Tag Archives: CTV

Sweating it out in Vietnam on The Amazing Race Canada

Unlike the last two legs of The Amazing Race Canada, Tuesday’s third one had no clear leaders. I blame it on the stifling heat in the Mekong Delta for causing teams to make bone-headed decisions and failing to note a critical clue that caused a shakeup at the Pit Stop.

Among the nuttiness in Vietnam? First-place team Joel and Ashley, along with three other duos, all took 30-minute penalties for using a water taxi to traverse between sections rather than the ferry clearly listed on the card they received. Listen, I get it. My instinct would have been to grab the water taxi I’d just climbed out of too, especially with teams breathing down my neck. But while I understand the urgency to keep moving—this is a race after all—I’m having trouble understanding what Stéphane was thinking.

The father not only relinquished the lead he and Antoine had by helping Ashley complete the goose-herding challenge, allowing she and Joel to depart the test in first place, but he aided other squads too, moving he and Antoine further back in the pack. It almost seemed like he’d given up and wanted to go home, and the frustration and shock on Antoine’s face was understandable. The pair eventually departed dead-last and never recovered, finishing in last place thanks to the four-hour penalty they took when Stéphane gave up on duck-herding after two hours. You’d think knowing the last team would be eliminated would light a fire under his butt, but perhaps the heat of the day sapped all rational thought.

The heat affected everyone, but Tanya especially. She struggled mightily during the ironically-named Hydrate Detour and had to be tended to by the show’s medical team. She sat off to the side, taking in fluids, while Anne continued to carry 60 coconuts from their boat to the harvesting station, completing the task and showing she wasn’t about to give up and was all about teamwork. Speaking of teamwork, Jillian and Emmett continue to complete Legs of the Race despite spending precious time and energy bitching at one another. The former Big Brother Canada competitors are used to playing a singular game, but The Amazing Race Canada is about supporting the other person and they need to work on that. I hit the mute button every time they start to fight because it’s embarrassing.

The most impressive team of this Leg was easily Kelly and Kate. The best friends, on the cusp of exiting the show last week, aced their toad-carrying Speed Bump (and informing viewers 20 toads is known as a knot) and landed in a very respectable third place.

What are your thoughts on this latest Leg? Would you have helped other teams like Stéphane did? Comment below.

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

  1. Joel and Ashley (30-minute penalty, won trip for two to Japan)
  2. Steph and Kristen
  3. Kelly and Kate
  4. Emmett and Jillian (30-minute penalty)
  5. Frankie and Amy
  6. Rita and Yvette (30-minute penalty)
  7. Julie and Lowell
  8. Anne and Tanya (30-minute penalty)
  9. Stéphane and Antoine (four-hour penalty, eliminated)

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

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Sons of Anarchy star lands on Motive

“Foreign Relations,” written by Sarah Dodd, may just be Motive’s most international episode ever. Not only does the main crime involve a British student found dead on university grounds, but Scottish actor Tommy Flanagan in a guest role. Yes, Chibs from Sons of Anarchy appears in Tuesday’s new story, as an Interpol agent teamed with Angie to investigate the crime.

Here’s what fans can expect on Tuesday night.

Sons of Anarchy star plays good guy?
It’s deliciously ironic that Tommy Flanagan is playing Interpol Agent Jack Stoker in this episode. He was unforgettable as motorcycle gang member Chibs for 92 episodes of Sons of Anarchy, so it’s pretty neat to see him showered, shaved and dressed to the nines, investigating Julian’s death … while catching Betty and Angie’s approving eyes. (Viewers with a sharp ear will catch a familiar, British bit of music when Jack leaves his meeting with Vega.) We learn a lot about Jack and his personal life; one wonders if he’ll return before—or during—Motive‘s series finale. And we love his off-key warbling of our national anthem.

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Vega is in troubleeeee…..
Motive revisits last week’s case involving Sgt. Bailin, with Vegas being questioned by the press about why her mental unbalance wasn’t caught via screening. Vega gets called on the carpet by his superiors for telling the media he thinks the justice system failed her son.

Vancouver’s stunning cityscape
I always forget what a beautiful backdrop Vancouver is for Motive; make sure you look at the scenery as Angie and Betty are examining the body.

Motive airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on CTV.

