Tag Archives: CTV

Astronaut Chris Hadfield blasts on to MasterChef Canada

The devil is, as they say, in the details. And, on a night when the home cooks were flying high after a visit from Colonel Chris Hadfield, it was Terry who came crashing down to earth and exited MasterChef Canada.

Terry was humble in his defeat, admitting fault after he and Shawn mixed up the filling in one hors d’oeuvre, and tearfully said goodbye. It was unfortunate to see Terry eliminated that way because it was a plating issue rather than one of taste. And Terry’s elimination was another instance of a plan backfiring on the contestant who set it up. Matthew stunned everyone (including himself, I think) by winning the Mystery Box challenge after Col. Hadfield and the resident judges deemed his smoked salmon parfait to be the best of the bunch constructed of space age ingredients. Matthew, who was awarded immunity for the week, paired up his competitors, putting Jeremy with Mary to slow her down and Shawn with Terry to help them out. Instead, Jeremy and Mary won the tag team and the other two faltered.

I must say it was pretty cool to see Col. Hadfield appear in Sunday’s new episode “Out of this World.” Not merely there for his star power, Hadfield helped taste and judge the plates and interacted with the home cooks while offering insight into how meals are prepared in space: a needle injects lukewarm or hot water into the plastic packets to rehydrate the contents.

As for the Elimination Challenge, I was impressed the home cooks were able to plate all 15 bites, let alone anything that would taste good. There were miscues when it came to mirroring the example set out by the judges, but nothing major. At least, not until the wrong filling was put in Terry and Shawn’s coronets. Now, with just six homes cooks remaining, it really is anyone’s season to win now that Terry is not longer in the hunt.

Next week, Mary and Jeremy are team captains for a Restaurant Takeover that, if evidenced by Alvin’s yelling, is tough for everyone.

MasterChef Canada airs Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

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Remedy’s Sara Canning guests on Motive

It’s hard to believe Motive‘s final ride is almost over. Yet Tuesday’s new instalment, “Interference,” represents Episode 6 out of 13. It’s been a pretty wild ride so far, with the stops pulled out on stories and great work done by the regular cast and guests appearing. Tonight’s episode is no different; read on for some non-spoiler teases.

Sara Canning alert!
Fans of the cancelled-way-too-soon Remedy get their fix of Sara Canning, who guest-stars as Tracy, a suburban mom who is dispatched in a most memorable—and gruesome—way. She’s not your typical victim either….

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Walking Dead guest star alert!
I was wracking my brain trying to figure out where I’d seen Alicia Witt recently when it dawned on me: she played Paula on The Walking Dead. Anyway, she’s Cindy, tagged as the murderer in “Interference,” and her story takes a turn involving Tracy’s son, Owen. Witt brings a lot of humanity to Cindy and by the time you learn her backstory, you can’t help but feel badly for her.

Lucas goes over a line
Good guy Lucas is always by the book—he even ended a budding relationship because the woman was a murder witness—and he definitely crosses a line on Tuesday. His heart is in the right place, but it’s the wrong move nonetheless.

Mazur confides in Angie
Something has been going on with Paula Mazur for the past couple of weeks—whispered phone calls and rushing to change the subject—but all becomes clear … and complicates matters for everyone.

Shout out to Vij’s
There is a nice mention of Vikram Vij’s iconic Vancouver restaurant. Now I want to have dinner there. Or at the very least the bacon doughnut Angie was eating.

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

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Link: Saving Hope writers sign LGBTQ fan pledge

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Saving Hope writers sign LGBTQ fan pledge
“Some friends and I got together to discuss the controversy surrounding Lexa’s death on The 100, and the pile up of queer female TV character deaths that followed close after. Michelle Mama who’s a writer, producer, director, as well as a queer activist, introduced me and Sonia Hosko (Saving Hope producer) to Gina Tass who’s a behavioural therapist who works a lot with youth. Gina was paying very close attention to what young fans were saying online, and was aware that some of them were upset and self-harming.” Continue reading. 

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MasterChef Canada home cook struggles with sickness

“Heads and Shoulders, Knees and Toes” was the theme of Sunday’s new episode, but it was April Lee’s tummy that became a part of the storyline. Not that her sickness—sweats and stomach issues—were a major tale; it was only during the Pressure Test that it was mentioned at all. Maybe the challenges are done on different days, but it was jarring nonetheless to have no discussion of her health until the latter half of the episode. And in the end it didn’t matter anyway, as the eclairs April Lee concocted during the Pressure Test were good enough to land her in the Top 7.

Not so for Mary and Jennifer, who were in the bottom. It was distressing to see Mary on the brink of elimination over the last few weeks. She’s a truly gifted home cook, and I think that knowledge is causing her to overthink challenges and aim higher than her competition. She shouldn’t be worrying about anyone else but herself … says the guy judging from the safety of his own couch.

Meanwhile, Jennifer’s culinary journey came to an end. After a weak, but inspired, performance preparing chicken feet off the top of the episode, her eclairs were overly small and lacking the taste Michael, Alvin and Claudio were hoping for.

I was really impressed with the plates the home cooks came up with during the team challenge. Despite the main ingredients being less than pretty to look at—grouper and pig heads, pig and chicken feet and frog legs—they put together beautiful plates worthy of pictures in a high-end cookbook. The Red Team of Shawn, Terry, Matthew and Veronica were steps ahead of Blue with regard to flavour and plating, but Veronica’s truly impressive and intricate Chinese soup dumplings with black vinegar caviar carried the win.

Next week, former astronaut Chris Hadfield appears for an out-of-this-world test.

MasterChef Canada airs Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

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Motive’s massive Episode 5 twist

Motive is all about the complicated twists and turns on the road to discovering the link between victim and killer. And while there have been four season’s worth of stories, I honestly can’t remember one that was so unexpected. If you want to do a little bit of homework before “The Scorpion and the Frog”—written by Jennica Harper—airs Tuesday night, check out Aesop’s Fable, the inspiration for the storyline:

A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a stream and the scorpion asks the frog to carry him across on its back. The frog asks, “How do I know you won’t sting me?” The scorpion says, “Because if I do, I will die too.”

The frog is satisfied, and they set out, but in midstream, the scorpion stings the frog. The frog feels the onset of paralysis and starts to sink, knowing they both will drown, but has just enough time to gasp “Why?”

Replies the scorpion: “It’s my nature…”

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A matter of trust
The power of those who work in the mental health industry is explored, as the killer—a psychiatrist—manipulates a situation for his benefit. The result is the plot biggest twist I’ve seen on Motive and one of the most disturbing crime scenes I’ve witnessed in network TV.

Mazur’s past haunts her
Three years ago Mazur had a similar case that send a killer to prison. But the details surrounding this murder causes not only Angie to question whether Mazur did the right thing but Mazur herself.

Vega looks amazing behind the Staff Sergeant desk
I didn’t think I’d like seeing him in the station so much, but he’s been great. That said, there is an excuse for him to hit the streets on Tuesday alongside Lucas.

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

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