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Amazing Race Canada, Featured

Amazing Race Canada winners Steph and Kristen plan their future

After travelling around it, Steph LeClair and Kristen McKenzie are on top of the world. The couple, who captured The Amazing Race Canada title during a wild final Leg in Montreal on Tuesday, were all smiles during a spate of media interviews on Wednesday.

As they explained during the After the Race special, they plan to pay off Steph’s legal school debt, travel for nine months and perhaps put a downpayment on a property. Here’s what they told us about their experience.

The Montreal leg … congratulations to the producers for coming up with a wide range of physical and mental challenges for the final three teams to do. The bagel challenge was deceivingly difficult.
Kristen McKenzie: Yeah, physical, mental and navigation. They’re all very different beasts and that was a real combo.

How hard has it been to keep your win quiet?
KM: It’s been so hard, especially because my sister and I are so close. That was the most difficult for me and challenging.

Steph LeClair: She was So. Mad.

KM: She was. She was like, ‘Really?! You couldn’t tell me?’ But I wanted to experience it with her and have it be a surprise for everyone. It was a fun moment last night. I think it was harder when we first got back because we had all of these amazing things that we wanted to tell all the people that we love.

SL: We ended the Race at the end of May, so it wasn’t too bad. But the summer has been tough because everyone’s, ‘OK, you made it on. What happened? Just tell us.’

You said last night on the after show that Steph is going to pay off her school debt, nine months of travelling and maybe buy a property?
SL: Well, travel for sure. And for sure debt. It’s especially great to pay that off because, being in this with Kirsten, I felt like it was a bit of a burden on me. I don’t want money to ever be an issue between us so it’s a relief to do that. And travelling, 100 per cent. And then coming back and figuring out what we want to do and where we want to end up. If the time is right, maybe buy something.

KM: We’ll definitely save some. We didn’t have this money before. We have it now. We can work for the rest of our lives and this as an opportunity that we can’t waste. I’ve never travelled before and I got bit by the travel bug on the Race, but it’s not really travelling because you can’t really take it in, although we tried as much as possible. We’re so grateful and feel so lucky; we want to make the most of it and create memories and not just get stuff.

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Are there some countries on your must-travel list that were some of the places you visited during a Leg of The Amazing Race Canada?
SL: Our list is probably 15 pages long. We’d definitely love to travel within Canada. The first time we went to the west coast was on the Race. We loved Haida Gwaii and I’ve never been to Vancouver. Jasper… I’d go back in a heartbeat. And the east coast. We’d love to stay in Canada, but we’d love to go back to Vietnam.

KM: Yeah. Havana was awesome too, although you didn’t have the best time… [Laughs.]

SL: We took our very first vacation to an all-inclusive in Cuba, and then that happened [Steph cut her finger on a machete and has the scar to show for it] and I don’t know if I want to go back to Cuba!

Coming from a softball background, teamwork came into play during The Amazing Race Canada. Even when you did get frustrated with each other, it didn’t last long. That was part of your game plan, I assume?
KM: Our experience being high-level athletes helped a lot because we really understood that, ‘You’re a team, and if you’re not acting like a team it’s going to do you no good. It’s only going to make things worse.’

SL: It’s hard because it’s so stressful. But you have to really learn to take it in, get a grip and move on. We definitely had moments, but at the same time, we had to reign it in.

KM: I think our biggest asset was our communication and the way we treated each other and supported each other. I felt supported the entire time.

This, I think, has been the most evenly-matched set of teams this show has ever had. You were battling it out with Jillian and Emmett all season, and Joel and Ashley were right in the mix too. Those teams really drove you all season long.
KM: We called it very early on. Jill and Emmett were very good at several of the things that Steph and I were good at, so we viewed them as a threat. Joel and Ashley were good at a lot of things that we weren’t, like dancing. I mean, we tried to U-Turn them both…

SL: … and that didn’t work!

KM: And then we ended up in the finale together. Frankie and Amy were sneaky good too. People underestimated them, but we didn’t.

SL: They flew just under the radar enough to chip away and were in the thick of things.

Are you friendly with the other teams? Have you kept in touch?
SL: Yeah, we actually have a group chat going on all the time. It was really fun to see everyone again last night. We went to an after party after the finale. It was so fun to see everyone.

