Tag Archives: CTV

Amazing Race Canada, Featured

The Amazing Race Canada crashes in Cape Breton

It’s ironic that a beautiful section of Canada like Cape Breton was the most physically demanding on the remaining teams. And yet that’s what happened during Tuesday’s new episode of The Amazing Race Canada as Steph and Kristen battled Jillian and Emmett at the front of the pack while Joel and Ashley fought Rita and Yvette at the bottom.

The odd team out, and that may play to their advantage, were Frankie and Amy. As Emmett said just before he U-Turned Rita and Yvette, he viewed the mother-daughter team as physically weak and therefore the ones to keep in the Race. And while I do agree with him to a point, Frankie and Amy surprised me with their physicality during the Leg and have the smarts to outwit in a mental challenge.

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In what’s become a usual sight in Season 4, Steph and Kristen were neck-in-neck with Jillian and Emmett, swapping between first and second-place pulling mannequins from the water during the Canadian Coast Guard College challenge, the brutal Feel the Burn Detour involving the caber toss, farmer’s walk and stone’s throw, and final challenge, to push six heavy barrels through Fort Louisbourg to the cannon. It was a cool bit of history to watch as a viewer, so I’m glad Emmett—despite Jill’s protests—took the time to drink it all in.

With the Double U-Turn hanging over all, Steph and Kristen chose Joel and Ashley as the team to complete both Detours, putting them in direct competition with fellow U-Turned team Rita and Yvette, who’d already faced a setback in the Speed Bump after placing last in Cuba. The sisters stamped Christmas Island on letters quickly—if a little messily—and had a good laugh over the situation. The laughs turned to gritted teeth once they were U-Turned.

Jill and Emmett made it to the Pit Stop—the Louisbourg Lighthouse—mere steps in front of the girls, landing a trip for two to Mexico and making the east coast proud. I can’t wait to see how Jill replaces the shoe she lost; I’m pretty sure she didn’t pack and extra pair.

Rita and Yvette made a game of it and battled back from the Speed Bump, but weren’t able overcome the setback and were eliminated.

Here’s how the teams finished this Leg of the Race:

  1. Jillian and Emmett (trip for two to Mexico City)
  2. Steph and Kristen
  3. Frankie and Amy
  4. Joel and Ashley
  5. Rita and Yvette (eliminated)

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

Image courtesy of Bell Media.

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Motive

Link: Q&A: Motive showrunner Dennis Heaton bids farewell to beloved crime drama

From Francois Marchand of the Vancouver Sun:

Link: Q&A: Motive showrunner Dennis Heaton bids farewell to beloved crime drama
“Before I got the (cancellation) news I was thinking about Season Four, and Season Five, and Season Six. I had a story arc for Angie for Season Five that I was originally going to write Season Four to. And then I got the news, and what ended up happening is that I took those ideas for those later seasons and incorporated aspects of them into the arc for Season Four. In a way, Season Four is actually Seasons Four, Five and Six.” Continue reading.

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Featured, Motive

Motive says goodbye

3 Comments

This is it, Motive fans. The last episode. The final crime. And what a way to go out. As showrunner Dennis Heaton told us back in March, the finale idea was to “err on the side of cool,” and we certainly get that. But viewers get much, much more. The relationships between Angie, Oscar, Lucas and Betty are celebrated, a partnership that for the most part went on long before we tuned into their world.

Now it’s coming to an end with “We’ll Always Have Homicide,” which CTV teases with:

In the series finale, Detective Angie Flynn (Kristin Lehman) brings an unsolved homicide case to justice. She searches for the killer with help from Detectives Paula Mazur (Karen LeBlanc), Mitch Kennecki (Victor Zinck Jr., THE 100), Brian Lucas (Brendan Penny), Dr. Betty Rogers (Lauren Holly), and Oscar Vega (Louis Ferriera).

After watching a screener, we can offer up a few more tidbits of the instalment, written by Sarah Dodd and Dennis Heaton.

The one that got away
Yes, the series finale revisits the murder of Judge Rodman and the fact the killer got away was never far from Angie’s mind, even if she is nabbing bad guys in Paris. As Oscar told Angie last week, there’s no statute of limitations on murder. That’s good because, three years later, we catch up with the team in Vancouver. Of course, they haven’t been mulling over the Rodman case all that time, but it certainly has ties to the death Mazur and Kennecki are currently investigating. Yup, Kennecki is back on homicide.

“The craziest f–king murder weapon we’ve ever used.”
Dennis Heaton wasn’t kidding when he told us about the series finale’s murder weapon.

Lucas is working Internal Investigations
That’s no surprise—it was revealed he was heading that way last week—but we do get a peek into Lucas’ personal life … and who he married.

Vega has an offer for Angie
Angie’s up for a renewal of her secondment in Paris, but will she choose her old partner over The City of Light? It’s so great to see the pair reunited, sharing a laugh and a smile. Their relationship is deep and intimate without being sexual and we love them for it. Their final scene is perfect.

What are your thoughts on the last four seasons of Motive? Comment below or via Twitter @tv_eh.

