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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Slice scores second season of original series First Dates

From a media release:

Shaw Media has greenlit a second season of Slice™’s scintillating series First Dates, with production and casting underway now. The First Dates matchmakers have begun an extensive search for a diverse mix of singles looking to be paired up on a blind date in hopes of finding that special someone. Produced by Force Four Entertainment and Remedy Canada Productions, in association with Shaw Media, First Dates is a docuseries that sets single men and women up on a first date with cameras capturing all their real and romantic moments. The second season of First Dates will air on Slice in 2016 and the entire first season can be watched online at slice.ca along with exclusive digital extras.

First Dates is looking for Canadians of all genders, orientations, ages, backgrounds, and professions who are single and actively looking, or at least open to the prospect of finding someone special. The series will be filmed in Vancouver this Spring, and all Canadians are welcome to apply. The casting site also allows people to nominate friends or family for the show through the same online application process. Online applications for First Dates can be filled out by visiting slice.ca/casting-call. Applicants must be 19 years of age or older, available for filming in the Vancouver area, and must provide a headshot of themselves.

Hailed as “wonderful” and “utterly beguiling” by The Globe and Mail, First Dates gives viewers a gripping look at the hope, charm, attractions, awkwardness, heartaches, connections, and the stakes of a first date. Each episode showcases a restaurant of singles who have been hand matched for a blind date with someone they’ve never met. The restaurant is fitted with 35 fixed-rig cameras capturing every moment, from potential sparks to awkward small talk, flirtatious glances, and sometimes forced smiles. In Season 1, the First Dates restaurant hosted over 300 first dates, which led to 50 smooches and 100 second dates.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Scott McGillivray goes On Vacation with Income Property

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You know what you’re going to get when you tune in to Income Property. Not only will Scott McGillivray entertain as he renovates a couple’s home, but he educates folks on how to make the most money out of their investments. It’s a formula that’s worked for 10 seasons on HGTV and I’m frankly surprised it’s taken this long for a spinoff.

Debuting Wednesday with two back-to-back episodes, Income Property: On Vacation is exactly what it sounds like as McGillivray leaves the big city in his rear-view mirror to aid people in adding value to their vacation properties. In the first, McGillivray helps musician Justin Rutledge turn the lakeside shack on his in Prince Edward County land into a money-maker. It isn’t easy, but then anything McGillivray tackles rarely is. Wall-to-wall wood paneling, outdated appliances, a burgeoning mouse and raccoon population, black mould, expired avians and moisture throughout has Justin stressed, but the flop-haired contractor sees lots of potential.

After checking with local building codes, McGillivray—as he does with Income Property—presents Rutledge with two renovation options. I always get a kick out of McGillivray’s reactions to things as the demotion portion of the project gets underway and Wednesday’s debut of On Vacation is no exception. Let’s just say some questionable wiring leads to a funny scene in the old shower. Then, after days painting, rerouting plumbing, replacing rotting floors and intense renos, Rutledge’s new cabin is ready to hit the market, and bring in a tidy little profit for the singer-songwriter too.

Watching the team work to the proposed plan is fun and informative, but I constantly wonder why this series isn’t made up of hour-long episodes. Until that happens, I’ll have to be content with Income Property and this great spinoff, On Vacation.

Income Property: On Vacation airs Wednesdays at 10 and 10:30 p.m. ET on HGTV Canada.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Scott McGillivray hits the road in Income Property: On Vacation

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From a media release:

Scott McGillivray is heading out of the city, but this is no vacation. He’s helping homeowners take the plunge and create a vacation home that they can bank on. Income Property: On Vacation is a spin-off of Contractor Scott McGillivray’s hit franchise Income Property, now with a deep dive into the rental market of vacation properties. Scott guides homeowners through the process of building a vacation suite and banking the rental cheques, all while taking advantage of what the sun, surf and sand has to offer.

Throughout the series, Scott shows homeowners how they can add value to their vacation properties, and turn their investment into profit. With thoughtful and well-executed renovations, vacation properties generate weekly profit throughout the seasons. Scott completes these dream vacation rentals as fast as possible while still finding time to enjoy a little fun for himself. So slap on some sunscreen, buckle up your snowboard, and let’s hit the profit trail. The new series Income Property: On Vacation premieres Wednesday, March 9 at 10 and 10:30pm ET/PT on HGTV Canada.

Synopses:

Episode 1, “Justin”
Airs March 9th at 10pm ET/PT
Award-winning musician, Justin Rutledge, used his life savings to buy his dream home by the lake. Justin has called in Scott for help as he needs to renovate and rent out his waterfront cabin to supplement his irregular income.

