A muddy and sometimes explosive reality show is coming to Canadian TV this week as 10 contestants vie to become the countryB次元官网网址檚top amateur potter.

Their creations are delicate, but the potters are tough,saysJennifer Robertson, host of B次元官网网址淭he Great Canadian Pottery Throw DownB次元官网网址� premiering Thursday on CBC and streaming on CBC Gem.

B次元官网网址淭here arenB次元官网网址檛 a lot of art forms that if you have one slight misstep, your entire piece can just explode,B次元官网网址� says the actorwho is best known for her role as Jocelyn Schitt in the broadcasterB次元官网网址檚 award-winning comedyshow B次元官网网址淪chittB次元官网网址檚 Creek.B次元官网网址�

The potters are accustomed to navigating the emotional ups and downs of making ceramics, she says, but they still pray to the B次元官网网址渒iln godsB次元官网网址� to spare their work.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 tears,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淭hey put a lot of themselves into a lot of these pieces.B次元官网网址�

The eight-episode series, shot on VancouverB次元官网网址檚 Granville Island, follows potters from across the country as they transform mounds of clay into sculptural artworks and functional wares, making everything from table lamps to fountains to dinnerware for a nine-course tasting menu.

Viewers who arenB次元官网网址檛 familiar with ceramics will be drawn to watching the B次元官网网址渞aw creativityB次元官网网址� of the potters in action, says Brendan Tang, one of two expert judges and an instructor at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver.

Toronto-based ceramic artist and educator Natalie Waddell also joins as an expert judge, while another potter with roots in Vancouver makes an appearance.

Seth Rogen is a guest judge and executive producer for the show, which emulates the B次元官网网址淕reat Pottery Throw DownB次元官网网址� that originated in the United Kingdom in 2015.

In the opening episode, Rogen shows the potters how to recreate the first piece he ever threw on the wheel B次元官网网址� an ashtray B次元官网网址� and asks them to put their own spin on the shape in a 30-minute challenge related to the actorB次元官网网址檚 other pot-related pastime.

While Tang was initially B次元官网网址渟tar struckB次元官网网址� meeting Rogen, he says they quickly became B次元官网网址渢wo clay nerdsB次元官网网址� talking about the many facets of ceramics explored in the show.

That includes raku firing, a technique in which pieces are removed from the kiln glowing red hot, then placed in a fiery container of combustible materials to create a variety of colours and effects.

B次元官网网址淚 saw how dedicated he is,B次元官网网址� Tang says of Rogen. B次元官网网址淚 really enjoyed that.B次元官网网址�

Robertson jokes that any qualms about a B次元官网网址淗ollywood guyB次元官网网址� stealing the show were quickly dispelled as it became clear that Rogen takes pottery B次元官网网址渧ery seriously.B次元官网网址�

The Canadian Press asked CBC for an interview with Rogen, but he wasnB次元官网网址檛 available.

Robertson isnB次元官网网址檛 herself a potter, although she has built a collection over the years. It now proudly includes a wonky little pot that one of the judges helped her make while they were filming last summer, she says.

The B次元官网网址淕inny & GeorgiaB次元官网网址� star says watching the potters and seeing the results of their skill and dedication has given her a new appreciation for the art form.

B次元官网网址淣ow, I can look at a piece and I know whatB次元官网网址檚 gone into it, the energy and effort.B次元官网网址�

Tang says his jaw B次元官网网址渉it the groundB次元官网网址� when he saw the quality of the B次元官网网址淭hrow DownB次元官网网址� pottersB次元官网网址� work and B次元官网网址渉ow high they were shootingB次元官网网址� with their creations.

B次元官网网址淚 thought I knew who was going to win from the get-go, and there are so many twists and turns in this show, itB次元官网网址檚 great,B次元官网网址� Tang says.

The contestants complete two challenges each week, sometimes exploring shapes, materials and techniques they have never tried before. The judges select one person to be named potter of the week, while another is sent home B次元官网网址� and not without tears from some of their fellow contestants as they say goodbye.

ItB次元官网网址檚 a reality competition show, but Robertson says there are no B次元官网网址渧illains.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲e have the kiln, thatB次元官网网址檚 bad enough sometimes,B次元官网网址� she adds.

Tang says heB次元官网网址檚 noticed a surge of people, like Rogen, catching the pottery bug in recent years. The pandemic further spurred the trend as many people sought new ways to reconnect with themselves, he says, and ceramics is the perfect fit.

B次元官网网址淚t almost becomes like a meditation in motion or a flow-state practice, and I think people really enjoy that, where the world just disappears,B次元官网网址� Tang says.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e talking about a medium that has a 32,000-year history with our species, so weB次元官网网址檝e been playing with clay since, like, the beginning, almost,B次元官网网址� he adds.

The show is a B次元官网网址渢hrow down,B次元官网网址� but Tang says it captures a studio filled with B次元官网网址渃amaraderieB次元官网网址� as the potters cheer each other on to create deeply personal work.

B次元官网网址淚 think we see the tough parts of the human spirit every day on the news, and this is like the positive part of being human.B次元官网网址�

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