Thursday 18 December 2014

Big Brother Canada 3 News



"The ultimate game of survival will be played indoors"....where it's nice and warm, of course. And isn't that teaser looking a bit...Survivor-ish to you?

Yes...it won't be too much longer now. Robyn Kass recently announced on Twitter that all season 3 finalists have been contacted.

I suspect the premiere date will be announced during Global's 6th Annual New Year's Eve at Niagara Falls with special guests Jon Pardy and Neda Kalantar. The couple will be live tweeting during the show (@GoofyNewfieBBCA and @NedaBBCAN) and have promised to make a special announcement. Let's hope we don't have to sit through Nickelback first. I don't know how literally we should take the "coming in Spring 2015" teaser. Spring officially arrives March 20th, but the eligibility requirements stated that cast members must be 18 years of age by March 1. Consider also that the houseguests actually enter the house a whole week before the premiere date. 

And in case you've been living in a cave somewhere, the show as moved from Slice over to Global TV. Side Show with Arisa Cox, Gary Levy and Peter Brown will continue on Slice.

UPDATE: January 1,2015...Yeah that so-called Special Announcement for BBCda fans was completely ridiculous. We were told the show will premiere in March, which we all knew. Come on Global, get with it. You can't tell me you don't have your schedule already fixed. Give us the premiere date!!! And another thing....relaunch your website. It's 2015 and season 2 is already a distant memory...Sabrina who?




Tuesday 18 November 2014

Recap of The Bachelor Canada Tim Warmels Final Rose Ceremony and ATFR

Looks to be a storms a brewin'.
If you haven't watched Tim Warmels' Final Rose Ceremony, then yes - the following will be a spoiler for you.

Picking up from last week, Tim leaves April's room without a resolution. But you just have to know he said something to her, because....

The Bachelor Canada Final Rose Ceremony

Today is the day. Will it be Trisha or April?

At the end of the Part 1 Finale last week, we were led to believe April was about to pack her bags and leave Tahiti and Timbits behind forever. Trisha looked like she was in a very comfortable position.

It will be quick. The episode is only 30 minutes, followed by a 30 minute After the Final Rose. I don't know how they expect to pull it off.Perhaps it will be one hell of an ATFR.

Without further ado, Tim will propose to...

Wednesday 12 November 2014

Recap of The Bachelor Canada 2 Finale Part 1

We begin with Timbits flying off to Tahiti. Air Tahiti must have been down on it's bookings that day because it looks like Tim was the only one on the plane. Tim laments that this is a very important week because he will be proposing to either April or Trisha by the end of it. The problem? He is falling in love with two very different women.

Tuesday 11 November 2014

The Bachelor Canada 2 Finale

CityTV has decided the finale for Tim Warmels reign as The Bachelor Canada will be a two parter.

The one hour Part 1 airs tonight. Tim, Trisha and April travel to Tahiti, where Tim will offer overnight dates in the Fantasy Suite to each of the girls. Then the girls get to meet Tim's Mumsy, whom they are making out to be a real over-protective you-know-what. The preview shows April having some sort of a melt down - presumably over the encounter. Tim has supposedly never seen her like this. Has he ever seen her, well...anything?

As for Part 2...

It is only a 30 minute show - as is the After the Final Rose. What the hell is going on? If Part 1 was 60 minutes, common sense would suggest Part 2 would be the same length or longer. But no. In thirty minutes, they are going to cram Tim saying good-bye to one girl and propose to the other. This just screams they want this horrible, ridiculous season to end as quickly as possible.  Put it out of it's misery. Stop the bleeding. Stick it with a fork cos it's done. So you have to ask yourself, why? Don't they usually want to milk it for all it's worth? Especially after the popularity of Brad Smith's Season 1 finale.

For my recap of part 1 Finale, CLICK HERE 

Thursday 30 October 2014

Recap of Episode 7 The Bachelor Canada 2...The Hometown Dates/Special Halloween Episode!


It's down to the wire. Tim gets to meet the families of his Final Four potential Mrs. Warmels. Or should I say, potential ex-fiancees. The preview emphasizes the "Lisa problem" is still very much alive. Tim is troubled, and says he has to go with his gut feelings. This leads us to believe he is going to cut Lisa loose this week. So why do I get the feeling it will be Sachelle who is eliminated?

Wednesday 22 October 2014

Recap of The Bachelor Canada 2 Episode 6: What the Hell is Going on Here?

So....about last night.You're probably asking yourself, "Just what the hell is going on here?" Well I will tell you. It's got more to do with production-driven drama and less with Tim's journey to find love. Oh and a touch of sponsor product placement. That's what the hell is going on. 

Tuesday 21 October 2014

Recap of Episode 5 The Bachelor Canada

Okay, it's no secret that The Bachelor can be, well...producer driven. It's about as close to scripted as a reality show can get while still being called Reality TV. Of course there is no script, but the handlers (read: Directors) don't need one when plot points and characterization are ingrained in their head. We usually see several of these every season. I thought the previous episode was obvious with Natalie as 'the girl who leaves' and Lisa as 'the mean girl'. But hold on folks, this episode was over the top. It's like they aren't even trying anymore. Just pack as much drama as possible into the short one hour Canadian version. Geesh.

Monday 13 October 2014

Recap of The Bachelor Canada 2 Episode 4: The Cabana Tour '14 Part 2.

Yes, the Tim Warmels Cabana Tour '14 continues this week with Tim and the girls heading off to the Bahamas. There are only 8 girls left, so maybe production can afford to get them a few rooms before they die from exposure, heat-exhaustion or melanoma.

Wednesday 8 October 2014

Recap of The Bachelor Canada 2 Episode 3: The one where the crazy bitch goes to the Bachelor's room.

Tim and his 12 remaining prospective Mrs. Timbits travel to Los Cabos, Mexico where they get to stay at the Hyatt Ziva. The filming annoyed a lot of tourists who thought they were going to have a nice, quiet vacation. Apparently the girls spent most of their time in the cabana, while the film crew spent most of their time keeping curious onlookers away. The tweets that came out were hilarious. Some people thought it was exciting, some complained of the noise and inconvenience and some thought the guy looked like a douche.

Thursday 2 October 2014

Recap of The Bachelor Canada 2: Episode 2 The Estrogen Games Begin

Fifteen girls remain after the mass elimination of the opening night meet and greets. There is one 1-on-1 date, one 11-on-1 and one 4-on-1 group dates, and by the time the estrogen stops flowing, only 12 girls will remain. Good times.

Friday 19 September 2014

Recap of The Bachelor Canada 2 Premiere

The candles were lit, the fairy lights were turned on and thank God someone remembered to hose down the driveway. Tim Warmels debuted as Canada's new Bachelor in an episode that, although slightly better than season 1, was still a yawner.

It began as was customary. Tim's intro goes over his backstory. He's just an average Canadian guy. He used to be an investment banker who worked 100+ hours per week then suddenly one day woke up and decided this wasn't the life he wanted. He now has a tech start-up and does construction on the side. Right. He failed to mention  his modeling and acting career. Funny how that was missed...perhaps they don't want to hint at him being the Bachelor for all the wrong reasons. He is a romantic and may just believe in love at first sight. Right. He grew up playing hockey, because you know, he's Canadian. He can also shower, shave and dress all by himself. He feels comfortable wearing capri pants or simulating that look by rolling up his pant legs. It isn't every guy who can get away with that. He often gets off a plane and jumps on his motorcycle which awaits right there on the tarmac. I thought only James Bond did that kind of stuff.

Thursday 18 September 2014

Preview of Amazing Race Canada Season 2 Finale "Who's Da Bomb?"

Okay, here we go. This is it, folks! The finale to an incredible season. Yes, yes, yes, there are definitely spoilers below, so DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW. This is your final warning, okay?

Saturday 13 September 2014

Preview of Episode 11 "Put the Fun Back in Fundy" Amazing Race Canada 2

Yes, there are spoilers here...including the identity of the eliminated team.

Woot! Woot! It's the semi-finals! I am excited and sad the season is coming to an end.

The teams will drive to New Brunswick via the Confederation Bridge. This means that unlike other legs, the departure times will play a role because there won't be an equalizing wait for a flight to the next destination.

The Amazing Race Canada 2 Standings & Weekly Results


Leg by Leg Results

Thursday 4 September 2014

Preview of Episode 10 "Hot Poop" Amazing Race Canada 2 in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Yes, there are spoilers here.


We will see another early morning departure from Montreal. And you can expect the teams will be shocked, again, to see Ryan and Rob show up at the airport.

