BT Edmonton Blogs

Well, that was a first (for me, anyway)! For what felt like five straight minutes, millions watched a kissing competition unfold between grown adults on Monday night’s episode three of Bachelor Pad here on Citytv.

Before our Tuesday morning BT Bachelor Pad panel, I asked Jennifer, Charity and Trevor to sum up their viewing experience in just one word. “Creepy” topped the list, followed by “uncomfortable,” “trainwreck” and “icky.”  Of course, some of the participants were easier on the eyes than others. But still, I couldn’t help but feel I was peering in the window of a high school party gone rogue.

I suppose that’s the point of Bachelor Pad. Every time you lose focus and start to look for budding romance on the show, something happens to snap you back to reality. Some reminders come in the form of relationships born, nurtured and busted up over the course of 24 hours. Others, in the form of back-stabbing, flirting and alliance-building. This is not The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. This is not a noble search for love. This is reality TV’s most loved/hated stars pulling out all the stops in competing for $250,000.

Just when you think you’ve figured out each competitor’s game plan, there’s a twist. Sometimes, it’s one of the Most Dramatic Twists Ever. Good thing we’ve got our panel to sort out all the drama. Click here for this week’s installment!

Don’t miss next week’s panel Tuesday morning at 8:10. We’ll have details on how you could rub shoulders with some of your favourite bachelors…up close and personal!

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It may only be week two of Bachelor Pad here on Citytv but we’re already privy to the cattiness and conniving that comes when you put two dozen reality TV stars together in a “grown-up” frat/sorority house.

Forget the $250,000 grand prize. I’m more interested in the dozen or so subplots we’ve already seen develop. The “sealed with a kiss” partnerships. The flexible alliances. The (could it be?) reconciliations from past seasons.

Our BT Bachelor Pad panel joined us Tuesday morning to break down Monday’s episode. As you’ll see in the video below, Jennifer, Charity and Trevor came armed with opinions and one-liners!

If you missed our interview with (now former) Bachelor Pad contestant Jessie S on Monday morning, click here for a few insights from inside the house.

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It’s the Most Dramatic Panel Ever.

Well, maybe not (after all, it’s still early), but after watching the premiere of Bachelor Pad Monday night on Citytv, it looks like our new BT Bachelor Pad panel will have plenty of material to work with.

You might say the table’s been set for the Bachelor and Bachelorette cast-offs to become living, breathing proof that all’s fair in love and war. While a few relationships seem to be sprouting early, don’t forget this is the first time these reality “stars” will have a shot at cold, hard cash (in this case, $250,000).

Trevor, Jennifer and Charity will join us on BT every Tuesday morning at 8:10. Check out the video link below for their inaugural take.

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You no doubt recognize her as the star of Law & Order and Crossing Jordan – but did you know Jill Hennessy could sing? Not only that, she’s been touring all summer including gigs at Lilith Fair and here at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival (not to mention preparing for the Canadian release of her debut album Ghost in my Head on August 17th).

It can be tough to capture the essence of some of our guests on BT. Interviews are quick and we don’t always have a chance to really dig deep into what makes a person tick. Then there’s Jill. As you’ll see here, there’s plenty of evidence this Edmonton-born star is a genuine, charming, classy example of “good people.” And it’s not just on camera. In her two hours on set, Jill spent more time chatting with our crew, shooting photos and signing autographs than she did actually preparing for her live performance. You get the sense she’s an ambassador for all of us Canadians as her career continues to grow “down south.”

If you can, check out one of Jill’s many appearances this weekend at Folk Fest. Her feature performance goes Sunday afternoon at 4pm at Stage 7.

As for her invitation to Bridget, we’ll keep you posted if the stars align!

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All three of them called it…at least off the top. So when our BT Bachelorette panelists Trevor Schmidt, Meredith McLennan and Aubrey Chau saw Roberto take the final rose on Monday night’s finale of The Bachelorette on Citytv, a little Tuesday morning gloating was understandable.

I picked Chris L to be the last man standing at season’s end. In this case, second place ain’t too bad. As you’ll see in our final installment of the panel (below), I’m not the only one who doesn’t think we’ve seen the last of that classy cat.

Huge thanks to Meredith, Trevor and Aubrey for joining us every Tuesday morning over these past few months. A big shout out to La Piazza Dasee and Century Hospitality Group for sending our panelists away in style with gorgeous roses and dinner out on the town.

