Big Brother Canada 5 Open Casting Calls Announced!

From the Global TV/Corus Entertainment Press Release, September 9, 2016:

The search for the next group of Canada’s most outrageous houseguests continues as details are announced for Global’s Big Brother Canada Season 5 national casting tour. Canadians 19 years of age and older can continue to apply online at BigBrotherCanada.ca until October 24, or apply in person at the following locations:

Amazing Race Canada 3 Episode 4 "We Know Where They Live" OR That Damn Global Warming!!!

This was another one of those episodes that make you want to want to reach into the TV, grab these teams and shake some sense into them, yelling...

Read the frigging clue!!!

For crap sakes, this is THE #1 mistake made by teams in every franchise of this show! And these guys aren't improving that record this season. They may even be making it worse. And then there were those other mistakes in this episode. Bad mistakes.

So much time wasted!!!

The teams set out from Torre Monumental in Buenos Aires...look at these start times...they're so close! Only 1 hour and 16 minutes separate first from last. Five minutes between the first 3 teams. AND you can see how close Nic and Sabrina were to being eliminated by giving up on the soccer challenge and taking that ridiculous penalty. Wow! Do you think they learned their lesson? Meh.

Neil and Kristen   8:41 A.M.
Gino and Jesse   8:45
Nick and Matt   8:46
Dujean and Leilani   9:05
Simi and Ope   9:10
Sean and Brent   9:33
Hamilton and Michaelia   9:33
Nic and Sabrina   9:55
Brian and Cynthia   9:57

They must make their way to Halifax, Nova Scotia - via Santiago and Toronto, and are given $350 on their BMO card. While at the stopover in Toronto, Hamilton and Michaelia are inundated by teams making a play for that Express Pass. Gino and Jesse offer them 50 bucks. But it's Sean and Brent who score it. Hamilton tells the brothers he is transgender male and there are lots of hugs all around.

So that's what 5,000 paintings on one wall looks like.

First stop is at the BMO kiosk at Halifax airport, where they are given the next clue. Which brings up another sore spot about this episode. Product placement. But we'll get to that later. Teams must make their way to the brand spanking new Halifax Central Library. And what a beauty it is! Here they must scan the 5,000 library card-sized pieces of art in a wall installation. They must count the number of smart phone paintings...there are 134 of them, then take the elevator to the 5th floor to hand over their result to the librarian. It's enough to make your eyes go buggy, and just the thought of it gave me a headache. Of course, the way to do this is to divide and conquer, but that's probably easier said than done. Most of the teams get the task done relatively easy. The last four teams (Simi & Ope, Neil & Kristen, Nick and Matt and Sean & Brent) decide to team up and just take pot shots at it until one of them gets it. Hey if it works, who cares?

From here it's on to the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge and a Roadblock called, "Who's got an eagle eye? Oh, oh. I'm thinking BRIDGE + "eagle eye" just can't be a good thing. Not at all. Nope.

Brian. Scoutin' like a champ.

Sure enough, one person from each team must climb up the interior of the bridge's support tower and when they reach the top, climb out, use a pair of binoculars and locate the marker for their next clue. Brian is the first there, and when he finds the flag says, "Fort. On high ground. Two masts. Canadian flag on left." Sure. Even if you didn't read his bio, you sure can tell this dude served in the Armed Forces! For some reason, Nic spots a red and yellow boat in the harbour and thinks it's the marker. Oh, man. On the way back to the bridge, they see the marker at Fort George. Lucky.

While Michaelia is on the bridge, Hamilton suddenly comes to the realization his passport is missing. He searches his bag, then Michaelia's. It's not there and he thinks he left it on the plane. So. Not. Good. All they can do is phone the airport and finish the leg, hoping Air Canada can find it in time. This is sooo bad. All your documentation must be handed over to production at the end of the leg, and passports are absolutely necessary to continue with the race. If it's not found, it means an instant disqualification.