This episode was filmed May 19th. Prince Charles and Camilla arrived in Charlottetown later that night at 6 PM, so the city was all abuzz. So much so that some people may have thought nothing of the cluebox out front of Province House, where the teams made an early morning stop.

Recap of Episode 9 "How Are We Going to Explain This to Mom and Dad Amazing Race Canada 2

Or as I like to call it, "Keep Your Eyes Shut"

Rain, rain, rain and bad choices.

It was another very early morning start as teams set off from the capital of France to (as Jon describes) "what was once known as the capital of New France"...Montreal. Naturally from this intro we expect a bit of tip of the hat to Canada's early French settlers or at least some history on this leg. Sadly, we don't get it. Something was really lacking on this leg. I think there just wasn't anything that pointed out the charms of Montreal. I had the same reaction as the Vancouver leg last year...I think there should be a re-do! This doesn't mean it wasn't a good episode as far as the challenges or team dynamics are concerned.

Wednesday 27 August 2014

Preview of Episode 9 "How Are We Going to Explain This to Mom and Dad?" Montreal Amazing Race Canada 2

The race comes back home to Canada, and will stay here for the rest of the season. That's it. No more international legs...for all you complainers out there. Speaking of the rest of the season, there are only 4 episodes left! We are getting down to the nitty-gritty here, and like Pete and Mickey said in the last episode, no more foolsies! No more helping the other teams, or asking for their help. The teams fly to Montreal from Paris. For sure this flight will be another equalizer, and it's anyone's leg to win or lose.

Recap of Episode 8 "I Said Yes!" OR How to Go from Dating to Engaged on your Team I.D.s... Amazing Race Canada 2

Yes, it happened. But lets start this story from the beginning...

The teams have an early morning departure from the medieval town of Bayeaux. They must travel by train to Paris, then make their way to the Arc de Triomphe. Here are their departure times:

Monday 25 August 2014

Poor Tim, Part 1: 15 Things I Learned from The Bachelor Canada 2 Introductions

The names and bios of Tim Warmel's 25 hopefuls were released this morning. These are the first 15 things I learned today.
  1. When you're unemployed, it's perfectly acceptable to make up a profession. This raises more questions. What the frack is a Joyologist, and does it require a college or university degree? Warning: choose the title of your fake profession carefully, as this may be misinterpreted to mean something in the porn industry.

Friday 22 August 2014

Preview of Episode 8 "I Said Yes!" Amazing Race Canada 2

Yes, by "Preview" I mean spoilers.

Hmmn. Interesting title. You don't suppose someone popped the big question, do you? After all, it is Paris - the city of love.

I have another question. Will this be another episode of "Getting Lost in France and Hating Yourself"? Forget about Rex and Bob's pitch for a show called Gay Acres. I want to see Ryan and Rob do this show! Seriously. The problem is this leg won't be their episode 2.

Wednesday 20 August 2014

Recap of Episode 7 "Lest We Forget" Amazing Race Canada 2

I have watched this episode 3 times now. Three times I have cried, hard. I have never cried this much over a reality TV show before. This episode NEEDS to be watched, and please watch it with the children in your lives.

It's another early morning start from the corner of Portage and Main in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Here are the start times for this leg:

Monday 18 August 2014

The Bachelor Canada 2 Premiere Date and Bachelorette Announcements

CityTv has announced the premiere of Season 2 of the Bachelor Canada. We will be introduced to Tim Warmels and his bounty of Mrs. Warmels wannabes on Thursday, September 8 at 8 P.M. (Eastern)

Filming began mid April and finished the beginning of June. That means IF Tim found his future wife, they will have a very long period of remaining incognito...meeting in secret, in undisclosed hideaways. They won't be able to show their faces publicly until the night of the finale, probably sometime in November. Let's think about that for a minute.

So two people fall in love by going on over-the-top, glamour dates in far off places. Then they are limited to seeing each other every weekend, if they are lucky, totally sequestered from the real world. No outside contact. Sure that's incredible...at first. But, I don't care how head over heals in love you are. That is going to get tired very soon. Not at first of course, but we are talking 5 months of that?

Come on.


Good luck with that, Tim.

But I am going to have a lot of fun with this season.

UPDATE: CityTV will announce 5 of Tim's 25 hopefuls per day on Breakfast Television beginning August 25th...and I will write my impressions next week as well. Oh boy, here we go. 

Sunday 17 August 2014

Preview of Episode 7 "Lest We Forget" Amazing Race Canada 2

Canadian soldiers in Bernieres-sur-Mer, June 1944.
Yes, there are spoilers ahead.

...and yes, the show is leaving Canada again.

The first season suffered from the criticism that it didn't travel the world. I didn't mind. It was a great way to introduce the franchise to Canada, and attract new viewers who had never seen the original show. This season has attracted the opposite reaction. Some people have complained about the teams leaving Canada.

Wednesday 13 August 2014

Recap of Episode 6 "She's the Pierogi Poobah" Amazing Race Canada 2

So it always happens. The one episode that I think will be the least interesting turns out to be the best. It happened last season with the Regina leg. This episode is one of those episodes. I was looking at the spoilers I had, and the preview we were shown and I thought it was going to be a let down after that incredible Whitehorse leg. Sure the Whiskey Dix task looked like it was going to be fun, but the rest just looked...meh. Boy, was I wrong! Very funny episode but with an outcome that surprised only the losing team.

Thursday 7 August 2014

Preview of Episode 6 "She's the Pierogi Poobah" Amazing Race Canada 2

***Spoiler Alert! I am talking about an un-aired episode, Leg 6 winners and elimination, a bit about Leg 7, so yeah, spoilers! Just letting you know in case you haven't figured that out yet.***

The teams will head to Winnipeg, Manitoba. Manitoba is the first of 3 provinces that were skipped over last season. We will see the other two in this season. Here's what we can expect in this leg:

Saturday 2 August 2014

Preview of Episode 5 "Who Designs These Torture Tests?" Amazing Race Canada 2

Yes, the teams head back to Canada this week, just like I told you they would. They leave the heat of Macau and must adjust to the cooler climes of Whitehorse. (This was filmed May 8 and 9) How can Mickey find his mellow in Whitehorse if it's too cold to take his pants off? Apparently Satan himself designs these challenges. That's according to Rex who we see bravely pedaling a bike during a Roadblock. I will get back to this in a minute, but first there's another big issue to be addressed in this episode. Who gets that pesky 2nd Express Pass?

Friday 1 August 2014

Recap of Episode 4 "They're Harshing Our Mellow" Amazing Race Canada 2

In this episode we find out there is a street in Macau called Happiness Street. Most people dream of living on Happiness Street, but our brave Cannucks found nothing but stress there. But Mickey has a cure for that...

Thursday 24 July 2014

Preview of Episode 4 "They're Harshing Our Mellow" Amazing Race Canada 2

The title quote, "They're harshing our mellow" just has to be from Mickey or Pete - and my guess its Mickey. I figure its either them or Pauley Shore. Who is causing them grief? Circumstances point to Pierre and Michel after the lying incident in Hong Kong, and the twins hiding in the doorway to avoid Ryan, Rob and the Dudes.
Yes there are spoilers here...

Wednesday 23 July 2014

Recap of Episode 3 "Snakes and Liars" Amazing Race Canada 2

Snakes and Liars. Where's the snake and who is this liar? There are actually lots of snakes with 2 liars in a doorway.

The teams set out from Tofino full of excitement as they open their first clue to find out they
Jinder is overstimulated. Again.
are on their way to Hong Kong. Jinder - who seems to have just got over his excitement of being on the Amazing Race Canada, now has to deal with the fact they are on their way to China. He's so excited he has to stop to tell the cameraman. I would tell him he needs to calm down, but he is way too fun to watch. They must make their way to the Tian Tan Buddha perched high atop a peak on Lantau Island and are given $440 spending money for this leg on their Scotia Bank card.

Wednesday 16 July 2014

Preview of Episode 3 "Snakes and Liars" Amazing Race Canada 2 Goes to Hong Kong!!!


Well, well, well. What do we have here? Hong Kong, you say? That ain't no downtown Regina, that's for sure. The title is rather ominous ad makes me wonder who this liar is and what could they possibly lie about? But the most important question is, do they have any Timmies in Hong Kong?

***Danger, Danger, Danger***
There are spoilers here...obviously!!! So only click if you want to know. Duh!

Recap of Episode 2 Amazing Race Canada 2 "There's a Fish in My Pants"

Episode 2 left me feeling like a cold fish. There, I said it. Someone had to. Why? Well, I think a certain team has been not just a little lucky, but a little pampered. You'll see what I mean.

