andPOP
18 October 2009
Beautiful scenery, beautiful people, and drama galore nestled in the slopes of Whistler, British Columbia. Sound intriguing? MTV’s latest documentary series Peak Season, surrounded by much buildup, debuts Monday night (Oct. 19). So what’s all the hype about? First, it’s a bold new approach to Canadian-focused television. It’s also unscripted, raw, and features personal stories that hit closer to home. MTV Canada has ordered 10 episodes of this fresh series which follows the lives of a tight-knot group of people in Whistler, British Columbia. Peak Season offers an up-close look into their personal struggles and achievements, ranging from a tearful break-up in the first episode, to the distinct possibility that you will always run into that certain someone you were avoiding at the bar. This tight-knit group consists of Dre Morel, Lauren Horton, Amanda Scheller, Ian Ross, Matthew James, Stephanie Just and Elle Hetherington. Each 20-something-year-old has their own story to tell, and all is revealed in the long days, and even longer nights, in the town of Whistler. Stephanie Just and Dre Morel are ambitious Whistler locals, while others such as Scheller (Morel’s ex-girlfriend) moved to Whistler when she started dating him. Whistler transplants aren’t rare in the resort town: Horton moved to Whistler from Ontario, while Matthew James and his girlfriend, Elle Hetherington, hail from Australia. Peak Season also stars Ian Ross, the wise-cracking bachelor who takes partying to another level with his crew, whose meaningful conversation about comparing city girls to “expired milk” is just one example of their entertaining behaviour. Laid-back Morel attributes his presence on the show to fate. “It was the perfect time and perfect place, and just the right situation,” says Morel, who was in Toronto for the show’s premiere. In Horton’s case, the process took a bit longer. “I filled out an application form and went through the process of doing three filmed auditions over the span of 2007,” explains Horton, in Toronto last week for the show’s premiere and launch party. “They called me when I got back for the New Year and were like, ‘yeah, we want you to be part of the show.’” The cast brings the perfect mix of business, pleasure, friendships and relationships to the set. And unlike reality shows like The Hills and The City, Peak Season has an air of refreshingly authentic situations and people. “The thing that this show really brings to the table is that it’s not a reality television show; it’s a documentary series. We would just give the crew our schedule, and they would just show up and follow us,” explains Morel, whose genuinely nice and approachable personality will make him a favorite on the show. “It’s not scripted, not at all. It’s just our everyday life.” “I think a lot of people think of reality shows along the terms of scripts, and with cast members being told to ‘say this’ or that.” Horton, a wise-cracking brunette firecracker, elaborates. “With Peak Season, what you see is what is actually going on with our lives.” And what you see is a lot. From a tough relationship discussion for Dre in the first scene, to vodka-spewing antics on the slopes, Peak Season holds nothing back from the audience. Another nice touch is that there is genuinely good snowboarding promoted on the show. With the premiere on Monday, and the first episode available online, this show is sure to gain a dedicated fan base from the get-go. Peak Season encompasses a variety of situations, from an inner look into the nightlife, the hilarious conquests of Ross’s crew, international visitors, Morel’s impressive DJ skills, Horton’s burgeoning promotion company to the aspirations of a female boarder (Just) to make it pro. “We’ve basically said, here’s our lives and our souls, do what ever you want with it,” laughs Horton. The beauty of Peak Season is also in its location. Whistler, a long-touted tourist spot in Canada, sports pristine mountains, log cabins, and breathtaking scenery. “Growing up, though I have nothing to compare it to, I’m pretty sure I was spoiled with that environment,” says Morel. “From the mountains in the summer, the lakes, there’s endless things to do. It’s unfortunate that people only see the winter season, because all of it is amazing.” “I’ve sat on the beach with my bikini and seen people snowboarding and skiing on the mountain,” adds Horton. With such an enclosed environment, relationships are bound to get complicated. Fans can expect a trail of sticky messes concerning the cast members, which ultimately result in everybody’s favorite addiction: drama. Punches are thrown, curses are uttered, hearts are broken, and yes, girlfriends are forgotten at the bar. “It’s non-stop,” says Horton, who’s feisty side makes an appearance in the first episodes. “From what I’ve seen, they’re using everything. There’s never a dull moment. Personally, I’ve always stuck up