Calgary Herald

Father, son bid adieu

- LINDSEY WARD lward@postmedia.com

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 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: That’s it; back to Canada. The teams head to Ottawa for a citizenshi­p test. Now that’s a challenge (Tuesday, CTV).

CANADIAN VIEWERS KEEP 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 scraping 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.

 ??  ?? Shabbir and Zed
Shabbir and Zed

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