Friday 29 August 2014

The Forget twins are eliminated from The Amazing Race Canada



Twin brothers Pierre and Michel Forget from North Shore Terrebonne have become the sixth team eliminated on CTV’s  The Amazing Race Canada and they did not part generating any warm feelings with the only other Montreal team,  the newly engaged couple of  Alain Chanoine and Audrey Tousignant-Maurice.


The August 26 episode saw the teams travel to Paris, France. Starting this eighth  leg in second place, the twins made a tenuous pact at the Bayeux Train Station with Alain and Audrey as fellow Quebecers to not U-Turn (forcing one team to complete both ends of a detour) each other.



From the Pit Start in the medieval town of Bayeux in Normandy, teams made their way by train to Paris. Once there they found their first clue at the iconic monument Arc de Triomphe, which sent them to the little-known Place du Canada, where they chose one of the two Detours, either dressmaking or finding and serving three dishes for patrons waiting in a café in the Marais District. Teams then went to Centre Pompidou and found the Double U-Turn board, where the twins broke their promise and sent Audrey and Alain back to complete the café challenge.



 “I believe their strategy was to kick us out of the race,”  Pierre told me. “Their alliances had collapsed so they tried to save their backs by teaming up with us. We felt the only way to deal with liars and hypocrites is to lie to them as well.  Unfortunately it did not work out the way we planned.”



It was at the Roadblock where the playing field levelled, however, as each team struggled recreating artist Bastek’s creation using Mentos candies. In the end it was Pierre and Michel who would arrive last at the Pit Stop, located on the bank of the Seine, near the breath-taking Notre Dame Cathedral. “This is not  The Amazing Help Canada,” said Michel. “Yet the other teams were helping each other. The challenge looked easy, but it was not.”

 
Pierre and Michel get the bad news.

With their sixth overall first-place win, Canadian Olympic women’s hockey team players Meaghan and Natalie earned a trip on Air Canada’s new Premium rouge service to any of their European destinations, and $3,000 on their Scotiabank Gold American Express card.



Were Audrey and Alain steamed with the twins? They had other things on their mind as Alain dropped to his knees and proposed marriage. “I wish them a happy life together,” said Pierre. “We do not expect to be invited to the wedding. How we acted does not  make us bad people. We reacted to a threat. They were one of the strongest teams.”



The episode will encore  on CTV and CTV GO (Saturday, Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and Sunday, Aug. 31 at 5 p.m. ET/PT – and is also now available on demand at CTV GO. All-new episodes air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO.



The race next comes home to Canada as teams fly to Montreal (Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO) where the competition kicks into high gear. A cheesy Detour causes confusion and queasiness, and teams are challenged to bare it all.

Tuesday 26 August 2014

CJAD promotes Kaufman to steer the Exchange with Delmar

CJAD Program Director Chris Bury has always been a pretty good judge of talent. When news came in today that the entertaining weekday evening Exchange programs will become the domains of two hosts - Dave Kaufman and Dan Delmar - I almost stood up and applauded at my desk.
Kaufman (right) seen here with colleague Matthew Ross.

Delmar will remain in the host's chair on Monday evenings and  Wednesdays  while Kaufman maintains his Friday slot, adding Tuesdays and Thursdays. Exchange airs from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. This schedule kicks in next week.

“We’ve decided to go with two Exchange hosts for the time being versus the three that we had a year ago," said Bury. "It’s going to allow us to establish more consistency- night to night- while still giving some mic time to strong, developing, broadcasters. Dave, and Dan, are both compelling to listen to and have a lot of potential. Listeners will have noticed that both filled in for Aaron Rand this summer.”

Kaufman is a true success story, someone who paid his dues and waited for opportunity to knock. It was clear from his weekly The Kaufman Show on TSN 690 that this man had talent. When Bury assumed the controls at  TSN 690 he saw that immediately and  took advantage of Kaufman's talents on Friday nights. What he got was some compelling radio, great guests and co-hosts.

Delmar in the producer's mode.
"I'm so excited to be doing three nights on CJAD," said Kaufman. "I really hope to make the most of this amazing opportunity.The shows will hopefully continue to be a healthy mix of entertaining and informative. I hope to keep getting to speak with amazing guests and do the show with fantastic co-hosts like Dave McGimpsey, Terry Haig, Jay Farrar, Toula Drimonis and Bugs Burnett. "

Will Kaufman continue to do his Monday sports show?   "That's still up in the air.," he said. 

Delmar, who cut his journalistic teeth at The Suburban, was previously employed full-time  at CJAD as a program host and producer. He moved to freelance status when he launched his own communications firm. His talents went to good use though on the noon free for all, guest hosting and of course doing Today's Entrepreneurs and The Exchange on Mondays.

"I've been fortunate to have tremendous co-hosts and guest hosts on this show, which is named after the late Neil McKenty program of the same name," Delmar says. "Dave is a talented, thoughtful broadcaster and has made Friday nights on CJAD incredibly unique. He'll do great things with more airtime, I'm sure."