for myself, and I’ve always been aggressive, but people can expect to see another side of me as well.” “Honestly, it gets better and better and better,” affirms Morel, whose relationship with Scheller is largely focused on in the first episode. “I will say that there is a crazy roller coaster ride with my relationship in this season.” What will truly draw people to the show is the raw element of its production. There is an air of spontaneity that keeps the audience engrossed and guessing, while feeling a real connection to the cast in Whistler. People will root for the ever-unpredictable Horton’s promotion company, appreciate Morel’s love and passion for music (he hopes to begin producing, and recently did sets in Toronto last month), watch the ups-and-downs of relationships on the slopes and become attached to so much more within the bubble of Whistler. “It’s going to get crazy, believe me, just stay tuned,” promises Morel.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
National Post Interview
Here is an interview Lauren and i did for the National Post
http://www.nationalpost.com/arts/story.html?id=2118524Peak Season, its gallant young Canadian cast members want to make clear, is not a Whistler-based version of The Hills. Of course, there are still breakups, makeups and tequila-fuelled hook-ups well past when it's time to go home from the bars, but there's at least one big difference between the American sensation and the new Canadian reality TV program that begins tonight on MTV: The scrappy Canadian crew is more real.
"We're not rich California kids that drive around in a Mercedes and were born with a silver spoon up our ass," says Lauren Horton, a 26-year-old Ajax, Ont.-native who has a nose ring, wears a black leather jacket and routinely displays her problem with authority on the show. "I watch The Hills and it's so fake. Those girls haven't struggled at all."
"Yeah," says Andreas "Dre" Morel, a 22-year-old DJ from Whistler, B.C. "Not this season, anyway."
There's plenty of suffering and tomfoolery on MTV's new program, which will get the full after-show treatment from Dan Levy and Jessi Cruickshank following every episode for the next 10 Monday nights. On a recent visit to Toronto, Morel and Horton found themselves experiencing the first glimmer of fame.
"Dre was on the phone and didn't notice, but we were coming out of a store and there was this big group of girls like, 'Oh my God! They're from Peak Season!' " Horton says.
"Were they hot?" asks Morel, who spins every Tuesday and Friday at the Savage Beagle, a Whistler hotspot that routinely makes cameos on the show.
"Dude, they were 14 years old!" Morton says, play-scolding. "The point is, we were recognized and the show hasn't even aired yet. It's all going to be so bizarre."
The seven cast members, all in their twenties and white, work in bars and hit the slopes, and the show's prying cameras aren't shy about examining their roller-coaster love lives. Horton and Morel both say they got used to the production (and are adamant that producers never put words in their mouths), but admit their friends and lovers had a hard time adjusting to life under a boom mic.
"When I went out to the clubs, people saw the cameras and would cause drama just to get on TV," says Morel, whose first scene on the program involves the packing of white sunglasses and black cargo pants from the home he and his ex-girlfriend Amanda once shared. "Amanda and I were breaking up, I was going out, partying hard, and that's when we started filming. I tried to be who I am."
By having the cameras follow Horton and Morel for three months, it definitely elevated the amount of attention the outgoing youngsters already receive. With that attention, of course, comes jealousy.
"I see hater comments on the Internet, but I welcome the haters just like I welcome the lovers because they're the ones that are watching," Horton says. "If you're really not interested, why would you have so much to say?"
The key for any participant on a reality-TV program is to leverage the new-found stardom into a post-television career and both Horton and Morel are hatching their plans. While Morel hopes to continue with his burgeoning career as a DJ, Horton is hard at work setting up a promotional company called Black Out Productions, which will, among other things, provide Coors Light girls to Whistler's bars. She says she was pleased with her Peak Season experience. Even if it forced her to let down her guard.
"The producers would say, 'You're the only girl who hasn't cried on the show,' and I told them, 'I'm not a crier,' but eventually I showed my vulnerable side," Horton says. "They broke me, dammit -- and I'm the tough chick!" - Peak Season premieres tonight at 10 p.m. on MTV Canada.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
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THIS'N'THAT
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