Wednesday 9 July 2014

Recap of Amazing Race Canada 2 Premiere Episode "What's It Take To Get A Cup Of Tea?"

I expected Jon to be a lumberjack too. No dress, just tea.
These teams are beasts! BEASTS I say!

What a great premiere for season 2. Of course, I pretty much knew everything that was going down, but spoilers can only give you the basics and can't tell you all the details. I suspected this was going to be a fast moving episode and wondered how they were going to fit it all in. All things considered, this really should have been a 90 minute episode. Cramming it all into the one hour format does nothing for us getting to know these teams. That's my only complaint.

I am not going to give a blow by blow recap for this or the next couple of episodes. The show just jumps back and forth too much in between tasks with the teams, so the result would just be gibberish. There are just so many times I can say "meanwhile back at the ___". I am just going to tell you how teams placed after each task, then point out team strengths and weaknesses, and who impressed me/who didn't.

Sunday 6 July 2014

Preview of Episode 1 "What's it Take to Get a Cup of Tea?"


DANGER, DANGER, DANGER!

Yes, yes, yes...there ARE spoilers here, including my speculation on which team is most likely to be eliminated at the first pit stop. So, If you don't want to know, then I suggest you find another site where they just give their sugar-coated opinions.

So, I am going to ask you one more time...are you sure you want to know? I don't want to be accused of spoiling your viewing enjoyment and the pleasure of discovery, blah, blah, blah.

Amazing Race Canada 2: Season Spoilers Part 1 - Teams

*** There are spoilers here. If you don't want to know, then you better go away! ***

Looks like there are 11 teams this year, and I have to say, they are a pretty diverse group. Three of those teams are of fame...or maybe I should say, have a public life. There are also three gay teams...not that that matters. Although I have included a "last known whereabouts" line for each team, that doesn't necessarily mean that they were eliminated there. It just means that is where they were last seen. Well, except for the three teams spotted approaching the finish line.

Okay, look. In case you didn't see the notice at the top of this post, I am going to warn you one more time. Don't look any further if you don't want to know who made it as far as the final leg in Ottawa and who will win this season. Don't complain that I didn't warn you. And don't complain to me that you couldn't help yourself. I have already seen people tweeting stuff like "Ah, I read the spoilers. Why did I do that?" Here's a big clue. You have no self control. I know how you feel. I do it myself. My best advise is, don't Google "Amazing Race Canada season 2 spoilers."

Amazing Race Canada 2: Season Spoilers Part 2 - Location! Location! Location!

*** If you are of the non-spoilist persuasion and don't want to read spoilers, then you are really in the wrong place and obviously got totally lost on the internet. Turn around and go back the way you came!!! There will only be misery here for you.***

The following is my compilation of filming locations, divided into legs (episodes). This year there are 11 teams (up from 9 last year), and 12 episodes (10 last year)

This is your last spoiler warning. Only click through if you are sure...

Friday 4 July 2014

The People's Couch

Bravo Canada has announced the series premiere of The People's Couch (formerly Gogglebox Canada) for July 13, 2014, 8:30 PM ET. Here is the cast that you will be watching watching TV. And no, that's not an indication that I didn't edit this post. In case you have never heard of it, The People's Couch is an observational reality show. The cast members are real people who give their own unique opinions and criticisms of whatever they are watching on television. The series originated in England as Gogglebox, and it's a huge hit. Apparently the Canadian version has picked up the franchise's U.S. title. I don't know if this will go over well with Canadian audiences, but as with most new series, I will reserve judgement until I watch at least two episodes.

Sunday 29 June 2014

Amazing Race Canada 2 List of Team Media Interviews - Articles, Videos

I thought it would be handy to do a round-up of media articles and interviews for each team. This is a spoiler-free zone, so browse to your heart's content without fear of getting spoiled. I will add to this list as interviews become available - so check back often for your favourite team.I will include any exit interviews for the eliminated teams, after the episode airs.


Tuesday 24 June 2014

Now...About That Cast...

Okay. I have to say this. The cast was officially announced last Tuesday and the whining immediately began.

"What? No team from Saskatchewan?" Or New Brunswick, or Newfoundland-Labrador, or P.E.I? What about the N.W.T., the Yukon or Nunavut?

Or this all-time goody... "I don't think the cast is a fair representation of Canadians."

Or the one that really got me worked up was "What's with all the celebrities? Why don't they just have more average Canadians?"...when they saw Natalie Spooner and Meaghan Mikkelson.

Complain, complain, complain. Oh, wait...isn't that what "the average Canadian" does, while having their double-double and honey-glazed at Timmies? right?

Friday 20 June 2014

Amazing Race Canada Season 2 Finale Spoilers!

***Yes. This is a spoiler. That's because this is a spoiler site. So if you don't want to know spoilers, then please back out the way you came. And while I am at it, don't blame me if you accidentally saw something because your eye caught an interesting word, then couldn't stop yourself from reading on.***

Monday 16 June 2014

Amazing Race Canada Season 2 Ups the Ante

CTV announced today that they have sweetened the winnings for the first team to hit the mat at the finish line. The Grand Prize, estimated at 1/2 million, consists of $250,000 in cash, free travel in Business Class for one year to anywhere Air Canada flies (based on 10 trips for two), two Chevy Silverado pick-up trucks, and a lifetime supply of gas courtesy of Petro-Canada (based on 50 years). In addition, teams will compete for individual pit stop prizes from Air Canada and Scotiabank.

CTV will announce this season's teams beginning tomorrow (Tuesday June 17) and through until Friday - presumably 2 or 3 teams per day.

The season premiere is Tuesday, July 8 at 9 P.M. Encore presentations will be shown Saturdays at 8 P.M. and Sundays at 5 P.M.

*information courtesy Bell Media press release June 16 2014  http://www.bellmediapr.ca/Network/CTV/Press/CTVs-THE-AMAZING-RACE-CANADA-Gets-Pumped-Up-with-Super-Premium-Half-a-Million-Dollar-Grand-Prize-

Tuesday 10 June 2014

Filming Complete for The Bachelor Canada's Tim Warmels

Today, CityTV released a video of Brad Smith interviewing Tim Warmels on his experiences while filming The bachelor Canada. Brad starts off by commenting on Tim's obvious tan and suggesting he must have spent a lot of time filming in a tropical location.

http://www.citynews.ca/2014/06/04/raw-video-tim-warmels-on-bachelor-canada-experience/



Of course, he is right, and make no mistake about it - Brad knows perfectly well where season 2 was filming. Excited and sometimes frustrated witnesses reported on filming in Los Cabos and the Bahamas. It would appear that the show's format has changed. From what I have seen, the Bachelor Canada mansion was not used as the home base as in season 1. Season 2 seems to be a total road trip.

Are you excited for the upcoming season? If you can't wait, maybe this little tidbit will help tide you over... meet LG G2 Battery Battery spokesperson Ricardo Amor, Latin lover. He can go all night.

Thursday 5 June 2014

MasterChef Canada Holiday Special

Apparently the first season of MasterChef Canada was so popular that CTV is producing a two hour special called MasterChef Canada: A Holiday Special. They are inviting several of the home chefs from season 1 AND members of their families to compete. Production will begin this September and judges Michael Bonacini, Alvin Leung and Claudio Aprile will return "for the festive fun". They have not yet revealed a grand prize, if any. I will keep you posted on further details.

Wednesday 4 June 2014

Big Brother Canada 3 Official Announcement

Shaw Media made the official announcement today: Big Brother Canada is headed to season 3. Nothing we didn't expect. We all know how the show is a ratings bonanza. But here's the clincher: it's leaving Slice and going to Global TV. Sure, it's all part of the same media giant, but you have to wonder how that will affect the show. Will they have a bigger budget and maybe increase the grand prize? Perhaps.  I think a major part of it has to do with Slice being a specialty channel, and many people being unwilling to pay for the subscription. Remember how Slice started season 2 with a free preview for the first couple of weeks? Well, I don't think that went over very well with a lot of fans who found out they had to pay extra. Maybe there were just too many illegal downloads because of it, and that just translates to lost advertising revenue. I am also sure that Global can attract bigger and better advertising and sponsors than Slice ever could. Cha-ching.

The biggest question is the FREE live feeds....will we have to pay for them next year? Just how big are those dollar signs that the execs at Global and Shaw are seeing?

