Father, son out of Race
Beloved father-son duo Zed and Shabbir took the wrong Detour in Bangkok, which ultimately led to their demise on The Amazing Race Canada this week. As if the fact that the Vancouverites were able to compete in the Race wasn’t heartwarming enough (Shabbir is in remission after overcoming colon cancer several years ago), here is their tear-inducing response to being eliminated: “It’s crazy to think that six years ago he was struggling to get up from bed and move around. And, to do the things he’s done, he’s my mentor, he’s my idol and I am very proud of him,” said Zed. To which his father replied, “I found out that Zed was a lot smarter than I ever give credit for. I am proud of him, I really am very proud.” Up next: back to Canada. The teams head to Ottawa for a citizenship test. Now that’s a challenge (Tuesday, CTV).
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
While we don’t know who Rachel Lindsay will choose on Monday’s highly-hyped, much-anticipated, can’tmiss, most-dramatic-ever finale of The Bachelorette (City/ABC), we do know she wants to marry the man who receives her final rose — ASAP. “I definitely want to do it sooner than later,” Lindsay told People magazine this week. “It’s not happening this year … maybe next year.” By the looks of the last episode, Rachel will likely send commitment-phobic Peter home — if the “sooner than later” mentality doesn’t send him running even before she has the chance. That leaves shy Eric and charming Bryan, who are both so eager to drop down on one knee that we could see some seriously split tux seams on Monday. Oh, the suspense.
CANADA KEEPS IT REAL
Each week, we check the Canadian TV ratings to ensure we’re writing about shows you actually watch. Turns out we’re not even scratching the surface. For the week of July 17-23, eight — yes, eight — of the Top 10 most-watched shows in Canada were reality shows, according to Numeris. They go as follows: America’s Got Talent (No. 1 with 1.9 million viewers), The Amazing Race Canada (No. 2, 1.8 million), World of Dance (No. 3, 1.3 million), Big Brother Sunday (No. 4, 1.2 million), American Ninja Warrior (No. 5, 1.2 million), Big Brother Friday (No. 7, 1.1 million), Big Brother Thursday (No. 8., 1.1 million) and Big Brother Wednesday (No. 9, 1.1 million). Yes, Big Brother has a tendency to dominate the hot-weather airwaves. But, there’s no doubt Canada loves its reality. And given today’s oversaturated TV market, the “it’s summer and there’s nothing else to watch” excuse no longer applies. So, yeah, guilty.