cheesy dad jokes and her facial expressions—were confident using their Express Pass put them in first place and were shocked when Jon Montgomery informed them they were in the middle of the pack. That just illustrates to me how far apart duos were during this Leg; unless you were working with another team you were pretty much on your own and unaware of how others were doing.

Kenneth and Ryan, who dedicated the Leg to the memories of Will and Dave, two of Ryan’s college friends who died skiing in the area, struggled to make two hooks out of iron in the Strike It Detour and utlilized their Express Pass just to stay alive. There was a silver lining for them, however: they were awarded $5,000 from Chevrolet for being the most energy-efficient during the Leg.

Next week the teams go international for the first time this season as they jet to China.

Here’s how the teams finished Leg 3:

  1. Zed and Shabbir (trip for two to Chicago)
  2. Korey and Ivana
  3. Andrea and Adam
  4. Sam and Paul
  5. Karen and Bert (used Express Pass)
  6. Kenneth and Ryan (used Express Pass; won $5,000)
  7. Andrea and Ebonie
  8. Megan and Courtney (eliminated)

The Amazing Race Canada airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m ET/PT on CTV.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

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Featured, Saving Hope

Saving Hope: Peter Mooney returns to Hope Zion

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We had a sneaking suspicion the wrestler who grappled his way into Cassie’s life might return. He does, and it leads to an incredibly shocking storyline in this week’s episode of Saving Hope. Add in the fact Peter Mooney returns to Hope Zion to portray Dr. Jeremy Bishop and there is a lot going on this Thursday.

Here’s the official synopsis for “La Famiglia,” written by Noelle Carbone and directed by Peter Wellington:

Dr. Alex Reid has to put her concern for the newly-unemployed Dr. Charlie Harris aside when the chance to perform a revolutionary cancer surgery arises. Alex, along with Dr. Dawn Bell, Dr. Cassie Williams, and Dr. Dana Kinney band together for the surgery, and are surprised to be led by Dr. Jeremy Bishop (Peter Mooney, ROOKIE BLUE), who returns to Hope Zion Hospital. While they are performing the radical and controversial surgery, Charlie tries to help the distressed spirit of the patient. Cassie is unexpectedly called away from the surgery by her former patient Jake Bugle (James Preston Rogers, REIGN), who seems to have a very different idea of the nature of their relationship.

And, as always, here are a few morsels we can add after watching a screener.

Reunited and it feels so good
We loved how the Saving Hope writers got Alex and Charlie back together again. Having Alex see what Charlie sees was a monumental moment for the couple and she truly understands what he’s dealing with. Now the pair can get down to the really serious business, like naming the baby that’s on the way. Eunice, anyone? There is a lovely car conversation between the pair that we never wanted to end. Where’s big city traffic when you need it? Also? We kind of like it that Charlie’s out of work. He can spend more time with Luke and focusing on family.

Will Shahir and Jonathan finally adopt?
The wheels were set in motion last week when Shahir performed surgery on an infant with spina bifida and the mother wanted him to adopt the baby. But will the pair put pen to paper on the official documents?

Cassie’s paramour is revealed
Who sent Cassie that handful of super-scary balloons, book and chameleon last week? Yup, it was Jake, the pro wrestler who has taken a shine to our young surgeon. He may not be suffering from mercury poisoning anymore, but that doesn’t mean Jake’s anger has gone away. What happens is shocking and terrible, and had us thinking of “Be Still My Heart,” the horrific Season 6 episode of ER.

Dawn is pissed
Check out the image above. There’s a very good reason for her to be upset and she hashes it out with Dana and Alex.

Two big storylines play out 
We won’t give either of them away, but you’re going to love them.

Saving Hope airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

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Amazing Race Canada, Featured

Amazing Race Canada salutes Fort McMurray in Express Pass filled Leg

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The first week of a new Amazing Race Canada season is a bit of a learning curve for everyone, Racers included. They’re getting the gist of what they’ve gotten themselves into while viewers are sussing out the teams they want to support. And it looks like, with a mere one week under our belts, Kenneth and Ryan—a.k.a. Team Give R—have quickly become fan favourites because of their can-do attitude and Canadianity.

This week, Kenneth and Ryan’s support for each other never wavered while the stress got to other squads in the hunt for three Express Passes. Team Give R was the first to depart for Fort McMurray, AB. As Jonny Harris did with Still Standing, The Amazing Race Canada spent much of the episode recalling the awful wildfires that ravaged the area just over a year ago while celebrating the strength of community in rebuilding. (Aside from being entertaining, TARC is endlessly educational. I had no clue Fort Mac was Alberta’s oldest European settlement.)