Thursday 29 May 2014

Amazing Race Canada Season 1 Moments

This video of favorite moments reminds me just how great Season 1 really was!  Give it a watch HERE Of course my favorite team was Jet and Dave...and my favorite moment was Episode 6 "Check the Cannons", when they created the fake clue in Levy, Quebec and had the others running through the entire fort late at night.

I am hoping Season 2 will have at least one team to provide us with some humour to break up any overly dramatic racers. From what I have seen, there may be two.




Sunday 4 May 2014

Big Brother Canada Recap of Episode 27 Finale Week HoH and Nominations

They continue on with the Before or After competition for the new Head of Household. Why they couldn't include this at the end of last Thursday's episode is beyond me - all they would have needed was 2 more minutes.

Ah, I see, they have to backtrack and tell us how before Adel's eviction, Neda had to tell him
that he was being evicted. This pisses the hell out of Jon, because they agreed they weren't going to tell Adel. Sneaky Neda did it on purpose because he didn't want to make a bitter jury member out of Adel. She told Jon it was a mistake. Right.

Finally we get back to the issue of the comp results. It all comes down to a tiebreaker. The question is: How many coloured squares were flying around in the Twistos Challenge Blown Away, without going over?

Neda said 800
Sabrina 999
Heather 300

That's right. Sabrina not only wins her very first comp, but guarantees a place in the final 3. Nobody can believe it. They can't stop complaining. Sabrina gets her HoH room. All she can say is "Oh my God!" Sabrina is on slop because that was her punishment for seeing her sister. So there are no treats or booze. Jon complains. More OMG, OMG, OMG. Neda complains and does a pretty good impersonation of Sabrina.

Neda tries to smooth things over with Jon because he knows she has not exactly been truthful and loyal to him. So, she complains and throws it back at him. Wonderful.

Ding dong, the doorbell rings. It's Gary Levy and he's there to get the 4 remaining HGs ready in formal attire for the 2014 BB Canada Awards. I think they got the clothes from Proms R Us. Sabrina is wearing a cream coloured dress that she thinks is gold, and doesn't exactly flatter her figure. Should have stuck with black. Heather is wearing a blue chiffon dress, probably from 1962. Blech. Neda is has some kind of silvery, billowy thing over her boobs and shoulders. Looks like a duvet. Jon actually looks the best in his tux, except for the blue bow tie. Good God.

Best Look goes to naked Arlie.
Best dance goes to Jon and Allison.
Best Dramatic Cry goes to Sabrina. She was actually nominated for all 3 spots.
Best BFF Moment goes to Kenny and Sarah.

Then they watch a montage of the season. Heather cries at everything. Sabrina yells "Oh my God" a lot more.

Sabrina tells Jon is going on the block. Sabrina says she is stuck between a rock and a hard place in picking Neda or Heather to go up next to him. Jon explains it doesn't matter,,,,what matters is who wins Veto. This kind of demeans Sabrina's reign as HoH. She just doesn't get it. The only thing the HoH gets you in the F4 is a guarantee that you get to F3. Who she nominates makes absolutely no difference because the person who wins Veto is the one who has all the power. So the Veto holder can send home whoever they want. There may as well not be a nomination ceremony at all.

They make Sabrina go through the motions anyway. She nominates Jon and Heather. The live feeds are down for the remainder of the season. However, the PoV comp was played yesterday. If you want to know who won and if Neda will go up as a replacement or not, go to my BB Canada 2 Standings post HERE

Wednesday's show should cover the PoV comp, Veto Ceremony and Eviction. The finale is on Thursday and should cover the 3 competitions to determine the final HoH, and this person will vote out the last evicted house guest (who doesn't even get to go to the Jury house for rest). Then of course the jury vote to determine the winner. Don't forget, the vote is for the winner, not to vote out. Just making sure. Don't want to see anybody get Topaz'd.

Thursday 1 May 2014

Big Brother Canada 2 Recap of Episode 26 Week 9 Live Eviction, Plus Side Show

Sabrina tells Jon, Neda and Heather that she can do damage control in the jury house after Adel gets there. Both Jon and Neda are trying to blame the idea to target Adel on each other.

The houseguests get their punishments for seeing their family and friends. Adel's campaign to stay is to make sure Neda and heather know he is going to turn the jury against them. Make them very bitter because, he says nothing can change a bitter jury member. He picks fights with Sabrina, more of a playful, bickering kind of fight. Sabrina counters everything he throws at her. They give Adel's storyline about turning his life around. So you pretty much know where this is headed.

Neda doesn't know what to do without her belongings. Meanwhile Jon doesn't know how to spend 24 hours by himself in the HoH room. Sabrina talks to Heather like she needs to be told what to do, and Heather doesn't appreciate it. She gives her argument why they should keep her over Adel, and how she would be easy to beat in the F2. Sabrina says the same stuff to Neda. More Adel coverage. He has to stay awake for 36 hours and he has a hard time. He thinks he is losing his mind, and falls asleep with his eyes open.

Adel then tries to campaign to stay with Neda and pulls the "we are both from the middle east and our families have had to struggle" line. Neda doesn't buy the cultural connection argument.

Jon is released from his solitary confinement in the HoH room,and tries to campaign for Adel. He doesn't trust Sabrina. Once again, Neda doesn't buy that argument. Both Jon and Neda know they have reached the point where they must separate and start playing for themselves, not each other.

Meanwhile in the jury house, Arlie and Allison are having a great time. Rachelle shows up to tell them the obvious. They should have kept Arlie. She tells them Adel won HoH and has the tape of the nomination ceremony ... you know, the one with all the pointing. Rachelle gets weepy about it again. The three of them agree that Adel is in trouble after this. They have no idea how right they are.

Time for the pre-taped Live Eviction. Adel is dressed in his official Big Brother onesie, because he knows the value of promotion (now available online on the BB Canada site), while Neda covers hers up with a garbage bag dress she fashioned herself. Adel and Sabrina give their pleas to Neda and Heather. Blah, blah, blah. Adel is evicted by a vote of 2 to 0.  When he leaves, he tells them the truth about that Veto power he had. He comes out on stage with his defiled Canadian flag and everyone yells "Wake up Canada". He is still on Jon's side and is convinced Jon will leave. He then yells "Wake up Newfoundland".

The comp for the next HoH is called  Before or After. They have to say which event occured before or after the other. Heather is out after the first question. Sabrina and Neda are tied. We will have to wait until Sunday's show to find out, but you can check by Standings board HERE if you want to find out.

From Side Show:

Peter and Gary give their rundown on what its like to be in the F4. Sabrina has to convince everyone she is dead weight. Heather has to win the next HoH to survive. To win, the house guests have to convince the others they are the baddest in the house, but then convince the evictees they are the greatest.

Rachel Reilly gets a montage because she is a BB superstar, then comes out on stage to compare boobs with Gary. Apparently she loves this season of BB Canada and really loves Kenny, Heather and Sabrina. Go figure. She likes the Twistos Twists and the tasks they have to do. Like Allison and Jon getting drunk without letting anyone else know. She doesn't like floaters and names Adel as this season's floater. They give her time in the Diary room but they didn't let her meet Marsha. Good thing. I think Marsha would have ripped her a new one.

They let Rachel talk to the house guests, but I really don't know what was said because of all the Sabrina screamings. By screamings, I mean screamings. She sounded like 6 people.

Big Brother Canada 2 Final Standings and Voting History


    Final Comps:
Comp 1: Jon, Neda, Sabrina. Jon wins.
Comp 2: Neda and Sabrina. Neda wins.
Comp 3: Neda and Jon. Jon wins.
Jon eliminates Neda.

    
Jury Members: Canada, Arlie, Allison, Rachelle, Adel, Heather, Neda

Wednesday 30 April 2014

Big Brother Canada 2 Recap of Episode 25 Week 9 POV Comp and Ceremony

Heather is upset Jon put her on the block without telling her first. Jon told her she is the pawn but in reality she is his target.

Adel thinks Jon is going to take him to the F2, and together they will "Wake up Canada". Geez. Please, enough of that crap already. Canada is done with it.

Neda throws Jon under the bus and tells Heather she doesn't know why Jon didn't tell her. Neda reconsiders her plans about taking Heather to the end, based on how hard she played in the HoH comp. Neda goes to Jon to tell him he should have talked to Heather first. Heather decides to suck it up and talk to Jon about it first. Heather breaks out the dry tears. Jon gives her some mumble mumble excuse, which is not only a little hard to understand but also a little hard to take seriously while he's wearing that damn baby outfit.

