Thrill Seekers
By CBC
There’s a story going around, that punk-pop sensation Avril Lavigne ISN’T who you think she is. That she was replaced at the start of her career by a look-a-like. It’s an internet conspiracy theory which has been eating comedian Joanne McNally ALIVE, and she’s going to do something about it.
Joanne immerses herself in a mind-bending world of fake celebrity deaths, doppelgangers, conspiracies in an effort to understand how this rumour started, and if there’s any truth to it. Produced by What’s The Story Sounds – for BBC Sounds and CBC.
Welcome to Split Screen, an examination of the utterly captivating, sometimes unsettling world of entertainment and pop culture. From reality TV gone awry, to the cult of celebrity, each season of Split Screen takes listeners on an evocative journey inside the world of showbiz. Ex-contestants, producers, and cultural critics uncover complicated truths behind TV’s carefully curated facades, and question what our entertainment reveals about us. Split Screen: sometimes reality is twisted.
Season 1 | Kid Nation
Season 2 | Thrill Seekers
Latest episode
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Episode 2: Here’s to Never Growing Up
Joanne arrives in Napanee, Ontario – Avril’s hometown. She plunges into Avril’s early career. The young superstar-Avril was under a lot of scrutiny and pressure. Was she itching to step out of the spotlight?Plus, Joanne learns bo… -
Episode 1: What The Hell?
Joanne LOVES conspiracy theories… and there’s one she can’t get out of her head. Is it true that Avril Lavigne died, and was replaced by a body double? Joanne digs deep into the rumour mill, and the more she reads, the more she finds herself belie… -
Introducing | Split Screen: Who Replaced Avril Lavigne?
Joanne McNally LOVES conspiracy theories… and there’s one she can’t get out of her head. Is it true that Avril Lavigne died, and was replaced by a body double? Joanne digs deep into the rumour mill, and the more she reads, the more she finds herse… -
Episode 6: Back to Earth
Space Cadets: where are they now? We learn how the contestants struggled to adapt to life after the show. We bring them together after 20 years, to finally reflect on how the show permanently warped their beliefs about the world around them. -
Episode 5: Spacewalk
Four cadets are sent to space and have a profound experience as they view the Earth from above. Back on the ground, producers scramble to find a satisfying end to the series, faced with a growing feeling that the reveal could be traumatic. -
Episode 4: Hoax TV
The reviews are rolling in, but they’re not what the crew were expecting. Psychologist Cynthia McVay examines whether the manipulations integral to reality TV can be ethical and asks if this show is too cruel for broadcast. Meanwhile, the cadets f… -
Episode 3: Behind The Curtain
Before the cadets begin auditioning, a production team is hired to make the show. They too were sworn to secrecy as they were challenged to tackle a job they didn’t even think was possible. The set designers create an intricate world in order… -
Episode 2: Star City
The contestants are flown to a Russian cosmonaut base and put through the most gruelling training of their lives in preparation for their mission. But as the training becomes more and more ridiculous, doubts begin to creep in. -
Episode 1: Are You a Thrill Seeker?
Would you go on a reality show if you didn’t know what it was about? Even if they promised you the adventure of a lifetime? In 2005, 12 people did just that. They answered an ad that read “Thrill Seekers wanted” and began auditioning for a show un… -
Audio Trailer | Split Screen: Thrill Seekers
This is the story behind a multi-million dollar media experiment that promised 12 ordinary people an adventure of a lifetime. But there was a catch: while the audience knew everything, the contestants had no idea what the adventure would be. Love …