Air Canada served as the great equalizer, as all teams were on the flight over the Rockies; Kenneth and Ryan grabbed the lead on the ground and took off to an adventure park with Andrea and Ebonie in hot pursuit. Looking at the burned trees hit Ivana especially hard, as she recounted her family’s escape from Sarajevo to Canada when she was young. At the Road Block, duos climbed over 50 platforms through a course, allowing them to limber up and judge each others’ physical fitness.

A few teams took wrong turns and hit up a roadside information booth where a friendly bearded gent gave them maps and pointed them to the right spot. One red light later and at least two cars were filled with folks who had no clue where they were going. (I’m not sure if this happens more often and it’s just not shown on-air, but this group of Racers appear to be the most directionally challenged so far.) That allowed for the bulk of the pack to acquire a huge head-start and Kenneth and Ryan to land all three Express Passes. They get to keep one of them and pass off the other two. This is where relationships are built and, to be honest, some pairs were annoyed by Kenneth screaming every time he found a pass. It’s one thing to be excited, but it’s another to be annoying.

With no Express Pass to find and with three cards in their pockets, Andrea and Ebonie departed the park first for this week’s Detour, “Pull It” or “Pump It,” choosing to fire at 15 clay targets or perform a fire training exercise using a water pump and 50 feet of hose to extinguish a controlled burn. (I would have chosen to fire at clay targets.) Ebonie and Andrea chose to firefight—as did Megan and Courtney, Kenneth and Ryan, Sam and Paul and Karen and Bert—while everyone else went shooting. Megan and Courtney were first to extinguish their flames, quickly tailed by Andrea and Ebonie; the teams swapped places on the road to the helicopter pad.

As soon as I saw teams would have to solve a math problem I knew we were in for a long night. Calculating fuel weight depending on passengers and gear on board? Forget it. Until Megan walked in. The biomedical engineering technologist was the poster girl for “don’t judge a book by its cover,” whipped off the answer and the cousins departed in first place via helicopter in search of Jon Montgomery on the 16th hole of a local golf course. Ebonie and Andrea went another route, working the formula backwards until they reached the right answer, leaving Team Give R scratching their heads. (I did wonder whether the previous teams erased their answers so others couldn’t steal it, or producers forbade that from being allowed.) Team Give R traded Karen and Bert their correct answer for an Express Pass, a really smart move.

Megan and Courtney were the first to find Jon and captured a trip to Aukland, New Zealand. The cousins were followed by business partners Ebonie and Andrea, couple Sam and Paul, married couple Karen and Bert, Team Give R, son-father squad Zed and Shabbir and siblings Adam and Andrea.

Ivana and Korey and Dan and Riya languished in the bottom, going head-to-head shooting targets until leaving within seconds of one another. Best friends Korey and Ivana sprinted to the mat ahead of YouTube stars Dan and Riya to claim the final spot on the mat.

What do you think of this season of The Amazing Race Canada so far? Let me know in the comments below.

Here’s how the teams placed after Leg 2:

  1. Megan and Courtney (won trip to Aukland, NZ)
  2. Ebonie and Andrea
  3. Sam and Paul
  4. Karen and Bert
  5. Team Give R
  6. Zed and Shabbir
  7. Adam and Andrea
  8. Korey and Ivana
  9. Dan and Riya (eliminated)

The Amazing Race Canada airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

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Featured, Saving Hope

Saving Hope: Charlie makes a key connection

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Whoa, whoa, WHOA. With just a few more weeks until Saving Hope‘s series finale on CTV, the drama is unrelenting. By the end of last week’s A-storyline, Charlie had suffered a breakdown in front of Amos (Don McKellar) who, of course, no one else can see. That meant Dawn witnessed the incident and was last seen making a phone call to the head of Hope Zion to lodge a formal complaint. Meanwhile, self-help guru Layla (Missy Peregrym) made a connection with Alex over beliefs and medicine.

This Thursday’s new episode, “Fix You,” would—by the title, at least—hint both Alex and Charlie could be headed for some kind of fixing. Here is what CTV has to say about the episode, written by Katrina Saville and directed by Alison Reid:

The whole staff of Hope Zion Hospital is called in for questioning by the hospital board regarding Dr. Charlie Harris’ bizarre and erratic behaviour. Although Charlie is not privy to what is being said about him, a spirit is listening in and reporting back to Charlie. Meanwhile, as Dr. Alex Reid monitors Layla (Missy Peregrym, ROOKIE BLUE), a self-help guru, post her awake surgery, Layla convinces Alex to allow her to perform some of her new age techniques on her. Though he is reluctant to do so, Dr. Shahir Hamza agrees to do in-utero spina bifida surgery on the fetus of a university student, who is putting the baby up for adoption.