Jon calls his diaper a chastity belt and neda is afraid that he's actually been using it as a diaper. Heather is moping at the hot tub about being on the block and misses her boyfriend Will.

POV competition is called Blown Away. They have to jump in the Twistos Twister (wind chamber) box and grab letters spelling "Grab the Power of Veto". There are also Twistos bags with money values inside.

Jon is safe this week so he says screw the veto and grabs money first. Then he goes for the letters.
Adel is next. He grabs all the letters he can without thought.
Neda goes for money first then grabs handfuls of letters.
Sabrina has a big choice because she may be going home this week. She wants the money and the veto. She goes for the money then the letters. Too hard so she grabs more money.
Heather is last. She really wants to take herself off the block so grabs as many letters as possible.

New Twist: only the person with the most amount of money in the fastest time gets the money. Neda got $3000, but Heather wins Veto.

So now the real battle begins...naming a replacement. Adel wants to convince Jon to put up Neda rather than him. Neda wants Sabrina to stay over Adel. She knows Adel is better for Jon's game, but it's Sabrina, not Adel who's better for hers.

Each house guest is called to the living room. Sabrina is first and offered 2 minutes with a loved one in exchange for a punishment. She meets her friend in the War Room, but they are separated by glass. Her punishment is slop. This should get interesting. Heather gets to see her boyfriend and gives up access to the HoH room, which wasn't hers this week anyway. What's up with that? Adel has to give up sleep for 36 hours to see his friend. Neda gives up all her personal belongings to see her sister. All of it, make up too. Jon sees his father and in return he is put in solitary confinement in his HoH room for 24 hours. I guess they let him take off his baby suit first. Their punishments will begin after the PoV ceremony.

The one thing I am thinking is, why didn't Jon, Heather, Adel or Sabrina question the existence of the War Room? Neda knew of it of course, she's been in there twice. Not one of them said, "What?" or "What's with this room?" They have to be thinking that there had to be a bigger purpose for it than just this visit with their family or friends...and only 10 minutes of screen time.

Adel tries to get in Jon's ear, trying to convince him of his value to Jon's game. He actually thinks Jon will put up Neda instead. Meanwhile Sabrina does the right thing and goes directly to Neda and Heather who will be doing the actual voting this week. Who said Sabrina has no game? Adel tries to talk to Jon's picture in the backyard, hoping to put some sort of spell on Jon I guess. Something tells me that isn't going to work.

No big surprise at the Veto Ceremony. Heather takes herself off the block and Jon puts up Adel. It's pretty clear that unless someone makes some big move, who is going home this week. Look for some heavy duty bickering between Adel and Sabrina in tomorrow's episode.

Monday 28 April 2014

MasterChef Canada Season 1 Finale Recap

And Then There Were Two

Eric Chong and Marida Mohammed are the two remaining home chefs in the first season of MasterChef Canada.

Pino and Josh are rooting for Eric, while Kaila thinks Marida is going to win. Those eyes of hers get misty saying that Marida is the most beautiful person she has ever known.

Their challenge is a 3 course dinner. Three servings of appetizer, entree  and dessert.They are allowed 10 minutes in the pantry.

First up, they have 60 minutes to prepare an appetizer. Marida chooses a pumpkin soup with creme fresh and pig tail, while Eric decides to make crispy pork belly with dumplings. Alvin says a soup must be very well done at this stage of the game to impress him. As Claudio walks up to Marida, she spills the soup on him.

Marida's soup goes over well with Michael, Alvin and Claudio. They agree she has elevated the soup and her presentation skills have improved dramatically. Eric's turn. Alvin says it's a very ambitious dish.  Claudio says one of his slices of pork was dry.

Next up is the entree. Marida makes Taro Steamed Cod with Cucumber Chutney. Michael warns her that the cod will dry out if its overcooked after she tells him its pretty forgiving. Eric makes Egg Noodles with Poached Lobster Sauce. Claudio is afraid that he might overcook the lobster is he stir fries it after cooking.

Michael tells Eric that he has learned how to cook lobster. Alvin tells him that he has learned to mix east and west cooking together. All three chefs like Marida's dish but Michael says her serving size was insufficient for a main course. It was...one small piece of cod, not much larger than a meatball.

Dessert. They have one hour. Marida makes Apple Crumble with Coconut Ice Cream and Warm Rum Sauce, while Eric makes an Asian  Tempura Banana Split and two types of ice cream. He has difficulty shredding the coconut. Both home cooks use liquid nitrogen to freeze the ice cream. Claudio says Marida is looking confident, but they are very impressed with Eric making two different ice creams...infusing the liquid nitrogen simultaneously into the two mixtures. It looked pretty damn cool.

All thre judges like Marida's dessert, although Michael says she should have removed the skin to make it more elegant. They think Eric's dessert was very innovative.

Michael, Alvin and Claudio believe that Marida and Eric have just cooked the meals of their lives. It will be a very hard decision.

Here's my opinion: Marida's dishes showed a more complex flavour. Eric's dishes proved to be innovated and complex in design.

There can only be one winner. Michael, Alvin and Claudio agree that the winner is....

21 year old Eric Chong!!!




Final Standings MasterChef Canada Season 1 'White Apron' Contestants











Sunday 27 April 2014

Big Brother Canada 2: Recap of Episode 24 HoH and Nominations

The "On the Ropes" Head of Household competition continues. They have to negotiate through the rope grid, untangling the rope that is attached to their waists. Every time they have
to untangle it from underneath, they have to go for a dip in the cold water. Each of them reflect on the fact that they are "on the ropes" - equating the comp to their position in this game. Sabrina says she is on the ropes - working at a disadvantage because she has a big butt. Even Adel, who as the out-going HoH isn't competing in this comp, says some gibber jabber about being on the ropes right now. It's basically down to Jon and Heather. Heather proves she is a beast in comps, but it's Jon who wins it in the end.

Jon gets his room and a great letter from his gal Janelle. A clear liquid seeps out of his eyes.Jon and Adel talk to Neda about targeting Heather. To Neda, its the best move, but she is not going to admit it. She wants everyone to think it was Jon's idea. She uses reverse psychology and pushes Jon to nominate Adel. Jon falls for the ploy.

The stork arrives to deliver five little bundles of joy. Yep. They have to show their parenting skills by taking care of one of those care baby dolls things. It's a reward/punishment task. Adel and Sabrina will make great parents as long as they don't do it together. Jon and Neda, not so much. They don't have a clue what to do to make their spawn stop crying.

But the biggest baby in the house is Sabrina who apparently needs constant attention and reassurance. Jon tells her she with be nominated, but she is only a pawn. She finds it hard to believe, and wants to know who his real target is. He won't tell her.

They are given a baby shower. The winner is Adel, followed by Neda, Heather and Sabrina. Sabrina can't believe she is a worse parent than Neda and Heather. Jon had the most number of infractions. His punishment is to wear a giant diaper and baby bonnet for the rest of the week, just like Jeremy in BBUS15.

BB messes around with the HGs. Flashing lights. "Ika, please put on your microphone". There are a few random screams. Neda is scared. She wields a frying pan. A creepy diembodied baby doll head is seen in the one way glass, and a creepy voice cries "Saaa-breeen-a". The HGs are asked to gather in the living room. BB tells them they have been disrespectful in his house., and explains that he unleashed terror in the house the previous night. He then says "none of it was real...or was it?" They probably think an evicted house guest will be coming back in the house.

At the nomination ceremony Jon, who is still wearing the massive diaper and baby bonnet, puts Heather and Sabrina on the block. Heather doesn't like that Jon nominated her as a pawn without telling her about it.


Amazing Race Canada 2: Good Luck! Race Safe!......Go!

***If you don't want to read spoilers, then get out of here, quick!!! Geez.***


That's right, the second season of Amazing Race Canada began filming Saturday. Or maybe it was actually Friday. They can't hide this stuff. Happy, energetic people in matching outfits with very nervous looking camera crews in tow. There is also a lot of running.

Hmmmn...interesting.*
Teams and crews were spotted on a Toronto to Calgary flight on Friday. Late Saturday, teams were on board a Calgary to Vancouver flight. What did they do in between all that time? Well, I would assume they were busy getting to the start line - which may or may not have been somewhere north/northwest of Calgary. I will let you know. At the Vancouver Airport, some of the teams ducked into the YVR Coles - presumably for maps, while others hit the Visitor Info Centre. They were last seen boarding a shuttle bus. 