KM: Brandon and Anthony watched the first episode at our place, so we’re good buddies with them. Frankie and Amy watched at our place when they were kicked off because they were in Toronto. We visited Antoine in Montreal and Jill came too. There are no hard feelings anywhere.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

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Featured, Podcast

TV Eh B Cs podcast 50 — Mike McPhaden what the Wizzle

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Take a good, close look at that picture. Count the hands.

Mike McPhaden is a TV writer based in Toronto best known for writing half-hour comedy for adults and kids alike.

Originally from Winnipeg, he got his start doing sketch and improv with the troupe Higher Than the Ground before heading off to train as an actor at York University.  After finding success as a playwright, he graduated from the CFC’s Prime Time TV Program and went on to write for YTV’s How to Be Indie, helmed by Vera Santamaria, John May and Suzanne Bolch. Other shows soon followed: Men With Brooms, Connor Undercover, Seed, Spun Out, Insecurity, Degrassi, as well as animated fare such as Rusty Rivets and Inspector Gadget.

Most recently he adapted two Gordon Korman novels into TV movies for YTV, This Can’t Be Happening at MacDonald Hall (co-written with Adam Barken) and The Wizzle War.

Listen or download below, or subscribe via iTunes or any other podcast catcher with the TV, eh? podcast feed.

Want to support TV, eh?’s work? Become a Patreon!

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Wild Archaeology is off to the Yukon and the Land of the Giants!

This week’s episode of Wild Archaeology opens with a short animation that tells the story of Ch’itahuukaii the traveler, who  fixed the giant man-eating animals to the proper size in order to safeguard his people. Once again, traditional storytelling is the basis for exploration and this time Dr. Rudy, Jacob and Jenifer are off to the Yukon to learn about Mega Fauna.

On the way to the dig site, we stop in Whitehorse to visit with Dr. Grant Zazula, a palaeontologist at the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre. Here, Jacob and Jenifer get acquainted with the remains of some of the mega creatures, like the woolly mammoth that used to roam Beringia. Dr. Zazula describes Beringia as an Ice Age land bridge that was a vast ice plain extending from Siberia  well into North America. We learn extractable DNA is able to survive in the permafrost for tens of thousands of years, allowing geneticists  to study how animals have evolved over time.

Then we continue our journey, traveling along the dirt roads of the far north to White  River First Nations and the “Little John” site. It is here that we meet Dr. Norm  Easton. Dr. Easton explains that “the program we run here is an interdisciplinary, multifaceted program” … “our first priority is [working with the people of White River]. Archaeology is always secondary.”

After a brief tour of the site, Jacob and Jennifer are able to get their hands dirty. They learn how to use the Total Station and are also introduced to grid work. At last, they set to digging and Jenifer locates some more recent obsidian flakes. This week, however, it is Jacob who finds the oldest specimen. Sadly, it is mishandled, but lessons are learned, we hope! I guess we will find out if Jacob can make amends next week in Part 2 of this Yukon adventure !

I cannot tell you how much I am enjoying Wild Archaeology. There is so much information presented but in such an engaging way. I have been telling all of my teacher friends about this show and encouraging them to tell fellow educators. Right now, so many teachers are struggling to incorporate more Indigenous content in their classrooms, but lacking contacts in neighbouring communities, they have not yet figured out how  to do so in a respectful manner.  This is a great place to start!

Wild Archaeology airs Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. ET on APTN.

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Bachelorette Canada, Featured

Laughs, liquor and sexual tongues on The Bachelorette Canada

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I have something to tell you, and I’m kinda proud of it. The Bachelorette Canada is my guilty pleasure. Please, go ahead and judge me (you’re not the first to do it), but sometimes there’s nothing more fun that watching a television show where you don’t have to think. You can just sit and be entertained. That’s what you get from the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise, and I’m OK with it. (It’s also the only series I actively yell at the TV during.)

So, going in with that attitude, I was pumped to watch Jasmine Lorimer begin her journey for her male co-star in life as The Bachelorette Canada debuted Tuesday night on W Network. Was it entertaining? Hell, yes! I love watching guys act tough in front of a lady, and the addition of alcohol pretty much ensures that’ll happen. I also enjoy watching the dudes who are “there for the wrong reason,” and jeopardize everyone’s “journey.” There was certainly some of that on Tuesday too.