And here’s a bit more info after watching an advance screener:

Layla is back
Yup, there is more to her story than what was revealed last week. Turns out she’s ready to be discharged but Alex still has concerns regarding Layla’s health. And Layla is worried about Alex’s energy, something she refers to as a black cloud “spewing gunk.” That can’t be good. The pair share several wonderful scenes, including one about truths that occurs in a very fitting location.

Charlie is in rough shape
With the staff being summoned regarding their observations about Charlie, he’s determined to fight for his job. He’s hoping Alex will stand up and defend his actions, but will she? And Amos is far from done speaking with Charlie and has some choice words for him before the embattled doctor goes in for his assessment. Also, Amos shows off some skills we’ve never seen from the spirits on Saving Hope before, which leads to interesting ways of showing Charlie’s assessment. And Amos is paramount in Charlie making a key realization about his own past.

Shahir makes a decision
The synopsis above hints at the story, a tragic case that could very well end up having a very happy ending for Shahir and Jonathan.

Cassie faces her fear
Um, we had no idea there was even a name for the phobia Cassie has in tonight’s episode. That scene, plus a few more, provide some funny moments to temper the serious we get on Thursday.

Saving Hope airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

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19-2

Critically-Acclaimed Drama 19-2 Lands on CTV for its Climactic Final Season, July 31

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From a media release:

CTV announced today that after a successful three-season run on Bravo, the final eight episodes of the critically acclaimed drama 19-2 will premiere on CTV in a special final-season broadcast event, Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT beginning July 31. The hour-long drama sees the return of Canadian Screen Award-winning actors Adrian Holmes and Jared Keeso as beat partners Nick Barron and Ben Chartier, navigating systemic corruption in Montréal while in the wake of a shared personal tragedy.

Season 4 of 19-2 will also get a CraveTV First Look with all new episodes premiering one day earlier, Sundays at 10 p.m. ET beginning July 30. Seasons 1 – 3 of the critically acclaimed drama are streaming now, exclusively on CraveTV.

Winner of multiple Canadian Screen Awards including Best Drama as well as Best Actor for both Keeso and Holmes, 19-2 has garnered much critical acclaim and accolades throughout its three-season run. Cited as a series that “defies expectations” by the New York Times, and “exciting” by the Wall Street Journal, the series was also nominated for a 2016 International Emmy®Award.

Season 4 of 19-2 begins with Nick and Ben working to avenge the death of Nick’s sister and Ben’s lover, Amelie. In the process, they find themselves pulled into an escalating cycle of mob violence and revenge. While Nick is determined to move forward, Ben fights to keep his faith in justice and in himself. As a raging gang war intensifies, the entire squad is pushed to their limits and forced to depend on each other more than ever.

In the Season 4 premiere episode, “Swimming,” (Monday, July 31 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV) Nick and Ben are set on taking down Inspector Elise Roberge (Krista Bridges, RANSOM) in order to avenge the brutal murder of Nick’s sister Amelie. Nick is first on site at a horrific event with many casualties. Meanwhile, Ben and Audrey are implicated in a tragic accident.

19-2 is co-produced by Sphère Média Plus and Echo Media in association with Bell Media. Executive producers are Jocelyn Deschênes, Virginia Rankin, and Josee Vallee from Sphère Média Plus, Luc Châtelain from Echo Media, and showrunner Bruce Smith.

19-2’s exceptional cast ensemble sees the return of CSA-nominee and Gemeaux winner Laurence Lebeouf (MARCHE À L’OMBRE) as fiery officer Audrey Pouliot; CSA-nominee Dan Petronijevic (SAVING HOPE) as angry beat-cop J.M.; CSA-nominee Benz Antoine (MARY KILLS PEOPLE) as jovial officer Tyler, on the mend and in recovery; Mylène Dinh-Robic (Sleeper) as no-nonsense Béatrice, seeking redemption after losing her stripes; CSA-nominee Bruce Ramsay (21 THUNDER) as manipulative District Commander Marcel Gendron; and Alexander De Jordy (LETTERKENNY) as young cop Richard Dulac. CSA-nominee Maxim Roy (BAD BLOOD) returns to guest star as Nick’s ex-wife Detective Isabelle Latendresse.

Joining 19-2 this final season are Aiza Ntibarikure (THE ART OF MORE) as Roxanne, a new young female cop; and Sagine Sémajuste (LOST GIRL) as Farah, a social worker.

Writers Bruce Smith (CRACKED), Nikolijne Troubetzkoy (CALL ME FITZ), Lynne Kamm (8 Count) return, with Jackie May (Van Helsing) and Greg Nelson (SAVING HOPE) joining the writer’s room this season. Louis Choquette (THIS LIFE, VERSAILLES) and Sturla Gunnarsson (MOTIVE), return to direct.

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