Jesse is still on the bridge looking for the marker when Kristen gets there. She spots it right away. Jesse sees the rough area its in and that there are two "crosses" in a park and rushes back down the ladder. He doesn't notice the imposing fortifications of Fort George on Citadel Hill. Ugh. He tells the cabbie to go to a park with crosses, and of course they end up at the wrong place. Can't blame the cabbie for this one, guys! Like Nic and Sabrina, the brothers see the correct marker on the way back to the bridge.

The next task is in the Halifax Public Gardens. And this is the one I have a problem with.

The teams must correctly identify five of ten Orange Julius smoothie flavours. Problem #1: is this really a Race-worthy task? I mean come on. Problem #2: product placement. Okay, I get that we are reminded Air Canada provides all the flights and prize packages. I get that Chevrolet provides cars on self-driving legs and the Grand prize. I even get the BMO card used to pay for flights. Even a Mentos challenge is acceptable. This show wouldn't survive without these major sponsors, so we have learned to accept it. But this Orange Julius thing? So out-of-place. Surely Halifax has some other attractions that could have been highlighted! Or are Orange Julius smoothies a huge thing in Halifax? Oh...maybe I misunderstood. Do mangoes, bananas, pineapple, oranges and coconuts grow in Nova Scotia now? Must be that damn global warming.

The Detour is called, "Bubbles OR Suds". In "Bubbles", teams had to go to Dalhousie University and the Aquatron Laboratories. Here they had to dive into a large tank (and by large tank, I mean 14 feet deep), catch 2 lobsters each, then band the claws and attach tracking transmitters. Pretty cool. But you definitely needed to know how to swim. In "Suds", teams had to go to Garrison Brewery. Here they had to deliver cases of beer to 3 local bars AND PICK UP 2 EMPTY KEGS TO RETURN TO THE BREWERY. Yep, you guessed it. This is where many teams FAILED TO READ THE FRIGGIN CLUE!

Dad. Get a lobster.

Brian and Cynthia decide to do Bubbles. Brian gets his two lobsters, but Cynthia can't. She knows how to swim and snorkel, but just can't dive. Still, I have to wonder why she didn't use the fins. They cut their losses and switch to Suds. Hamilton & Michaelia and Nic & Sabrina also pick Bubbles originally then switch. The best line of the night goes to Kristen. They only need to get one more lobster so she calmly and eloquently says, "Dad. Get a lobster." And he does. I love the interaction between these two. Gino and Jesse show up late but catch their lobsters quickly...two at a time.

Meanwhile over at Suds...

Leilani...carrying kegs like a champ.

Brian & Cynthia, Nick & Matt and Simi & Ope trudge through just fine. They can obviously remain calm and keep focused. Dujean & Leilani, Hamilton & Michaelia, and Nic and Sabrina all make their deliveries BUT didn't notice the rest of the clue that told them they must also pick up 2 kegs from each bar. WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING? Of course they all eventually realize their mistakes and go back to get the kegs. But in Hamilton and Michaelia's case, this was just another compounded error.

Hamilton and Michaelia head back out to the airport to retrieve the passport. It is found but not after a long wait.

Dujean and Leilani are the first to the Pitstop, where they are greeted by Jon and an "Oh yay, oh yay, oh yay!" from the Town Crier. Apparently this is the anniversary of Leilani's mother's death and she has not been back to Halifax since her father died just a few months after her mother. That has to be tough. The Exes win two round trip tickets to anywhere in the Caribbean that Air Canada flies, as well as six months of gas free from PetroCanada.

OH YAY, OH, YAY, OH YAY.

Hamilton and Michaelia were unable to recover from the lost passport mishap. Sadly, they come in last and are eliminated from the race. Oh, I know what you're thinking. If they had only kept their Express Pass to use it on this leg, it would have saved them. Nope. It's highly doubtful it would have bought them enough time, even if they did cash it in back at the bridge. The trek back out to the airport, waiting for the passport and then getting back to the Pitstop would have taken a couple of hours. (we can get a rough estimate when we look at the departure times on the next leg)

But Jon said it best when he told Hamilton "Thank you for being brave enough for being yourself."