You won’t have to wait long for more Monday night drama on Citytv. Bachelor Pad premieres on August 9!

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I wouldn’t normally post footage of a street fight on my blog. That is, until BT viewer Tamara Stecyk passed along this hilarious take on rival business owners going toe to toe.

Local talent Moniquea Marion wrote, produced and stars in The Lemonade Stand. She recruited NAIT alumnus Mark Sereda to shoot and edit the digital short featuring some of Edmonton’s youngest comedic actors. The entry is one of several vying for top prize at www.atom.com, which includes a chunk of change and a shot at air time on Comedy Central!

Check out The Lemonade Stand below and take a minute to vote for this charming Edmonton entry (click here, register and hit “like”)!

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Put a bunch of guy’s guys in a room and it’s bound to happen – a bunch of overflowing emotion and relationship talk spiced up with tidbits of gossip.

Okay, maybe not. But that’s what we saw Monday night on The Bachelorette as all of the ousted hopefuls gathered to dish some dirt and in some cases (Kasey) salvage some semblance of dignity.

Following the show, Captain Obvious called with these observations: Kirk is the odds-on favourite to be the next Bachelor (assuming Chris L doesn’t take the honours), Craig the lawyer seems to be less of a jerk than he was first portrayed to be on the show, The Weatherman is still a clown, Justin the Wrestler is even more despised by the fellas than we thought…and we’ll be able to overdose on some of these singles in just a couple of weeks when The Bachelor Pad airs on Citytv.

Check out our panel’s thoughts via the video link below. Don’t miss Meredith, Aubrey and Trevor’s final appearance next Tuesday at 8:10 following our BT Bachelorette finale party at Milestone’s. Congratulations to all the viewers who won their way in!

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Let me get this straight. Frank’s a bad guy because he realized his heart didn’t belong to Bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky, but instead to his former flame Nicole? He’s a horrible dude because he admitted following his heart didn’t include spending eternity with the reality TV “girlfriend” he’s been sharing with 25, then 15, then 12, then… (you get the point, I’m sure) other guys?

If you gauge public opinion based on blogs, Facebook and Twitter, Frank might very well be the most hated man in America today. I mean, he packed his bags and took off, leaving Ali with just two sets of shoulders left to cry on. How cold is that?

For the record, I think Frank made the right move. I’m surprised more contestants on Citytv’s wildly-popular Bachelor/ette franchise don’t admit to the same thing. Is it really realistic that every single person falls head over heels every single time? Let’s not forget Ali made no bones about ditching then-Bachelor Jake Pavelka to “pursue her career.” We’ll never know if that’s the real reason for her departure. Something tells me her internal crystal ball may have seen a side of Jake not presented to the public by the show’s editors. That, or the show’s producers dangled an opportunity to be the next Bachelorette and she jumped.

Either way, it’s now down to two: the soft-hearted, soft-spoken Chris L (who really needs to find something besides his mother to talk about) and hunky former baseball star Roberto (the favourite to be last man standing).

Next week marks what very well could be the best episode of the bunch – the “men tell all” feaure. Then it’s up to Ali to choose her man in the big Bachelorette finale. Check out the video below for our BT Bachelorette panel’s take on Monday night’s episode and details on how you can win your way in to our exclusive BT Bachelorette finale party at Milestone’s!

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I wonder how many of the millions of loyal viewers will be contacting the producers of The Bachelorette on the heels of Monday night’s episode here on Citytv.

Where were the crazies? Where was the drama? Where was the infighting? Ali’s home town dates were faaaaaaar too normal for my liking. Decent dudes, pretty well-adjusted families, reasonable conversations – I have better ways to spend two hours, thanks.

We welcomed in our BT Bachelorette panel as per usual Tuesday morning at 8:10. Luckily we had a brand new show on Citytv (that promises to be shallow and scandalous) to talk about as well…

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Just moments before we welcomed international yo-yo champion Jensen Kimmitt to BT, one of our production team members approached me with a smile on her face.

“He wants to knock a coin off your ear with his yo-yo,” she smirked.

Right. I could think of experiences I’d rather have on a Monday morning than taking an errant toy to the chops but what was I supposed to do – say no?

Having never seen Jensen perform in person, I decided to place blind faith in his championship credentials. After all, what’s the worst that could happen? Even if I did lose seven teeth in the process, we’d no doubt reach a million hits on YouTube.

As you’ll see in the video below, Jensen rose to the challenge…and then some!

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