After a quick introduction into who Jasmine is (a laid-back, spontaneous, adventurous hairdresser), her personal struggle (the death of her father at 12) and watching her tool around Vancouver on a bike, Jasmine chatted with Jillian Harris (Ed didn’t come up) about expectations. Then it was down to business, as the 20 bachelors rolled up in the requisite limos to deliver them in front of Jasmine. Among the standouts? Mike the firefighter, who caught Jasmine’s eye and connected over the proximity of their hometowns; Chris the inventor, who produced a burning rose to her; and Kevin P., who wowed Jasmine with a song—she admitted to being attracted to musicians—and vomited minutes later due to food poisoning.

There were, of course, the fellows that went with gimmicks to catch Jasmine’s eye—the aforementioned Chris; Tony and his cowboy hat; Kyle on one knee; Scott making a wooden box; JP, a.k.a. Butler in the buff; and Eddie, a.k.a. Canada’s Crush, fumbling through a telescope setup—but that never makes a big impression. What does is stimulating conversation. Jasmine got that from Drew, Thomas and (a.k.a Sexual Tongue). David scored major points not only with Jasmine but Chris too when he had a string section accompany his original tune … until he cockily said, “Top that!” to the other guys. Dudes are the best at getting in their own way and David proved it. We also learned that cowboy Tony may be an angry drunk, a fact that wasn’t lost on Jasmine.

Was I surprised firefighter Mike got the First Impression rose? Not at all. He clearly had a connection with Jasmine and is a humble guy. He doesn’t appear to play head games or boast, so unless he does something lunk-headed, he’s got the inside track to Jasmine’s heart. Sticking around for another week alongside Mike are Kevin W., Drew, Sexual Tongue Thomas, Mikhel, Kyle, Seth, Scott, Andrew, Chris, Benoit, Wale, Kevin P., JP and David.

(Also? Noah Cappe, so good on Carnival Eats, is a capable Bachelorette Canada host, stepping in to lay ground rules and support and then dipping back into the shadows to let the drama play out.)

This is going to be a good season.

The Bachelorette Canada airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.

Image courtesy of Corus.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Mohawk Ironworkers in the aftermath of 9/11

Part 2 of the 9/11 story on APTN’s Mohawk Ironworkers continues tonight with the stories of three Mohawk men and their experiences following the collapse of the World Trade Center: John McGowan and Jaysen Mayo of Kahnawa:ke, and Brad Bonaparte of Akwesasne.

We first met John McGowen, a third generation ironworker, last week. John spent three and a half months at Ground Zero and since then has suffered from many maladies including asthma, sleep apnea, and acid reflux, all of which can be linked directly to his experiences there. Despite this, he continues to work and was one of several Mohawk ironworkers who built One World.

Jaysen Mayo was also a part of the rescue, recovery and cleanup at Ground Zero. To this day, he can recall the horrors he faced following the collapse.  As a result of his exposure to the various toxins during the cleanup, Jaysen suffers from decreased lung capacity and an auto-immune disease that requires monthly blood transfusions.

Brad Bonaparte of Akwesasne lost his life to cancer as a result of his exposure. His children share their memories of their father’s work at the WTC. The premature loss of Brad was also a significant loss to his community: Brad was a well-respected artist and storyteller, passionate about Mohawk teachings. Many of his steel creations mark the Akwesasne territory.

This episode goes on to reveal the abysmal lack of support workers initially received from the local, state, and federal governments in the U.S. First responders.  As well, ironworkers had no warnings regarding the toxic contaminants that were present at Ground Zero, nor were they supplied the proper protective gear that would have safeguarded them from harm.  It took two months for the U.S. government to implement a worksite safety plan for workers. This was too little and too late for an estimated 40,000 workers who had already been repeatedly exposed.

Having just marked the 15th anniversary of 9/11, this episode was rather touching. Here we met just a few of the heroes and their families, and we learned of some of their sacrifices in the infernal aftermath. A most appropriate tribute.

Mohawk Ironworkers airs Tuesdays at 7 p.m. ET on APTN.

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