Tag Archives: Maestro Fresh Wes

CBC original series Race Against the Tide is renewed for a third season

From a media release:

Leading international award-winning production company, marblemedia, is thrilled to announce that production is underway on an epic third season of the sand sculpture competition series, RACE AGAINST THE TIDE. Filmed on New Brunswick’s breathtaking and iconic New River Beach, on the Bay of Fundy, the summer hit will premiere on CBC in 2023. The stakes are higher than ever for season three, as the show introduces an all-new format, with more world-class competitors and an unforgettable season showcasing the strongest competition yet.

This series has quickly become a must-see, as it has consecutively ranked among the top of the Canadian TV ratings on Sunday nights each week*; and has seen resounding interest in the format from around the world.

Taking the series concept to a whole new level, season three will see 12 world-class sand sculpting teams of two tap into their artistic creativity more than ever before in the world’s toughest sand sculpting competition yet. Divided into two groups of six, the teams will dig, pound, carve and sculpt through four qualifying rounds. The top two teams from each round will face off in a sand-flying semi-final. In the end, only one team will reign supreme and walk away with the grand prize of $10,000…and the beach bragging rights of being crowned Race Against the Tide champions.

Returning as host this season is New Brunswick’s own, award-winning godfather of Canadian Hip Hop, Maestro Fresh Wes. Wes will be joined by returning judges, Karen Fralich, who herself has competed in over 120 master-level contests around the globe, and is a five-time World Champion; and Rusty Croft, a seasoned sand sculptor who holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the “tallest sand castle” as a member of the Sand Guys. He has also appeared on every episode of Discovery Channel’s Sand Wars and Sand Blasters.

Race Against the Tide is executive produced by Matt Hornburg and Mark Bishop of marblemedia; series producer and writer is Carly Spencer, and Donna Luke of marblemedia serves as co-executive producer. Co-produced with Hemmings House Films, for which Greg Hemmings serves as Co-Executive Producer and Stephen Foster as Producer. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; Alexandra Lane is Senior Director of Production; and Ann-Marie Redmond is Executive in Charge of Production.

*Source: Numeris PPM TV, Total Canada, Ind2+ AMA, CBC Total, Sundays, July 10-September 11, 2022.

Image courtesy of Riley Smith.

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Race Against the Tide returns for a second season with host Maestro Fresh Wes

From a media release:

CBC today announced the return of original competition series RACE AGAINST THE TIDE (10×30) for a second season, produced by marblemedia and premiering Sunday, July 10 at 8:30 p.m. (9 NT) on CBC and CBC Gem. New Brunswick-based, award-winning Hip Hop artist Maestro Fresh Wes hosts the new season, featuring a new group of sand sculptors who will compete head-to-head at the Bay of Fundy to create extraordinary sand art before the world’s highest tide comes in while attempting to avoid elimination.

Each week, the artists have six hours to create their sand sculptures before the tide washes them away. In the end, the two judges – five-time World Champion Karen Fralich (Burlington, ON) and Master Sculptor Rusty Croft (Carmel Valley, CA) – will decide which duo will walk away with the grand prize of $10,000.

RACE AGAINST THE TIDE season two host Wes Williams, otherwise known as “Maestro Fresh Wes,” was born in Toronto and is considered to be the godfather of Canadian Hip Hop. Maestro Fresh Wes recently became the first Hip Hop artist inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame for his 1989 signature song “Let Your Backbone Slide,” and is also the first Black Canadian artist to have a recording reach platinum status in Canada. He now resides in Saint John, New Brunswick.

This season’s 10 highly-skilled sand sculpting duos are:

Agnese Rudzīte-Kirillova and Sanita Ravina (Latvia) – Agnese is an accomplished mixed media artist who learned about sand sculpting over a decade ago and has been doing it professionally ever since. Sanita discovered sand sculpting when she was a young girl, but has only been doing it full-time for the past four years.

Bouké Atema and Jeroen Advocaat (Germany and The Netherlands) – Originally from Kenya, Bouké has been sand sculpting since 2002 and is well-versed in several different art forms. He is known for sculptures depicting nature, while his partner, Jeroen, prefers structural design. Jeroen, a professional sculptor of over 18 years, studied architecture and 3D design.

Carlos Pereyra and Francisco Valdez (Mexico) – Carlos and Francisco have a combined total of 23 years experience in sand sculpting. The friends met before a competition in Mexico, when Carlos’ original partner backed out at the last minute. He had heard about Francisco and his talent, but didn’t personally know him. Francisco filled in for that competition, and the rest is history.

Craig Mutch and Daeyoung Ji (Vancouver, BC and South Korea) – Craig and Daeyoung want to bring their East-meets-West sculpture style to the world’s toughest beach battle. Craig has been a professional sculptor for 35 years working in ice, sand and snow, whereas Daeyoung has been sculpting for seven years and was catapulted to international success after completing an apprenticeship in Australia.

Fred Dobbs and Guy-Olivier Deveau (Sidney, BC and Quebec, QC) – Fred, who has been sculpting for over 35 years and is considered a Canadian carving legend, is recognized around the world as a professional sand sculptor. Guy-Olivier, who has been sculpting for more than 15 years, is one of Canada’s premier sand sculptors and is known for his dark Gothic creations.

Jo (Stefanie) Hollick and Manuel Campos (Vancouver, BC and Columbia) – Jo began sand sculpting on the beaches of White Rock, BC over two decades ago. With many career achievements under her belt, her biggest personal feat was placing fifth in the Parksville Beach Festival. Manuel has been a professional sand sculptor for over 12 years and has been awarded many different awards at various competitions.

JT (Joseph) Estrela and Amanda Gafford (USA) – Originally a math teacher, JT switched careers and now owns and operates his own company called San Diego Sand Castles. He has been professionally sculpting for seven years while his partner, Amanda, is a registered nurse by day, and an artist by night.

Peter Vogelaar and Alex Avelino (Winlaw, BC and Nelson, BC) – Peter and Alex are a mentor/mentee team from Canada who have sculpted together all over the world in both sand and snow. Peter, a professional artist, has been sculpting for almost two decades while Alex, a graphic designer, has been sculpting for nearly eight years.

Walter McDonald and Christy Atkinson (USA) – Walter and Christy are a father/daughter duo from the United States. Walter is the world’s oldest, still working sand sculptor, who discovered sand sculpting in the early 80s. Christy has been sand sculpting since 2003 and was taught everything she knows by her father.

Wilfred Stijger and Edith van de Wetering (The Netherlands) – This husband and wife duo are professional sand sculptors who have over 25 years of experience and have competed in hundreds of festivals around the globe. Their mind-blown surrealist sculptures are recognized across the world.

In the inaugural season of the show, PEI’s Abe Waterman and Seattle’s Sue McGrew took the top spot. Catch up on episodes on CBC Gem.

RACE AGAINST THE TIDE is executive produced by Matt Hornburg and Mark Bishop of marblemedia; series producer and writer is Carly Spencer and Donna Luke of marblemedia serves as co-executive producer. Co-produced with Hemmings House. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; Alexandra Lane is Senior Director of Production; and Ann-Marie Redmond is Executive in Charge of Production. RACE AGAINST THE TIDE is presented with support from Tourism New Brunswick.

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