Called “the funniest woman on TV today, period”, by The Province, Jessi Cruickshank is currently the host of CBC TV’s Canada’s Smartest Person and the upcoming host of the network’s new daytime talk show, The Goods. A household name, Jessi also uses her celebrity profile to shed light on the social issues that affect us all. Able to speak on her career trajectory, as well as on topics surrounding her philanthropic endeavours, Jessi’s ease in front of an audience and her personable demeanour make her a natural choice for a wide variety of events and endorsements. The Metro magazine caught up with Jessi to talk about today’s debut of The Goods:
If there was a buzzword for CBC-TV’s new daytime series “The Goods,” it would be “fun.”
“That’s my favourite ‘F’ word,” Jessi Cruickshank quipped in an interview, in which she and co-host Steven Sabados used the word many times in describing the show and genuinely seemed to be having fun with each other.
“Maybe it’s the only one that pertains to daytime. But really, we want it to be fun.”
“It’s all about laughter,” added Sabados. “You’ve got to have a good time. We want the viewer to have a smile on their face.”
Viewers will no doubt be happy to see a smile on Sabados’s face, as well, after last year’s death of his husband and “Steven and Chris” co-host Chris Hyndman.
“The Goods,” airing weekdays starting on Monday, marks his return to CBC daytime programming after the tragedy.
“Television is in my blood,” Sabados said, when asked why he wanted to return. “The CBC came to me and had this idea of the show, they talked about what the concept was, they talked about (Cruickshank) and it seemed like a fantastic fit.
“And how could I turn down such an amazing opportunity? I’m looking forward to it.”
Shot live-to-tape in front of a studio audience, “The Goods” has four hosts in total.
Sabados will focus on all things home and decor alongside Cruickshank as the style guru.
Their co-stars are relationship- and wellness-focused Andrea Bain and executive chef Shahir Massoud of the Italian chain Levetto.
“My favourite thing in the world is interacting with real people and on-the-spot hilarious stuff and we really want to take advantage of our audience,” said Cruickshank, the sharp-witted TV personality known for “The Hills After Show,” “etalk” and “Canada’s Smartest Person.”
“Interacting with them, bringing people up and calling them out and maybe going through the audience,” added Sabados. “The interaction is what’s key.”
Asked who they would like as a guest, Cruickshank quipped: “The hottest athlete from Rio 2016, shirtless on the couch. That’s my vote. With the gold medal. That’s the only clothing that’s allowed. That’s what I’d like.”
“I’ll second that then,” added Sabados.
“In between us on the couch,” replied Cruickshank.
“AWK-ward,” concluded Sabados, with a laugh.