Travelling game show makes stops in northern Ontario
It’s not often that a game show comes to the north, but teens around the region have been getting the chance to show off their pop culture knowledge.
New Canadian game show 'Pop Whiz' recently made stops in North Bay and Timmins, giving small-town teens aged 13 to 17 a taste of stardom and the chance to win cash.
For youth like Mathieu Robert, he normally would have been off to summer camp but with that cancelled due to the pandemic, he decided to audition for the show online.
"I was just kind of reading through the newspaper and I saw that there was a show coming to Timmins," Robert said. "I guess it was more, just, I wanted to be on TV and see what it was like."
A sentiment shared by fellow contestant Kaisha Lougheed, who felt confident after answering a series of pop culture questions on what the production crew call ‘the Dome.’
"I always liked watching game shows when I was little, so I felt like it would be fun to be on one," Lougheed said. "I think I did pretty good."
This being the first season of the travelling show, production staff said the goal is to meet young people from across the country and they wanted to start by featuring northern Ontario, as well as other small to medium-sized towns across the province.
For producer Sergio Gallinaro, the best part is watching excited and nervous teens break out of their shells and see their reactions to being on a TV show.
"We’ve got this travelling studio for one, that I call it, but inside it really does have the look and feel of a big-studio, shiny-floor game show and I think the kids are really responding to that," Gallinaro said.
With most of them likely being on TV for the first time, the show’' host, Andrew 'Gunnarolla' Gunadie, said the teens he’s met so far have been handling it surprisingly well.
"When they’re in the cube, it’s intimidating. You got lights, you got a crew," Gunadie said. "They are keeping their cool, they’re giving the best answers possible … I think they’re making friends too. A lot of them don’t actually know each other. It’s a real community spirit here."
'Pop Whiz' has three elimination rounds, eventually crowning one winner — but Gallinaro said really as long as people have fun, everyone wins.
Production officials said the show is scheduled to premier on GameTV early next year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW From yearning for a change to cost of living, why some Canadians have left or may leave the country
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
NEW Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Defence attacks Stormy Daniels' credibility as she returns to the stand in Trump's hush money trial
Stormy Daniels will return to the witness stand Thursday in Donald Trump's hush money trial as the defence tries to undermine the credibility of the porn actor's salacious testimony about their alleged sexual encounter and the money she was paid to keep quiet.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Florida deputies who fatally shot U.S. airman burst into wrong apartment, attorney says
Deputies responding to a disturbance call at a Florida apartment complex burst into the wrong unit and fatally shot a Black U.S. Air Force airman who was home alone when they saw he was armed with a gun, an attorney for the man's family said Wednesday.
Air Canada ranks near bottom on customer satisfaction: survey
Air Canada ranks below most other major North American airlines on customer satisfaction, with airfares a particular sore point, according to a new survey.