To see how the other teams placed, you can check out my Team Leg-by-Leg Results HERE

And I just have one more thing to add. When I go to Halifax, I MUST find THIS bar. Because with a name like "Economy Shoe Shop", how can I possibly resist?

Amazing Race Canada 3 Preview of Episode 4 "We know Where They Live"

YES, YES, YES!

There are SPOILERS HERE!

In fact, this leg was the heaviest spoiled of the entire season.

Thank you, Haligonians for being out and about that day, 

and having so much pride of your city!

The Amazing Race Canada: Recap of Episode 8 'Clutch and Release'

The teams left Iqaluit at the following times:

Jody and Cory 11:39 a.m.
Tim and Tim 11:53 a.m.
Jet and Dave 11:55 a.m.
Vanessa and Celina 11:57 a.m.

Their next stop is Halifax, Nova Scotia, and their clue told them to find a Chevrolet Sonic - with manual transmission, on the rooftop parking lot at the airport. It also cautioned them that there is another U-Turn ahead. The flight to Halifax connects through Ottawa, so Jody and Cory ease their load by putting one of their backpacks and half their stuff in a locker (Jody is from Ottawa). I didn’t know that was possible, so I presume it’s not against the rules. Looks like Jody is taking some of the weight off those legs and letting Cory be the workhorse. All four teams are, needless to say, on the same flights. Meanwhile the girls are freaking out because they have only driven stick once before and it didn’t go too well. Sounds like a bit of production hanky panky going on here. I mean, how many people - and I hate to say this, but how many women, know how to drive a manual transmission?

They arrive in Halifax just before dusk. They have to use a provided USB stick to watch a MyLink video in the car. Monty tells them their next destination is the Pier 21 National Historic site where immigrants to Canada were processed between the years 1928 to 1971. Needless to say, Celina has a hard time driving and stalls the car a few times, while Vanessa panics in the back seat. God help their cameraman who can only sit there and not interfere. She gets it going, and her strategy is to not use the brakes. It’s slow going. Very slow. Although they fall way behind the other three teams, they catch a break because Pier 21 is closed until 6 a.m. the next day. So all the teams will start off in the morning at the same time.

Their task is to collect 7 stamps on their “passports” from stations set up throughout the museum. They are given time to contemplate Canada’s immigrant heritage. Jody and Cory actually find a display that shows the ship their grandparents sailed on. It was actually kind of cool. The task itself just seemed like an activity for kids. Actually I am sure it was. You know what I mean…the kind of activity that parents get suckered into doing when the kids very quickly lose interest. Mom and/or Dad think the cute little passport will make a nice souvenir. Then it gets tossed when they get home. I just think they could have made it a little more interesting, a little more challenging. Throw in some interesting factoids at each stamp station. After they collect all their stamps, a Customs official says “Welcome to Canada” and gives them their next clue.

The road trip continues. It’s on to St. James Anglican Church in Mahone Bay. The town is known for it’s ’3 churches’… all in a row down by the shore. It’s idyllic. There’s a Roadblock here - “Who wants to find their long lost twin?“. There is a re-creation of their annual Scarecrow Festival and there are scarecrows all over the place, set up in little themed vignettes. One team member must locate a scarecrow that matches the picture on their Blackberry, and bring it to the gazebo on Main St. Here, they have to assemble and dress another scarecrow to match, then take a picture to get an approval from the judge. Cory, Tim Jr, Jet and eventually when the girls show up, Vanessa do the task for their teams. Each person gets a different scarecrow to do - some are more difficult than others. But overall, it sounds easy, right? Well the problem is all the pieces and clothing are in a mountain in the middle of the gazebo. Dave gets mad at Jet, because once again Jet doesn‘t look like he‘s taking it very seriously. He tries to get an approval from the judge with his scarecrow…without arms. Nice try. Just because the judge was a woman, doesn’t mean she’s a pushover for those massive muscles. Tim Sr gets mad with Junior. Then Junior gets sarcastic at Dad. The only team that keeps their wits about them is Jody and Cory.

