Tag Archives: Steven Sabados

CBC delivers the goods in daytime with The Goods

You simply can’t fake chemistry on television. Viewers catch on when folks don’t click. It’s the reason networks recast roles during pilot season; if co-stars don’t connect with each other, they simply won’t with an audience.

The Goods explodes with chemistry and makes for a wild daytime ride. Debuting Monday on CBC and marking Steven Sabados’ return to television, The Goods combines lifestyle, food, relationships and home and design into a fun package. Yes, the daytime market is packed with such U.S. fare as The Chew, The View and The Talk while Canadian rival CTV offers The Social, but The Goods is a welcome addition thanks mainly to its cast.

Surrounding Sabados on the panel is style maven Jessi Cruickshank, relationship and wellness expert Andrea Bain and Levetto chef Shahir Massoud covering all things culinary. Earlier this week, I was invited down to watch a taping of The Goods and experienced a well-oiled machine despite having just seven episodes already in the can.

(l-r) Bain, Cruickshank, Sabados, Massoud
(l-r) Bain, Cruickshank, Sabados, Massoud

“You always feel, on some other shows, as if people are trying to take away airtime,” Sabados says after the three-hour taping in front of a studio audience of just over 100 concluded. “There is that battle of, ‘You said that, so I have to say this,’ … Shahir didn’t have a segment today, but it’s all good because he’s still part of the show. We’re all here, so it’s all good.” It’s true. While Massoud didn’t contribute content-wise, he was still front and centre in a comedic role both unintentionally during Sabados’ decor quiz when he asked how to spell “teak” and on purpose during Cruickshank’s style bit when he walked the runway decked out in overalls, a baseball cap propped rakishly on his head.

Massoud explains he and his co-hosts come up with what their individual segments will contain with their own producers. Once that’s decided, the producers and hosts compare notes and figure out who will be interacting with who. Yes, The Goods is scripted when it comes to what segments make up an episode, but the interaction itself is done on the fly. That came into play Tuesday when Cruickshank dashed off to the control room and requested a hula hoop challenge be re-cut and slowed down for broadcast. The result was a very funny replay of Bain’s facial expressions and body language as she owned the hula segment (“I will never Iive that down,” Bain says with a laugh.) Cruickshank set herself up for criticism during her style portion, suggesting that sometimes socks can be worn with sandals. She was met with a chorus of good-natured boos from the audience.

“Where else can you get an audience who feels comfortable enough to boo the host?” Cruickshank asks. “There is this feeling of being in the round and we make sure people know they’re supposed to yell. They’re part of the show.”

The Goods airs Monday to Friday at 2 p.m. on CBC.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Jessi Cruickshank and Steven Sabados team up for CBC’s The Goods

From a media release:

CBC today announced two additional hosts for its new one-hour daytime program, THE GOODS. Host and author Andrea Bain and chef Shahir Massoud join previously announced hosts Jessi Cruickshank and Steven Sabados to form the complete team. Shot live-to-tape in front of a studio audience, THE GOODS will air weekday afternoons at 2 p.m. (2:30 NT) beginning October 3 on CBC.

Every weekday, THE GOODS will deliver all the inspiration and information Canadians need in one jam-packed and entertaining hour of daily television. Each of the four hosts brings their own authentic point of view and passion to the show - style and fashion for Cruickshank; home and design for Sabados; relationships and wellness for Bain; and food for Massoud – that combined will make THE GOODS the ultimate afternoon destination for audiences across Canada.

Meet THE GOODS team:

Andrea_Bain
Andrea Bain, @AndreaMBain
Andrea Bain has hosted a number of national lifestyle shows on HGTV and SLICE and appeared regularly as a relationship specialist on various Canadian daytime programs. Most recently, Bain has used her relationship expertise to pen her first book, Single Girl Problems, which will be published later this year. After graduating with a BA in Sociology from York University and a diploma in Broadcast Journalism from Humber College, Bain began her television career in a Toronto newsroom. She worked behind the scenes as a producer and, shortly after, landed her first reporting job. After some encouragement from her peers, Bain decided to step in front of the camera full time and became an entertainment correspondent for the Los Angeles-based TV station Reelzchannel, where she interviewed such notable names as Oprah, Brad Pitt and Martin Scorsese.

Shahir_Massoud
Shahir Massoud, @chefshahir
After graduating from York University’s Schulich School of Business, Shahir Massoud decided to pursue his true passion and move to New York City to enroll in the famed French Culinary Institute. While in New York, he worked in the kitchens of Mario Batali (Lupa), Jean-Georges Vongerichten (The Mark Hotel) and Saveur magazine. Massoud has since moved on to become the Corporate Executive Chef at Levetto, overseeing multiple locations all over Ontario. Massoud has also made regular appearances on various Canadian morning and daytime programs including Cityline and Breakfast Television.

Jessi Cruickshank, @JESSI
One of Canada’s most beloved TV personalities, Jessi Cruickshank has been hailed as “one of the funniest women on TV today, period” by The Province. Cruickshank is the host of CBC’s Canada’s Smartest Person, returning for Season 3 in the fall. Her self-deprecating humour, irreverent interview style and eclectic flair for fashion have made her a fan favourite. Cruickshank grew up in Vancouver, where she broke into comedy as the only girl in an all-male improv troupe alongside Seth Rogen. She soon became a household name as the face of MTV Canada, hosting the daily comedy show MTV Live and smash hit The Hills After Show, which generated record-breaking ratings in Canada and the United States. She went on to star in the nightly talk-show The After Show, and has since hosted Live from E!, Jerseylicious, Jessi Cruickshank’s Real Hollywood Survival Guide and Olympic Morning. She has also travelled the world as the Canadian Ambassador for Free The Children. Cruickshank splits her time between Toronto and Los Angeles, where she can be seen on Oh Sit!, Kirstie, The Odd Couple and as the L.A. correspondent for etalk.

Steven Sabados, @stevenandchris
Known in Canada and around the world as a pioneer of design television, designer Steven Sabados is one of Canada’s most adored and respected celebrities. Raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Sabados was born with a passion for the arts and found avenues of expression in painting, photography, architecture and fashion. After completing an education in Fine Art, Sabados moved to Toronto, where he excelled as the in-store Creative Director for some of Canada’s most successful retail brands including Eaton’s and Roots. In 1992, Sabados and partner Christopher Hyndman formed independent design firm The Sabados Group. After appearing on a variety of daytime shows, it wasn’t long before the charming and creative Sabados and the dynamic and fun-loving Hyndman were offered their own show. The smash hit Designer Guys debuted in 2001 followed by Design Rivals and So Chic with Steven and Chris. In the fall of 2008, CBC launched Steven and Chris. The highly successful daytime show was the first of its kind in Canada and quickly became a national sensation.

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