The Nations! is a Canadian/New Zealand digital comedy/reality competition series starring Sean Cullen and Jarred Christmas. It premiered on CBC Punchline and Television New Zealand on 29 February 2016.[1]
| The Nations! | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy, Travel |
| Directed by | Jay Ferguson |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | Canada, New Zealand |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Lisa Baylin |
| Running time | 6 minutes |
| Production companies | iThentic thedownlowconcept |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBC Television Television New Zealand |
| Release | 29 February 2016 |
Plot edit
The Nations is a comedic take on the travelogue, where two comedian hosts travel each of their respective nations, discussing which one is better on a variety of topics. Hosted by Sean Cullen (Canada) and Jarred Christmas (New Zealand), the series looks at strange facts and locations from each country, focusing on food, drinks, politics, etc. The interactive website that accompanies the digital series allows users to vote on the 'winner' of each episode, while also competing against other users by partaking in quizzes, games, and more, culminating in the final decision of which nation is the best. The winning nation has yet to be announced.[2]
Guest appearances edit
- Rob Ford – Former Mayor of Toronto
- Don Newman – Broadcast journalist
- Jacinda Ardern – Labour Party MP
- Meghan Agosta – Hockey player, Canada women's national ice hockey team
- Noah Cantor – Former football player, Canadian Football League
- Jill Barber - Musician
- Villainy - Band
- Kings - Musician
- Chris Locke - Comedian
- Allison Price - Comedian
- Cassie Moes - Comedian
- Pax Assadi - Comedian
- Dr. Jess O'Reilly - Sexologist
Episodes edit
| No. | Title | Directed by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Food" | Jay Ferguson | 29 February 2016 | |
|
The hosts explore the best gastronomy: Montreal's smoked meat sandwiches and Wellington's fish and chips are compared before a competition for the best steak where Wellington's Logan Brown and Halifax's Brooklyn Warehouse face-off. | ||||
| 2 | "Extreme" | Jay Ferguson | 29 February 2016 | |
| 3 | "Wildlife" | Jay Ferguson | 29 February 2016 | |
|
Canada's wildlife is exhibited at Quebec's Omega Park and fishing at Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia, while a tour through New Zealand's Zealandia reveals the takahē, once thought to be extinct. | ||||
| 4 | "Politics" | Jay Ferguson | 29 February 2016 | |
|
Canadian politics are explored through former broadcast journalist, Don Newman, and infamous former Mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford. Meanwhile, Labour Party MP Jacinda Ardern discusses some weird moments in New Zealand politics. | ||||
| 5 | "Sports" | Jay Ferguson | 29 February 2016 | |
|
Which sport is more intense, Hockey or Cricket? Football or Rugby? Seán and Jarred both try out the other nation's toughest sports with guest appearances from Canadian sports luminaries, Meghan Agosta and Noah Cantor. | ||||
| 6 | "Scary" | Jay Ferguson | 29 February 2016 | |
|
Seán and Jarred look into the scary histories of their nations, including a haunted jail turned into a hostel in Ottawa and an asylum turned into a theme park in Auckland. Along the way they stop into a giant apple and Weta Digital. | ||||
| 7 | "Comedy" | Jay Ferguson | 29 February 2016 | |
|
Seán and Jarred try to find out which nation is funnier by going to Toronto’s Comedy Bar, Ottawa's Absolute Comedy and VK's Comedy Bar in Wellington, featuring Chris Locke, Allison Price, Cassie Moes and Pax Assadi. | ||||
| 8 | "Romance" | Jay Ferguson | 29 February 2016 | |
|
To find out which country is more romantic, Seán and Jarred talk to Canadian sexologist Dr. Jess O'Reilly and go glamping in New Zealand's Bethells Beach. | ||||
| 9 | "Drinks" | Jay Ferguson | 29 February 2016 | |
|
Which nation drinks harder, Canada or New Zealand? Seán and Jarred visit the Villa Maria Estates and Vancouver's Gerard Lounge to find out. | ||||
| 10 | "Music" | Jay Ferguson | 29 February 2016 | |
|
Seán and Jarred talk to Canada's Jill Barber and New Zealand's Villainy to find out which country has better music, though the competition ultimately involves a national anthem sing-off, including a dubstep remix of New Zealand's God Defend New Zealand. | ||||
References edit
- ^ "The Nations - Punchline on CBC". CBC Punchline. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
- ^ "The Nations: CAN vs NZ". thenations.tv. Retrieved 2016-03-08.