You can’t beat an evening in with some tasty snacks and drinks while your watching your favorite TV shows! Reality TV remains one of the most popular viewing choices for Canadians and we are lucky to have a superb variety of programs to choose from. From cooking and dating to fashion and singing, here’s a round-up of some of our top Reality TV shows, and their best moments, for your viewing pleasure.
Cookery and cookery shows are popular all over the world, and MasterChef Canada is no exception. So far, there have been four incredible seasons, all of which have created some fascinating TV moments. All four winners of each of the broadcast seasons have experienced overwhelming success, including Eric Chong who was the first ever winner of MasterChef Canada. In fact, he has recently teamed up with judge Alvin Leung to open the acclaimed R&D restaurant in Toronto.
Musical theatre remains a highly entertaining concept for a reality TV show, and in 2008 ten girls competed to win the role of Maria Von Trapp in the musical theatre edition of The Sound of Music. This reality TV show, How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria, was one of the first of its kind to air in Canada. It was also considered to be pretty groundbreaking, as previously musical theatre roles were awarded to actresses already working within the industry.
In the end, Elicia MacKenzie won the most votes, however the show was slightly marred by some controversy as her win was announced prematurely on the Canadian Press Wire, exactly half an hour before the show was aired in Toronto. In addition, some viewers of the show claimed that the show’s judging panel, and Lloyd Webber himself, favored another contestant, Janna Polzin over other performers in the competition.
Big Brother is a show watched all over the world and Canada is no exception, it was first aired here way back in 2000. Jillian MacLaughlin was the winner of the first season of Big Brother Canada, but many believe that some of the best housemates included the likes of Neda Kalantar, who was described as strategic and a person that made ‘well calculated moves’.
Having a strategy is vital in any reality game show, as professional poker player Kevin Martin can testify. He has been in the Big Brother Canada House twice! He kept his background as a professional poker player a secret the first time he competed, but his experience was revealed for during his second time on the show. Kevin feels his experience in playing poker helped him implement a strategic approach, which led him to go on and win that season of Big Brother.
Dating shows make for compelling viewing, and one notable example of that is The Bachelorette Canada. The first series bachelorette was Jasmine Lorimer, who attained a large circle of fans that fell in love with her easy-going personality and enthusiastic sense of humor. However, there was some controversy with the viewing public in regard to Jasmine’s choice of beau (many viewers simply didn’t like her final choice – Mikhel Sickland). Very few show fans would be surprised when the couple split just five months after the finale was broadcast!
Whether you love to see people sing and dance, be judged for their unique skills or on what amazing dishes that they can cook up a storm with, watching a reality TV show is a fantastic form of entertainment. They can also make for very compelling viewing; it’s hard not to form a bond with your favorite housemate or contestant!