When I first heard about the Canada Sings concept, I was skeptical.
Initially, I heard about it from one of my family members who told me that her office was participating in a reality version of Glee. I looked into it and initially confused it with The Glee Project. When I dug around a little more, I learned about it being “a six-part original series that challenged ordinary Canadians to form extraordinary glee clubs with their co-workers and compete against another workplace team for a $10,000 donation to their charity of choice.” It sounded a little more appealing but specifically because I thought that it would be funny to see office stooges try and rock the mic.
Then I saw the who the judges were and the show immediately went from a ‘maybe’ to a ‘must-see.’
Simple Plan’s Pierre Bouvier, Jann Arden and… Vanilla Ice himself, Rob Van Winkle. I was a huge Vanilla Ice fan as a teenager and he was always one of my dream interviews. My interest in talking to him only intensified when he entered the reality realm of my expertise on The Surreal Life and I knew that he would immediately add a lot to the panel not only in terms of witty one-liners but also in terms of credibility.
While the show premieres tonight at 9 p.m. on Global, I got the chance to go backstage at one of the tapings in March and took some time to stop collaborate and listen to Vanilla Ice talk about the show, how he got involved and if he was surprised by the level of talent that he found.
I also stuck around to watch a taping of it where the Scarborough Hospital’s “Pulse” team (I know deliciously ironic considering this is InsidePulse) took on the The Keg Steakhouse & Bar’s “Keg Spirits.” The hospital was playing for new medical equipment and the Scarborough Hospital Foundation and The Keg was playing for The Keg Spirit Foundation.
The show was spectacular and it was unbelievable seeing a regular office workplaces transform into a full-out Glee clubs who not only both covered a classic song but also were able to master the intricate choreography. It was like seeing a nurse you have known for years suddenly appear in a Broadway show that you bought tickets too. Crazy!
Ultimately, the show is definitely worth a look and one of the summer programs that I really recommend. It’s also a completely new concept that hasn’t been done before and in an a reality-competition show market that has become heavily saturated, this one sticks out. I am glad it is Canadian!
Check out my interview with Vanilla Ice below!
Canada Sings premieres tonight on Global at 9 p.m.