If you watched season 1, then you are aware that the teams raced to pit stops in Kelowna (episode 1) and Vancouver (episode 2). So you are probably thinking geez, they are just repeating last year's race. Not so. The scuttlebutt is they are headed to Victoria this time. Besides, the first season was promoted as a "love letter to Canada". This season they can promote it with "Canada's love letter to the world" - and yes that is a hint.

As for teams, there are two teams made up of familiar faces. I will probably not identify these people until a little later on...but here are some clues to wet your appetite:

Hint: Would you care for a cup of Earl Grey?**
One team will make hockey fans very happy - which means practically everyone in Canada will rejoice. This team could accessorize their matching red outfits with their new gold medals - if they wanted to. Especially if they wanted to flaunt them over their silver medal American rivals. Sorry, not sorry.

One person in the other team of fame will be well known to fans of the National Ballet of Canada and/or So you Think You Can Dance Canada? If you're not a fan of either of those, his name could be confused with the actor who starred along side Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. Not only that, but his partner's name will confuse a lot of people too, because it is identical to a very famous movie star of old. Did I just give you too much info?

I will post updates as the filming progresses, probably in one or two ongoing posts, along with pics. So check back often, and if you know of any spoilery info, or have any questions, you can send an email to suesrealitycanada@gmail.com

 *Stock Photo: courtesy of PDPhoto.org http://pdphoto.org/PictureDetail.php?mat=&pg=8229
**Stock Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Guilice) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Empress_Hotel,_Victoria.JPG

Thursday 24 April 2014

Big Brother Canada 2 Recap of Episode 23 Week 8 Eviction

After the POV Ceremony...

All Sabrina has is Rachelle. Rachelle says she really is trying to campaign, but there is nothing she can do...she's just not that creative, I guess. At least sabrina is trying to make deals. Rachelle would rather just go get a coffee.

Adel talks to the pictures in the backyard. I guess he did learn something from Arlie other than the bad advise on pissing off potential jury members. I am really starting to think that Arlie gave him bad advise on purpose.

Heather and Neda talk about F2. Neda knows that she can't bring Jon to the end. She would loose. Jon is starting to see a change in her behavior.

Update on the Jury House. Or shall we say, Arlie's Nudist Camp. Of course he's naked.

Arisa talks to the HGs gathered in the living room for the vote. Jon mentions that they have to keep up good relationships because you definitely don't want a pissed off evicted HG going to the jury house. They didn't show Adel's reaction to that. But I doubt it would sink in anyways.

Heather confesses to Neda and Jon about being isolated by the others at the beginning of the game. She also tells them they will be her friends for the rest of her life.

Jon gets his wish list from the Easter Egg win. Whiskey, beer, pizza, burgers and cigars. Of
course Neda can't have any so Jon is bummed out. They start drinking and have a hot tub party. A fight soon develops between Adel and Sabrina...he started it. This results in Sabrina wanting to do anything to get Adel out. She tries to strike a deal with Jon and Neda. They throw the next HoH to her, she gets rid of Adel, and after that she doesn't care if they vote her out or not.Jon was drunk when he made that deal, and he and Neda quickly backtracked on that one the next day.

Jury vote. But first a montage of the Gremlin story that we don't really want to see, and I have no comment on.

No surprise. Rachelle is evicted by a vote of 3 to 0. Buh bye. Off to jury. Arlie will have a whole week with Allison and Rachelle before the next one shows up. Better make sure some ground rule include NO PEEING IN THE HOT TUB. There's a pond nearby for that.

The comp for the next HoH is called On the Ropes. It's a Survivor-ish type comp. They have to untangle a rope which is attached to their waists, wound through a thicker rope grid. It's also over very cold water. Only Sabrina, Neda, Heather and Jon compete. The show ends before a new HoH is determined.


Wednesday 23 April 2014

Big Brother Canada 2: Week 8 Eviction Day Spoilers (Second Eviction)

So, what's been happening in the BB Canada house this week?

Not much.

Oh, yeah, there was a big fight last night. Everybody was enjoying some booze (except Adel) in the hot tub. The conversation drifted to past events in the house. Adel wanted to know about Sabrina and her big snit with Ika. If, you remember, it was the night before Ika was getting evicted. Sabrina claimed that Ika bashed into her on the stairs, then she followed Ika and Adel out to the hot tub. She wanted to pick a fight with Ika.The two went at it and Sabrina ran to the DR claiming that Ika threatened to kill her and her little dog too. (FYI, she didn't).

Anyway, part of Adel's strategy is to piss off the house guests he believes are headed to the Jury House. He brought this up knowing that Sabrina would go ballistic. Heather told Adel not to go there, not to stir up trouble. He didn't listen, and was encouraged by a now very drunk Jon. Sabrina tried to explain herself with events that only happened in her head. It didn't take long for Adel to sink to the lower level of Hell and go off on Sabrina, telling her that he doesn't care about her, that nobody cares, that she is not worth caring about. You know, the kind of stuff that will purposely make Sabrina go off on a rampage. Lit-tra-lee.

When the dust cleared, Sabrina, Neda and a drunken Jon formed an ill-conceived plan to throw the next HoH competition to Sabrina. (Actually, Sabrina approached Jon about this plan just after the nomination ceremony, but Jon wisely said he would think about it.) She will nominate Adel as the target and Heather as the pawn. She is so pissed off with Adel that she wants to be the one responsible for his eviction. She says she doesn't care if she is evicted the following week. She just wants to outlast Adel. Jon and Neda agreed 1-hundo on it. That was last night. Today, Neda is only about 80% in.Tonight, they have totally reconsidered. It's too risky. Neda and Jon want to win HoH and they want either Heather or Adel out next week. They seem to have agreed on Heather, for now. They both find her "sketchy". Do you know what I find sketchy? This new plan of Neda's. Could it be she maybe has another plan in mind? Is Jon her real target?

On the other hand, Rachelle has done nothing to campaign to stay. She has known she is the target since Adel won HoH, because everybody believes she is such a huge physical threat in an endurance competition. They don't want to risk taking her any further.

You might be asking yourself, what exactly did Rachelle ever win to make people believe this? Well she won that HoH way back in the week that Ika was evicted. The comp itself was suspicious. It was that rope contraption which was attached to a belt worn around the waist - and was "individually calibrated" for tension based on each HG's weight. Individually calibrated... my ass it was. Weight is not a clear indicator of strength to begin with, and Rachelle's rope looked kind of slack when others were struggling to hold their position. If that isn't enough, then you have to consider how many of the others threw that comp. Very few people at that stage of the game, especially the ones that are fans of the show and understand the strategy involved, would want to win HoH. They just don't want blood on their hands. They also don't want to show what they have, strength-wise. They want to save it for the end game. So all things considered, this "Rachelle is a threat in endurance" is complete nonsense.

So it looks like Rachelle is out the door come Thursday. If that changes, I will update this post.

Big Brother Canada 2 Recap of Episode 22 Week 8 POV

We left off in the last episode with Adel's Nomination speech. Remember the one with all the pointing? Pointing at Sabrina, then Rachelle and then the front door...apparently nobody knew who Sabrina and Rachelle were or where the stairs and front door were.

Sabrina and Rachelle go to the pantry, get pissed off and make fun of Adel's speech. Adel thinks his strategy is genius. I think Arlie either advised him wrong on purpose or Adel took Arlie's suggestions the wrong way. Sabrina has a hissy fit. She wants to ____ ____ his____ ____. Well...what she wants is to be personally responsible for getting Adel evicted next week. She tells Rachelle that IF Adel was Canada's player, then he just exposed himself as the ____ of ____ he really is. I never thought I would say this, but Sabrina is actually right this time. Meanwhile Adel explains his strategy in the DR, then yells "wake up Canada". Geez I wish he'd stop this whole Canada's player crap.

There is a short montage of how Neda and Jon annoy each other. Jon's farting bugs Neda. Jon complains about how Neda eats or rather doesn't eat. She doesn't know how to cut meat and she eats little wee bites of food. You know who else wouldn't know how to do the simple things like that? Yep. An android. Androids have no knowledge of human customs. In fact, androids find everything humans do "sketchy". Have you ever noticed how often Neda says "sketchy"?

POV Comp is called STAMP-Pete, hosted by Peter Brown. If Peter can get his eyes off Rachelle for a moment, he will read the postcard of an evicted HG. They have to find 4 puzzle pieces that make up the post card from that person.

Round One: was a postcard from Ika. Jon is the last to put it together and is eliminated.
Round Two: was from Andrew. Adel throws it because he doesn't want to be a threat. (He just stands there. That doesn't prove he's not a threat. Just proves he threw it.)
Round Three: was from Kenny. Rachelle is eliminated.
Round Four: was from Paul. Sabrina is eliminated. Only Heather and Neda remain.