From here, it’s on to Lunenburg. They must go to the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. Time for the Detour and that pesky Double U-Turn. It’s called ’Surf OR Turf’. In Surf, the teams must catch and band 6 lobsters, then deliver them to the chef at the Grand Banker Bar and Grill. For Turf, the teams had to go to the Boscawen Inn and memorize 12 types of German sausage, then head back down to the docks and identify them. Jody & Cory and Jet & Dave do the lobster, while the Tims and the girls do the sausage. Okay, that didn’t come out right, I know. But isn’t ’turf’ supposed to be steak? Jody & Cory soon learn just how nasty lobsters are. They have a grip roughly equivalent to 100 men or something. Plus I kind of wonder how smart these things really are. One of their lobsters grab onto the cage and won’t let go…like it knew it was dinner and it wasn‘t giving up easy. Jet and Dave learned why their claws are banded when you buy one at the grocery store. They called it ’neutralizing’. The Boscawen Inn, for the ’turf’ is a couple of blocks uphill from the dock, and Tim Sr. says the uphill run is very hard on him. I’m really feeling for this guy. But the turf task sounds a lot easier, right? They just have to memorize 12 types of sausages…that’s 6 for each person. The problem is…the names are in German of course. Not so easy. But probably better than dealing with the death grip of 6 lobsters.

They finish their Detour challenges in this order: Tim & Tim; Jody & Cory; Jet & Dave; and finally Vanessa & Celina. Their next clue sends them to St. John’s Anglican Church. There are a lot of churches in this leg for some reason. The Double U-Turn is here along with another clue. Everyone takes the high road and decide not to use the U-Turn on anyone. Wow. Even the Tims, who vowed to U-Turn anyone they could. Well, it could have just been a production error. In the original U.S. version, each team is allowed to use it only once during the entire leg. I think the Tims actually couldn’t and they just didn’t edit that bit into the final cut of the show. Kind of boring - all that hoopla, build-up and drama for nothing. Oh well. The clue is in a little wooden box. It’s the Canadian dime. That’s it.

Okay, listen. If you don’t immediately recognize what’s on the Canadian dime….then shame on you. It’s time to pack up your hockey sweater, your toque, your mandatory bottle of maple syrup and get the hell out of here. I mean really. I am pretty sure it’s even in the Grade 8 history textbook. At the very least, even if you didn’t know, did you never, ever look at the dime and say to yourself…“what is that ship?” Or…"Hey…it must be of some kind of important boat if it’s been on the dime for like, ever”. Or they couldn’t put two and two together: see the boat, remember you’re in a seafaring town. Well, it’s the Bluenose II, and Lunenburg is it’s home.

I hate to point fingers, but I will anyway. The Tims didn’t know. They ask around, then start calling it the Bluenote. When Vanessa and Celina see it, they think they have to spend it somewhere and start looking around for a coin slot. Vanessa wants to look for a money factory. Celina thinks they should look for a wishing pond. They ask someone and then Celina remembers she saw a sign for the Bluenose. Good God. I want to throw my bottle of maple syrup at the TV. What a bunch of arses. Everyone in the Maritimes must have laughed so hard they had a collective pants-wetting over that one.

The Bluenose II is the Pitstop for this leg of the race. They finish in the same order as in Iqaluit. Jody and Cory win for the 2nd time and get 2 round-trip tickets to anywhere in South America that Air Canada flies. The Tims are second, Jet and Dave third, and Vanessa & Celina are last. But this leg is the first half of a double leg, there is no elimination, no Speed Bump, and they are given their next clue directing them to St. John’s, Newfoundland. But take note - despite the editing making you think the girls hit the mat soon after Jet and Dave, they are an hour and 15 minutes behind the other three teams, who finished within 20 minutes of each other. Why do you think nobody used the U-Turn? They are in trouble, especially if they have to drive some more. Their only hope is to make up some time at the airport…or a ferry maybe?

Check back on my homepage on Friday for a preview of Episode 8, including spoilers.

The Amazing Race Canada: PREVIEW of Episode 8 'Clutch and Release'

There be spoilers here, matey.

