Vancouver’s Winter Olympics got off to a bad start. But if you thought that meant there was nowhere to go but up, you were wrong.

Before the games even began, the worst thing possible happened when Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died during his practice run. I, along with many others, had the unfortunate timing of tuning into CTV’s Olympics Preview special right when Kumaritashvili fatally collided with a steel beam. Not that it mattered, since the footage kept replaying so that everyone would be subjected to the horrifying video until the IOC finally banned it.

A day after the deadly crash, the IOC released an investigation in which it ruled Kumaritashvili’s death was the result of human error, essentially blaming the victim — nice. Then, in a move of great hypocrisy, behind-the-scenes safety changes were made that contradicted the public stance when the men’s start line was pushed forward in an attempt to reduce speeds, and a padded barrier was put up at the turn where Kumaritashvili lost his life. Awful.

Onto Day 1.

No one is to blame for the weather except evil Mother Nature (she and I have been at odds for years, especially on those humid, frizzy-haired August days), but who thought that Vancouver, while a beautiful city, would be an ideal place for the Winter Olympic Games?

Obviously, the city can’t manipulate the weather, nor can it control schizophrenic El Nino, which has made Vancouver warmer than Orlando. But it is the warmest city ever to host the Games, a teensy fact that wasn’t an issue … until Whistler and the Greater Vancouver Area started seeing flip-flop weather a month ago.

Still, weather, a highly-publicized death and a shameful bit of blame-gaming aside, there was the technical snafu that embarrassed Canada’s greatest sports heroes — including a pissed-looking Great One — in front of millions of people worldwide.

All before Day 2.

The opening ceremonies itself was as over-the-top as Donald Sutherland’s doom-and-gloom narration during segments, making the Vancouver Olympics seem seconds away from doomsday. Millions of people around the world watched as Canada proved to be all about phallic symbols, gothic fiddlers, punk cloggers, slam poets with bad facial hair and Peter Pan. Oh, and the slowest rendition ever of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” was sooooo draaaaaawn ooouuut. The ceremony began with a bizarre rendition of the national anthem, and was capped by a faulty torch lighting.


A snapshot of Vancouver's opening ceremonies

Then there was all that gold medal chatter. It was only Day 2 of the Winter Games, and analysts and commentators were already beating us over the head with all the “When will Canada win its first gold medal on Canadian soil?” schtick. Honestly, if I hear the words “gold medal favourite” one more time, I might hurl a hockey puck at the TV. I understand that everyone was pumped for a first gold (thank you for getting that out of the way, Alexandre Bilodeau!), but it seemed like the CTV peeps just sitting around, fretting over who would provide the best commercial moment and when it would come. Focusing on it was so distracting and took away from the other beautiful parts of the competition.

I’m a big believer in the motto “expect the worst, hope for the best,” so why not just refer to some of our athletes as “medal favourites?” It preps the country for a letdown if our contenders “only” take silver or bronze. God forbid they don’t medal at all. Canada’s athletes already have enough to deal with without that added pressure.

Take Jenn Heil, the first “favourite”of the games. While she did a fantastic moguls run, she was beaten — rightfully so — by American Hannah Kierney. It was quite an accomplishment, and sure, Heil didn’t repeat her previous gold medal win, but so what? She still did an amazing job. Yet, the CTV reporter interviewing her afterwards made it seem like winning silver (read: losing gold) was something to feel crappy about. Thankfully, Heil was able to ignore his dismayed tone and handled it with grace, despite being under fire.

I also don’t understand how CTV thought there would be enough action to monopolize all its channels (with the exception of the awesome A). Canada AM filming from Vancouver? Lainey gossiping about various parties? MTV dishing on Olympics fashion? That fodder only subjects viewers to filler and repetition, not engaging content. I’m pretty sure people tuning into the Olympics want to see the sports, not what Seamus O’Regan does when he’s off the clock. Wake up, CTV! It’s not about the network, it’s about the athletes. How about we just let the sports run all day so viewers can enjoy the flow and maybe learn a thing or two about the lesser known sports?

I know I’m probably going to be lambasted for my remarks; I already feel un-Canadian for writing them. But, there have been countless times this week where I’ve thrown poor Hubby questions about scoring, how many qualification runs are made, if judges combine the long and short programs, why the snowboard cross have to race a small final (um, it’s the Olympics — is a consolation round really necessary?), etc. Maybe it’s my not-so-impeccable timing, and they’ve provided an answer to whatever my question of the moment is right before I’ve tuned in, but it could bear repeating — everything else is, so why not the facts?

Speaking of the coverage, it’s erratic, bouncing from cheesy commentary to the same cloying ads. It’s much more commercial than it needs to be. It’s clear the people watching just want to see the athletes competing in the sports they like best. Why is that so hard for CTV to understand?

When combined, do all these events make Vancouver 2010 worse than the financial disaster in Montreal or the disorganization in Atlanta? Maybe not. But is it the worst Games ever? Hardly.

But they do seem cursed, don't they?

 

Thoughts? denette@tvguide.ca

Follow Denette on Twitter!

 

 

Denette’s not ashamed to say she has loved TV for as long as she can remember, whether she was rolling her eyes at Polkaroo on Polka Dot Door, catching up on soaps recorded on her family’s trusty Betamax, crushing on Face from The A-Team or laughing along with The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Nowadays, Denette digs Glee, Mad Men, Chuck, So You Think You Can Dance, Big Brother, awards shows, and Friends reruns. Things that annoy her to no end are Samantha Harris’ co-hosting Dancing With the Stars, the addition of Kara DioGuardi on American Idol, someone calling during Lost and her PVR crashing. If you’ve thought it, it’s probably crossed her mind, too. Denette will gladly praise a show, but she’ll be more than happy to slam something if it sucks.

 

Follow TV Guide Canada on Facebook