Round Five: was from Sarah. Heather throws it,  and Neda wins.

Neda, Jon and Heather rejoice. Jon picks up Neda in one arm and heather in the other and does a little twirl. Sabrina has another hissy fit. The Gremlins are devastated because one of them are headed to the Jury House to spend the next two weeks with Arlie and Allison. There are no more twists to save them.

Neda gets a letter in the Diary Room. It's a prize for winning the POV. She gets a two-on-one with Emmett and Jillian in the War Room. Neda is very excited. Wait, it's not what I thought. It's just a strategy session. No biggie, but The Milkman brought milk and cookies. Of course, Neda doesn't have any due to the fact that she has no need of human sustenance. She IS an android. Maybe a robot. Well one of those cybernetic electronic things. No human is that skinny. Eat ,Neda, EAT something. Geez. Anyway, here is what they talked about:

  • Neda identified Jon as her closest ally.
  • The more u win the more u have to win.
  • Taking Heather to F2.
  • Have Heather, Adel or Sabrina take Jon out.
  • She played a good game to get this far, but will need a better one to win.
  • Tell the person who will be evicted they will probably be leaving, because they appreciate and respect the truth. Make sure even your goodbye message is good. It's the last opinion they will have of you before going to the Jury House.
  • To win, you have to adapt to each situation.

Now, do you see how ridiculous Adel's strategy is? Being mean to the people you think are headed to the Jury House. Adel is playing to win second place? Nonsense. Nobody plays for second. Ever. He is depending on the argument to the jury that it was his strategy to be mean. Nope. That isn't going to work.

An Easter bunny from 1952 arrives a few days late and leaves his baskets for the HGs. There is an Easter Egg Hunt. The HG with the most eggs wins a reward, the one with the least gets a punishment. Jon wins and gets to make a wish list of 5 consumable items. Neda loses and is put on slop. Which is fine by her because she doesn't need food. Besides, she says parents shouldn't lie to their kids about the Easter Bunny.

At the Veto Ceremony, Neda decides not to use the veto. Shocker. Rachelle says she is not ready to leave yet. Too bad she hasn't even tried to stay. Adel thinks he did such a good job as HoH in destroying the Gremlins. Too bad he couldn't see the bigger threat.

Big Brother Canada 2: Adel's Gameplay in the HoH Competition

Did Adel cheat during "The Eyes Have It" Head of Household competition?

Here is the transcript of Arisa's instructions to the House Guests:

There are five riddles on the side of your station. each of these riddles describes a current or former house guest. They are not in chronological order. So you must read each of them, figure out who they refer to, find their face and put it in the five piece puzzle in chronological order of events - earliest at the top. When you think your puzzle is complete, try to drop your ball through it. If the puzzle is correct, the ball will go all the way to the bottom. The first person to get their ball to the podium is the new head of household. You understand?

And here is the transcript of Adel's Diary Room/added voice-over description of his strategy:

I'm not much of a reader. Riddles? I don't know them. My strategy is straight up guessing. I am going to put up as many things as I can and drop the ball. Whatever happens, happens and I am going to go from there.

Here's my opinion. Arisa's instructions were as clear as could be. They had to read the riddles and figure out who the person was and then determine the chronological order of the event. Adel explaining that he is not much of a reader and not knowing riddles is not a free ticket to override the rules. Therefore he cheated.

You can call it whatever you want. You could say he didn't follow the rules. You could even say he was smart enough to find the flaws in the set up of the game. It's the same thing. He cheated.

Here are a couple of other things I noticed:

The slots for the puzzle pieces were wide enough to see the plexiglass tube behind it, making it easier to find the matching cut-out on the puzzle piece. I saw both Adel and Jon taking a peek. Adel also looked over the top to check the first puzzle piece.

The set up for the game made it easy to check out the other players' boards. The puzzle pieces were laid out upside down in a row along a very long lane for each player.

The edit showed Adel making only two attempts at dropping the ball. In the first attempt, he had all the pieces right except for the top piece. What are the odds of that happening? In simple terms, it was highly improbable. You could counter that argument by saying it was just the edit we were given, BUT Adel's reaching that point happened very quickly in comparison to the other players.

During Arisa's commentary, she pointed out that Adel was going right to the puzzle pieces (and not reading the riddles). Production could have stopped game play then and there, but they allowed him to continue. You can decide the motivation in that, but my take is that they gave him preferential treatment, which in turn makes me think they wanted him to win the comp.

Would they do anything about it? Even if they wanted to, the game cannot be replayed and events have progressed past that point. The nominations have been set, the Power of Veto comp has been played and the Veto Ceremony has already happened. The house guests have even altered their strategies because of Adel's win...and formed new alliances to get them through to the final 3. If production can do anything it would have to be a punishment of some sorts, and I just can't see that happening.

The game goes on.

Monday 21 April 2014

MasterChef Canada Season 2 Now Casting

The first season of MasterChef Canada has not finished airing and already a second season has been announced.  Filming will occur over a period of approximately 40 days this September and October.

CTV has also announced that Michael Bonacini, Claudio Aprile and Alvin Leung will return as judges for season 2. The inaugural season has averaged 1.7 million viewers per episode, winning it's 8 P.M. time slot and making it the #1 new reality series in Canada.

Full details can be found at http://www.masterchefcanadacasting.com/

Casting is regional, with application deadlines set for 3 areas of Canada: Ontario; everywhere east of Ontario; and everywhere west of Ontario. If you intend to apply please read and follow all the steps carefully, and good luck!

Big Brother Canada 2: Recap of Episode 21 Week 8 Instant Eviction

After Neda wins HoH, she is called to the DR. There she is led, blindfolded to the War Room and sequestered there. She is astonished at the room. And by astonished, I mean overly dramatic, with lots of Oh my God!s WHAT?s and What is happening?s There are TVs for her to watch the others, but no sound. The bobbleheads of the 7 remaining house guests are sitting on the table.Allison had been before she entered the house.

Nobody knows what happened to Neda - at first. But soon they understand that something "unexpected" is up. Rachelle, Sabrina and Allison quickly come to the realization they made a huge mistake sending Arlie home. No shit. You realize this now? Shoulda, coulda, woulda...things are always clearer in hindsight.

Arisa talks to Neda and tells her she has 5 minutes to nominate 2 people. She considers the gremlins, but in the end, she picks Sabrina and Allison. It's funny listening to people trying to justify their choices in this game. She previously said that Allison should trust their F4 alliance, then she turns around and says she has always thought that alliances mean nothing to her.

They make it seem like she was in the War Room for about an hour - in reality, she went in Thursday night and stayed until the feeds went down on Friday at about 2:30 P.M. In other words, she had lots of time to think about what was happening and why she was put in there. I doubt if Arisa had to tell her it was going to be an instant eviction. Her nominations certainly weren't as spontaneous as they made it out to be.

Arisa then tells the other HGs about the instant eviction. Neda is told not to mention the secret room and not to speak to anyone until the nomination speech. When she nominates Sabrina and Allison, she makes it clear that Allison is her target and Sabrina is the pawn. She explains that she found proof that Allison cannot be trusted. It was a lie to make everyone believe Allison was the best choice to evict. Everyone is warned not to speak otherwise they will find themselves on the block. The vote is 4 to 0 and Allison is evicted. No studio audience. No one to cheer or even boo her. Probably for the best. She is off to the jury house with Arlie. I just hope he has his clothes on when she walks in on him.

The HoH comp is called The Eyes Have It. There are 5 clues for picking houseguests' pictures which must be put on the board in order. When they think they have the board right, they drop a ball down the back of the board. If they are correct, the ball will run all the way down to the bottom. If a picture is wrong, it will block the ball from dropping. Adel skips the clues and tries to place the pictures in the proper order. It's a hit or miss technique, but it exposes the flaw in the game. He wins Head of Household. Go figure.

Adel wastes no time whatsoever in letting the Gremlins know they will be going up on the block. Sabrina immediately goes into another meltdown. Oh joy. Adel shows off his first HoH room and the Gremlins eventually show up acting like they were on their way to the gallows. They say as soon as he reads that stupid letter, we leave. Adel reads his letter from his sister who advises him to always show respect to other people. The gremlins leave. Then another Sabrina meltdown. "I feel so stupid." Wah. "This person (Adel) has been so awful to me."

All the house guests are treated to a Passover meal and Rachelle gives her best attempt at explaining the feast. "We all get together and explain what Passover is." Okay, thanks Rachelle for clearing that up for us.