Episode 2, “Shannon & Noah”
Airs March 9th at 10:30pm ET/PT
Shannon and Noah bought a vacation property in the country to invest in their future. This couple needs Scott’s help to renovate and rent their multi-building vacation property to make a dent in their mortgage before enjoying it themselves.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Firsthand tries to solve a mystery in “Looking for Mike”

In 2002, filmmaker Dylan Reibling’s friend, Michael De Bourcier, died under mysterious circumstances. Reibling has a copy of the death certificate from the province of Ontario and has been to his unmarked grave in Vaughan. Trouble is, De Bourcier wasn’t who he said he was, something Reibling uncovered over a decade ago and is the topic of this week’s Firsthand documentary.

“Looking for Mike,” airing Thursday at 9 p.m., begins at the beginning, with Reibling describing when and where he first met De Bourcier. They worked at a tech startup and bonded over their small-town upbringing. They had drinks, hung out and stayed in touch even after they’d been laid off. When De Bourcier asked Reibling to witness a new passport application so the former could jet to Berlin, the latter didn’t hesitate. De Bourcier never made the flight; instead he was discovered dead in his apartment.

The circumstances surrounding the death were strange and information found in his wallet were suspect. Shocked by what the authorities had uncovered, Reibling began his own investigation and discovered the man he thought was Michael De Bourcier wasn’t at all. “Looking for Mike” is engaging as heck. Reibling’s narration, coupled by barely-lit reconstructions and spare music score, is like a visual season of Serial, complete with play-by-play delivered by the filmmaker and highlighted by interviews with their old co-workers, private investigators and  police. And, like Serial, you can’t help but be sucked in. Why did De Bourcier create a persona and manufacture forged documents? Why did he lie about where he grew up, yet know intimate details about that area of the province?

Who was Michael De Bourcier? Tune in to “Looking for Mike” to discover what Reibling uncovered. You won’t be disappointed.

Firsthand airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Cottage Life opens the spring season with Season 3 of Cabin Pressure

From a media release:

Cottage Life is celebrating the first signs of spring by inviting audiences to enjoy an eight-week free preview full of returning favourites and new episodes. Beginning Tuesday, March 15, the cottage season will be in full swing with fresh premieres including Colin & Justin’s Cabin Pressure Season 3, Cabin Truckers Season 2 and What’s for Sale? With a View Season 2. The channel will also premiere two new series including Brojects in the House, a spin off of the popular DIY series Brojects, and Burger Bar to Gourmet Star.

What’s For Sale? With a View (Season 2, Original Series, World Premiere) debuts on Tuesday, March 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. This popular spin off of What’s For Sale? has brand new episodes, in which potential buyers are presented with three dream homes with incredible views that include a private Muskoka lake, a beach on Georgian Bay, a Niagara vineyard, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, the San Francisco Bay, Big Sur and more.

Burger Bar to Gourmet Star (New Series, Canadian Premiere) debuts on Wednesday, March 16 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. In each episode a fast-food cook with kitchen experience, limited to burger joints and food trucks, gets one-on-one training with one of Britain’s most respected chefs. The newbies then pose as seasoned professionals in world-class kitchens in an attempt to get by as five-star gourmets.

Brojects in the House (New Original Series, World Premiere) launches on Thursday, March 17 at 9 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT. A spin off of Cottage Life fan-favourite Brojects, Brojects in the House follows everyone’s favourite brothers, Andrew and Kevin, as they take their fun-loving, creative DIY cottage projects indoors. With their wives and children now involved in the fun, the brothers transform a century-old lodge into a clubhouse with the most unexpected interior builds, inventions and games they’ve ever created. In the first episode, the bros build a bar out of reclaimed materials that tips a cap to the past.

Cabin Truckers (Season 2, Original Series, World Premiere) debuts on Friday, March 18 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The second season finds Wade and his crew of professional house movers up against even more challenging and exasperating situations as they relocate entire homes to remote locations on the back of a truck. New episodes see torrential storms, steep mountain tracks, stressful nighttime moves and narrow city streets threatening to bring the moves to a halt, all while the crew races against time and permit schedules. Viewers will find out if Wade has bitten off more than he can chew, with one of the biggest, most complicated and exhausting moves to date that tests everyone’s capabilities, emotions and patience.

Colin & Justin’s Cabin Pressure (Season 3, Original Series and Webisodes, World Premiere) debuts on Sunday, March 20 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The highly anticipated, new instalment of Cottage Life’s top-rated series returns with a brand new high-profile project. This time, the gregarious designers have taken on the task of transforming a dilapidated cottage into a welcoming income property. Infusing the lakeside estate with rustic charm and elegant modern comforts, the Scottish lads have a ball as they create the ultimate rental retreat.

Coinciding with the Season 3 television premiere, Colin & Justin’s Cabin Pressure webisodes will launch 13 new, exclusive short digital videos on Sunday, March 20, giving viewers an additional peek into the pair’s experience renovating their new rental property.

Cottage Life’s free preview will also include new episodes of several series including the third season of What’s For Sale?, Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT, Escape to the Wild, Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT and Ultimate Homes, Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

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