This week, the four remaining teams will travel from Iqaluit to Nova Scotia's beautiful south shore. It's the same area that the TV series Haven is shot, and that production was filming at the same time. The preview at the end of last week's episode showed two things to worry about: another dreaded Double U-Turn; and what's worse, Jet and Dave fighting. Oh no.

They fly into Halifax and then it's a road trip to Mahone Bay and Lunenburg. But it's not smooth sailing for the girls - I guess they don't know how to drive stick. There's some trouble...they pull off to the side of the road, while other drivers' start honking. They were probably shown a few fingers as well, which I am pretty sure didn't mean they needed a manicure. Cheer up, don't you guys know that on a road trip getting there is half the fun? Should have stopped at that Timmies for a couple of double-doubles...I'm sure your Interac Flash budget could handle it.

Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia (see notes)

It was hardly a surprise that Amazing Race Canada had set their eyes on filming in the small community of Mahone Bay. Seems everybody there knew. Production asked the town to recreate their annual Scarecrow Festival on May 20 (this year's real festival is to be held October 4th to 6th). They were asked to make 30 to 40 scarecrows. All of this was for a single Roadblock, which appears to be recreating a scarecrow. The exact location is the gazebo on Main St., right beside The Gazebo Cafe and Grill. It's here that Dave apparently loses his patience with Jet. I guess Jet just can't get his scarecrow looking like the sample or something. The scarecrow Jet picks is dressed like a harem girl. Not exactly scary in a scarecrow kind of way - more like a 'Chucky' kind of scarey. He's probably distracted, trying to think up a few one-liners. Maybe the preview is just making a bigger deal out of this than necessary. I think they just need to fill a drama 'void' now that the docs are gone.

Lunenburg dock - Lobster challenge. (see notes)

The Detour is in Lunenburg. It's either lobster fishing or identifying varieties of sausage. There was a sighting at the Grand Banker Bar, and apparently the teams must retrieve a clue from their chef. My guess is they have to deliver fresh lobster there. In the CTV Gamisodes extra preview, the girls are seen trying to identify different sausages from a stand with a sign that reads 'Wurstelstand'. Before you ask about German sausages in a fishing town, Lunenburg had an influx of German settlers.

Beautiful St. John's Anglican Church, Lunenburg, N.S. (see notes)

Then it's the second Double U-Turn. The board is located a couple of blocks from the docks where the lobster Detour was set up. It's inside St. John's Anglican Church. Wow, what a beautiful church. The preview shows the Tims wondering if they should U-Turn anyone. If they follow the same format as in the original U.S. series, they can't. There, the U'Turn can only be used once per team, and the Tims used theirs back in Regina on Hal and Joanne. BUT, Monty didn't say that when he explained the U-Turn rules back then. So, if they can, they probably will. They said their strategy is to U-Turn anyone they can. So we'll just have to see. It would depend on if they are in the lead, or if they have a target in mind.

The teams were also seen in the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. They were given a clue - the Canadian dime, and from what I can tell they were supposed to determine it's importance in Lunenburg. Apparently at least one team had to ask someone. Come on! Seriously? I mean really. What I really mean to say is...what the hell were they thinking? Canadian dime. It's right there in between the words 'Canada' and '10 cents'. Ship. It's called the Bluenose. It's supposed to be a Canadian icon. Like beavers, maple syrup and those guys wearing bright red coats that made them make their beds back in Regina. The Bluenose II is in Lunenburg. Geez. Last week's preview showed Jet and Dave in the museum. You know, I bet if they looked around, there just might be another clue....like over your shoulder, Jet.  I would put money on the locales getting a good laugh watching this episode. Even I anticipated a Bluenose connection as soon as the teams were spotted in Lunenburg. So I kept my eye on the lovely webcam positioned on the Bluenose II. Unfortunately, we won't be seeing the ship in it's full glory. It was covered and in dry dock for work being done on the hull. Shame really. Sure enough, the production vans showed up, set up the mat, and Monty and the local greeter got in position to welcome the teams.