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Featured, Your Morning

Comments and queries for the week of August 26

4 Comments

Your Morning not a hit with fans

Watched the first show of CTV’s Your Morning for maybe 20 minutes and will not be back. Huge disappointment! I agree with previous comments re: The View and The Social ( two other very uninteresting shows). Also very disappointed that both CTV channels broadcasted the same content. I envision a large boardroom with some hired (big bucks) consultant presenting this wild idea to members who have no clue of their audience. You drank the Kool-Aid! Terrible show! Gather any remaining senses and bring back Bev, Marci, Anwar, Todd and Michael—at least they know how to connect with an audience and present information worth knowing. —CJ

This new show is such a letdown. Where is the actual news? Having to see and listen to Ben, and his harem of chatty ladies, is extremely annoying first thing in the morning. They seem to be speaking over one another in a quest to get the most attention. I have to admit that I was happy to say goodbye to Jeff and good riddance to his ridiculous videos, but this new team is too much! Surely, you can do much better CTV! —From Ottawa

Terrible! Used to watch every morning and loved it. I can’t stand the new version. Bring the old format back and the former hosts! Unless they change the format I will watch another channel/competitor! —Pat

Agree there no class on this show. Can’t stand The Social and this is what this is. If you only appeal to the young you will lose millions. The young watch the Internet for news, not TV. The Social is immature and yappy and so is this. Weather girl trying to compete with other noisy people. Not to criticize, but this generation has no intelligence emotionally, no sophistication and can’t pull off charm. And you can’t fake charm. —Sharon

Please cancel this new morning show! It is unbearable. I gave it a third chance! Couldn’t do it. Thirty minutes later and I switched channels again! It is terrible. Please bring back the Canada AM we all knew and loved in the mornings! Ben and the gals have to go! —F&B

I watched Canada AM every morning since the early 80’s. Sorry, not a fan of the new show. I also don’t like the change to the news channel. The whole point of a news channel is to watch the news, not some poor version of The Social. —April

I truly don’t understand the mindset of creating Your Morning! Our kids are thirtysomethings and watch Breakfast Television. One tuned in and found it “noisy” due to hyper-like chatter. We agree. If an updated format was needed, why not update Canada AM? It seemed a well-oiled machine, relaxed, great hosts! The Social is successful—why duplicate it? What is CTV trying to accomplish? It’s too early in the morning for this crew and the type of program this is! We’re now watching CBC. —Kathy

Very very sad when Canada AM was cancelled. I enjoyed starting my day with the the wonderful hosts and easygoing format. I was not able to enjoy a morning show when I was working, and once I retired Canada AM fit the bill perfectly! I think CTV made a mistake by trying to appeal to a younger age group. They are probably all at work and won’t be watching anyway. I decided to give Your Morning a chance and watched a few episodes—very disappointing :(. There is not much on TV  to appeal to 60-plus demographic anymore. I think I will probably turn off the TV and either read a good book or go for a walk instead! —Jane

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? Email greg.david@tv-eh.com or via Twitter @tv_eh.

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Amazing Race Canada, Featured

The Amazing Race Canada blows a gasket in Havana

It took eight legs of The Amazing Race Canada for Jillian and Emmett to figure it out, but better is late than never. The former Big Brother Canada duo realized on Tuesday in Havana, Cuba, that encouraging their teammate is crucially important, and it netted the pair their third leg win of the season.

What’s become a common sight almost every week is a head-to-head battle between Steph and Kristen and Jillian and Emmett. The teams have gone back and forth, commanding all but two legs, and Tuesday’s new episode was no different. But frustration between Steph and Kristen during the Face-Off beach volleyball test led to Jill and Emmett winning—while cheering each other on—and steaming through the rest of the challenges with nary a waver. Steph, still hurting physically after cutting her finger with a machete while crushing sugar cane, lashed out at Kristen on the beach, revealing cracks in their game plan. They pulled it together during their second match between Rita and Yvette, and never really looked back.

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The trip to Cuba offered a nice mix of challenge, from the physicality of sugar cane crushing and salsa dancing to noting the location of Ernest Hemingway’s hotel room, from beach volleyball to making engine gaskets. The result was a truly entertaining episode showcasing the strength of individuals.

The Amazing Race Canada is a fickle beast, able to lift and crush spirits in a moment. Want proof? Look no further than Frankie and Amy, who were dispirited after the beach volleyball loss and downright frustrated making gaskets. Frankie seemed to be a second away from throwing down her tools and walking away. Then, suddenly, she realized what she’d done wrong and—according to the edit—completed all three gaskets in quick succession and they tore off to the Pit Stop.

Fortunately for Rita and Yvette, the leg was a non-elimination (something I should have realized since the season finale is still a few weeks away), and the sisters will encounter an extra challenge in Cape Breton next week.

Here’s how the teams finished this leg of the Race:

  1. Jillian and Emmett (win trip for two to Cancun)
  2. Joel and Ashley
  3. Steph and Kristen
  4. Frankie and Amy
  5. Rita and Yvette (non-elimination)

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

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