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Swimming with the fishes on The Amazing Race Canada

I’m consistently fascinated by the odd times Amazing Race contestants depart for a new Leg. In Tuesday’s newest journey, for instance, Jillian and Emmett departed Jasper, AB, at 12:56 a.m. Why not round it up to 1 a.m.? Why set it that late anyway? Can anyone answer that question for me? I really, honestly, want to know.

But back to the contest itself. Following a dramatic Leg, The Amazing Race Canada upped the ante in Week 2 with a pair of Express Passes—ways of skipping challenges without incurring a penalty—up for grabs. Out of the gate, Jillian and Emmett and Steph and Kristen have proved themselves to by not only physically strong teams but savvy ones too. So it was no surprise they emerged from the first bus into Calgary—following another rappel test—and decided to team up in a hunt for the Express Passes. (Can I just say it was a little disappointing to follow up last week’s height test with another one in Calgary?) They were thick as thieves … until Jillian and Emmett discussed and decided it was more important to finish Legs of the Race in first place than it was to score the passes.

With that, they left the girls to hunt through hundreds (thousands?) of vinyl records at Canada Boy Vinyl on their own while they headed off to the “Swim” Detour, corralling thousands of hatchery trout into one area and scooping them into cages. Steph and Kristen’s gamble paid off after an hour of work—scoring them an Express Pass and one to hand to another team—but costing them precious time. Luckily, they were fast and physical, outgunning other teams at the hatchery to land a respectable fifth place for their troubles. Jillian and Emmett, meanwhile, never gave up their lead after that, cruising into first place again. When they’re not bickering, Jillian and Emmett are simply unstoppable.

Meanwhile, there was a log jam in the hatchery, as every other team save for Joel and Ashley chose to scoop up fish. Instead, the father and daughter opted for the “Sim” side of the Detour, involving using a crane simulator to move a concrete weight through an intricate obstacle course in under six minutes combined. (Steph and Kristen, Kelly and Kate and Rita and Yvette took one look and swapped challenges.) After much practicing, the pair completed the task in their first try and hit the mat in a very respectable fourth place.

Things never improved for Kelly and Kate and Rita and Yvette, who entered Calgary in the last bus and never made up ground. In a footrace to the mat. Rita and Yvette edged out Kate and Kelly for the last spot. I could right away by Jon Montgomery’s tone that it was a non-elimination Leg, meaning the two friends have a Speed Bump to contend with in Vietnam. My take? Amazing Race Canada introduced a non-elimination way too early and should have waited until next week.

Here’s how the teams finished the Leg:

  1. Jillian and Emmett (trip for two to Paris)
  2. Stéphane and Antoine
  3. Frankie and Amy
  4. Joel and Ashley
  5. Anne and Tanya
  6. Steph and Kristen
  7. Julie and Lowell
  8. Rita and Yvette
  9. Kelly and Kate (non-elimination Leg)

What did you think of this Leg of the Race?  Comment below or via @tv_eh on Twitter.

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

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Christina Cox and Dylan Bruce stop by for explosive Motive

Fans of Christina Cox and Dylan Bruce rejoice! She of Blood Ties, Defying Gravity and Shadowhunters (pictured above), and he of Orphan Black and American Gothic drop by for Tuesday night’s new episode of Motive. And, like the guest cast who have appeared before, both become instantly memorable.

Here’s what we can tell you about “The Dead Hand”—written by showrunner Dennis Heaton—without giving too much away.

The main storyline is um … the bomb
The whole episode is, actually. As teased by the above picture, Angie’s day—week actually—is wrecked when Susan (Cox) arrives at the precinct with a bomb strapped to her chest. The Navy IED expert is upset her son, Jake, was convicted of killing his sister, Nancy, and forces Angie to re-open the case.

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The whole team checks in
Vega, Betty, Lucas and Paula do some digging and quickly find not everything in the case is as cut and dry as it first appeared. Jake, a recovering drug addict, blacked out while robbing his parent’s house and when he came to his sister was at the bottom of the stairs, neck broken. The problem? A 45-minute space between police interviews that has the team scratching their heads.

Dylan Bruce is a killer co-star
Bruce’s Rand Hardy is identified as the killer in the case right away (as is Motive’s M.O.), and as the story goes through twists, turns and doubles back, Rand is revealed to be one sick puppy. It’s a treat to see Bruce play a complicated character.

Motive airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on CTV.

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