The Bluenose II (see notes)

Three male teams showed up, and then the girls.

Of course, I can't say for sure if they are eliminated. But they were at the mat a long time.  So, let's look at a few facts:

There are 4 teams left, and after Nova Scotia, only 2 episodes remain: St. John's, Newfoundland and the finale in Toronto. Three teams race to the finale, so only one more team will be eliminated over these last 3 episodes. This could be a non-elimination, but that would be 3 non-elimination legs in a season consisting of only 10 episodes. That is unlikely. Or, Nova Scotia could the the first part of a double leg...where the teams "keep racing" on to Newfoundland.


Notes:

• Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. From Wikimedia Commons. Photo uploaded by user SimonP. (altered/cropped by myself for use here) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mahone_Bay.JPG
• Dock in Lunenberg, in front of the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. From Wikimedia Commons. Photo uploaded by user Dlanglois  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lunenburg_Nova_Scotia_3.jpg
• St. John's Anglican Church. from Wikimedia Commons. Photo uploaded by user Dr Wilson. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_John_church,_Lunenburg.JPG
• Bluenose II. From Wikimedia Commons. Photo uploaded by user Raphodon. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bluenose_II.jpg

The Amazing Race Canada....Does Anybody Have a Dime?

Quick.....without looking....what Canadian icon is on our dime?

That's right, The Amazing Race Canada was in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia yesterday filming a few challenges. And what's in Lunenburg? It's the Bluenose II.

But first, let me fill you in on where The Race went after Regina:

• In Quebec City, the teams faced some sort of challenge with a block of ice and another with lacrosse on the Plains of Abraham.
• Then it was on to Iqaluit in Nunavut where they apparently had to build very small igloos. After the cast left, it looks like a few people were curious enough to go see what they were doing and snapped pictures of themselves in or on the igloos.

Which reminds me. I know this is Canada, BUT, why do they have to have so many challenges involving ICE? CTV is set to air this show in July and August, and nobody wants to be reminded of winter in the middle of summer. No Canadian that is. It's like an unspoken law. It's only permitted if you don't have air conditioning and you want to dream of cold weather. It's like that old episode of the original Twilight Zone where everyone is dying from the heat because the earth is moving towards the sun, only its really moving away from the sun and they are freezing to death. Or is it the other way around?

Anyways...after Iqaluit, Twitter went eerily silent, until the teams were spotted in Ottawa again at the airport. This is at least three times now they were seen there. Well I should have known better and just went to visit my sister-in-law or camped out at the airport. Air Canada. Maybe next time. This time they were on their way to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Not sure if they filmed any challenges there but yesterday morning they wound up in Lunenburg.

Apparently Lunenburg and the South Shore of Nova Scotia have a lot of webcams which have a 24 hour history and various interval settings for your viewing pleasure. Cool. Sure enough there were two that seemed promising. One is set up at the Bluenose II which right now is in dry dock to do work on it's rudder. The crew showed up just before 8 A.M. to set things up and were gone by noon. The slowest interval refresh rate is one minute, so I can't be 100%, but I counted four teams. Unfortunately, they had to run to the clue box on the other side of the Bluenose. But a camera crew was set up in view - I think to film confessionals from the teams.

There were also a few tweets about a lobster challenge. Another webcam in front of the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic showed a lot of activity at the wharf. Yeah, I know. It's a wharf ...with fishermen. But this was on Victoria Day and there were a lot of bystanders gathered. I managed to capture one still of a camera crew with one of the teams.

So...where to next? Seems quiet again. Charlottetown? Moncton? St. John's? They better hurry up because in three days, we know they are supposed to be rappelling down the side of Toronto City Hall. I wonder how the crew is going to keep that one secure. Please, please, please...the finish line can't be in Toronto, can it? I love Toronto, I really do...but that would just be too predictable. Too obvious. They may as well just have "find Rob Ford for a comment" as the final challenge. Well that would be funny actually. They could just as easily be given a clue after City Hall that says something like "Make your way to Parliament Hill". Or some place they haven't been like, oh, I don't know...Manitoba?