Adel gets together with what he thinks is his alliance - Jon, Neda and Heather. I say that
because he is the fourth member of that alliance. He wants Sabrina out, but Neda has other plans. She quickly chimes in that Adel is basing his nominations on emotion. Had to laugh because her nominating Allison was a purely emotional play on her part. Jon and Neda convince Adel to target Rachelle because she is supposedly a more physical threat. Rachelle won one physical challenge that was kind of questionable and we keep hearing that she is a huge endurance threat. If that was true, then why didn't Neda get rid of her in the instant eviction when she had the chance?

I have to say that I have not been a fan of Adel's, BUT what happens next was the best and most gratifying nomination ceremony of the season. Of course he nominated Sabrina and Rachelle:

Adel, "I have nominated you Sabrina (pointing at her) for eviction because you have been a thorn in my side since day 3 and bashed my religion" Then, "I have nominated you Rachelle (pointing at Rachelle) because you are a mere shadow of Sabrina and I don't even know what you are doing in this game. I cannot wait til you take the walk of shame (pointing up the stairs and holding it for dramatic effect for a very extended period of time). It was priceless.

The last scene of the night is Sabrina absolutely flipping out in the Diary Room. Could this be the week we finally get rid of one of these Gremlins? Or does Adel have bigger plans? He says later that he knows Sabrina didn't bash his religion, but the speech was necessary for his plan. Hmmm. I wonder if he is going to follow Arlie's advice. After all the two of them talked strategy the entire night before Arlie's eviction.

Saturday 19 April 2014

Light Those Candles and For God Sakes, Someone Hose Down That Driveway!

Well, what do you think?

Here's what you need to know. He's 28. That's it really. Oh and his name is Tim Warmels.

Okay. If you really must know all that other stuff, here it is.

Height: 6’1”
Weight: 190 lbs
Eye Colour: Hazel
Hometown: Campbellville, Ontario
Currently living: Toronto
Occupation: Entrepreneur
 
"Born and raised in the small countryside town of Campbellville, ON, the 28-year-old entrepreneur is as handy with a horse as he is with a hockey stick. Having grown up working on ranches and farms, Tim is a down-to-earth, all-Canadian guy who isn’t afraid to work hard and get his hands dirty. A natural athlete, Tim also enjoys sports such as hockey, sailing, and scuba diving.
A highly motivated student with a keen mind, Tim was accepted into Canada’s top business program – the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. After graduating with honours, he moved to Toronto and proved himself as an investment banker on Bay Street. Tim is now a successful entrepreneur with a number of tech ventures and his own boutique contracting business." (from bachelorcanada.ca)

But who cares, right? Just look at those eyes, that hair, that face!

You just know the producers are loving this guy. Not only is he extremely good looking, young
and photogenic, but he can actually form complete sentences...unlike the humongous fail that was Juan Pablo in the last season south of the border. I mean, I am still asking what were Mike Fleiss and his minions thinking? Geesh. Anyway, Tim looks pretty good. I can see his introductory montage for the series premiere now: playing hockey; some scuba diving; riding bare-chested atop a mighty steed; walking along a beach, hair blowing in the wind; wearing a construction helmet and plaid shirt - probably red, renovating his house in Toronto and showing us how well he can use his hammer. Wiping the dirt and sweat from his brow. You know, all that everyday, "I'm just a regular guy" stuff. 

Lighting the lights and wetting the driveway.
Filming began yesterday, on Good Friday of all days. The producers teased us with several pics yesterday of the exterior of the Bachelor Mansion, getting prepped for the big night. You know...fairy lights in the trees and lighting a million strategically placed candles. Oh oh. It looks like someone didn't measure the correct distance between those candles there in the foreground. And let's not forget the essential hosing-down of the driveway so it shimmers in that just right magical way with the light. Or for some unsuspecting Bachelorette to slip on with her stripper heels. I just want to know who has the job of making sure the interlocking bricks are evenly watered down? It's all in the details, you know. I hope someone fixed that candle placement or else Tim might not fall madly in love-at-first-sight with one of them. Or several.  Even though the second season won't air until the fall, the hype has already begun. Check out the HELLO! CANADA cover  Or the official Twitter account. Yeah, here we go..."Most dramatic Bachelor Canada Rose Ceremony ever" OR "Sexiest Bachelor Canada ever". Please. On the first night? Gee, seeing as how Tim is only the second Canadian Bachelor, that kind of sounds like a kick in the teeth to poor Brad Smith.

Spoiler Update: It looks like this season has turned into a road show right from the get go. The entire cast was whisked off to Los Cabos, Mexico. They are now in the Bahamas.

If you have any sightings you'd like to share, or have any questions please feel free to email me. suesrealitycanada@gmail.com.

Big Brother Canada 2 Weekend Update for Week 8: Neda is in the War Room!

Thursday night's episode of Side Show gave us a peak of Neda getting called into the DR after her HoH win, and then being led into the War Room blind-folded. We were also told there would be a
double eviction this week, the first of which being an instant eviction.

That Instant Eviction happened Friday afternoon. I think it's safe to assume that whoever was voted out is already in the Jury House with Arlie.

The live feeds went down Friday afternoon, and will not return until after Sunday night's show. Here's what happened in both the War Room and the rest of the house before they went to Hush Hush.

  • On Thursday night, everyone speculates on where Neda is. They reveal that they heard a scream earlier, and suspect that she is still in the house somewhere, possibly in a secret room. Jon and Allison say she is in the walls. They also know that Kenny once tried out the wall that concealed the door to the War Room.
  • Sabrina and Rachelle with Allison in tow, check out the wall, trying to listen.
  • Neda can watch the others' on the TV screens, but cannot hear them. She can hear them through the door. (production removed the sound insulation and the fake wall inside the War Room that hid the door).
  • Jon purposely and noticeably talks louder, hoping that Neda can hear.
  • Jon is upset that Neda is "gone", and gets up several times during the first night
  • On Friday morning, Neda watches Allison get ready for the day. She says Allison looks sketchy even when she's doing her hair. She asks if Allison is even human, then refers to her as a robot.
  • In the kitchen, (I don't know if Neda could hear) Sabrina repeats her position on lying: that lying about strategy while inside the house is acceptable gameplay. Lying about personal traits, or making personal attacks about someone is not acceptable. 
  • Neda listens at the door to the others who are gathered on the couches in the living room.  They talk about the Jon/Neda relationship. Neda asks herself why are they still talking about this? She then realizes it is always Sabrina and Rachelle who bring this topic up.
  • Sabina and Rachelle continues on the alliance between Neda and Jon. They point out that if Neda brings Jon to the Final 2, she would not win, "because 1000% Jon would win over anyone else." Neda takes note of this and wonders why the Gremlins are saying this now and in front of all the others. (Neda knew that the Gremlins thought she could hear her, and that it was clear they were trying to send a message to her)
  • Neda used the bobbleheads a bit. At one point, she placed the Heather and Sabrina bobbleheads off to the side, then put Allison in front of Sabrina. I am presuming that she thought Heather was a pawn to force the vote towards either Sabrina or Allison.

So who did Neda vote out? At first she considered backdooring someone, but I think she must have realized that when she is released, there would be an instant eviction.She has watched several seasons of Big Brother. Another thing to consider is that the vote is out of 4, and if there is a tie, she is the tiebreaker. That is not the best thing to happen when the evictee is a member of the jury.

She has several targets: 

Allison. Neda hates Allison and finds her sketchy. She may even suspect that Allison spent time in the War Room before entering the house. However, she also knows that Allison can be easily swayed.

Adel. He is on Neda's hit list. Adel has a problem with keeping his mouth shut. Neda has even convinced Heather that Adel needs to go. The HG's suspect Canada will have a vote in the Jury, and Adel won the Buzzworthy challenge - which tells Neda he is popular. In addition, Adel was the benefactor of an all-nighter with Arlie, who gave Adel all kinds of game strategy.

The Gremlins. Pairs, whether a showmance or just a tight friendship are a big threat in this game. While in the War Room, Neda has taken note of the things these two have said. She may decide that if she takes out Sabrina, Rachelle would be next to helpless. She could actually work with her - get Rachelle to do her dirty work for her. Here's one more thing to consider: being the person responsible for removing Sabrina from the game once and for all will garner a lot of jury votes. But who knows. Maybe Arlie won't be happy having to spend 3 more weeks with this woman in the jury house.

So it just depends if Neda will base her decision on logic or if she reacts to emotion.