The latest viral craze sweeping the western world is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, in which people dump ice water on their heads in exchange for a chance to nominate three (or more) other people to do the same. Videos of celebrities and athletes doing this are all over the Internet now, and the campaign has recently spread to certain parts of Montreal media.
The challenge has been criticized as a gimmicky fad that’s more about doing silly stuff than actually raising money or awareness. Kind of like Movember. And there’s something to that. But the ALS Association has also seen eight times the amount of donations it normally does for this time of year. That’s more than $10 million that would otherwise not have been donated.
In Montreal, the challenge has begun sweeping the local media scene, and is continuing to spread (I’ve updated this post several times to add new ones).
Here are some links to videos of their dunkings, which I’ll be adding to as it spreads further. (Most are posted to Facebook, and some of those might not be accessible to everyone. If you’re going to post one of these videos to Facebook, be sure to make it public — or better yet, post it to YouTube instead — and don’t shoot it vertically for crying out loud).
If nothing else, they provide insight into what your favourite TV and radio personalities’ backyards look like.
CBC Montreal
- Anchor Debra Arbec (also included in CBC’s report) (challenged by Shawn Apel)
- Anchor Nancy Wood (challenged by Alex Leduc)
- Weather presenter Frank Cavallaro (challenged by Debra Arbec)
- Weather presenter Sabrina Marandola (challenged by Alex Leduc)
- Reporter Alex Leduc (challenged by Debra Arbec)
- Reporter Andie Bennett*
- Reporter Shawn Apel* (challenged by Andie Bennett)
- Reporter Shari Okeke* (challenged by Sudha Krishnan)
- Reporter Sudha Krishnan (challenged by Nancy Wood)
- Reporter Sean Henry (challenged by Nancy Wood)
- Reporter Raffy Boudjikanian (challenged by Shari Okeke)
- Reporter Thomas Daigle (challenged by Sabrina Marandola)
- Quebec correspondent Tim Duboyce* (challenged by Thomas Daigle)
- Community editor Thomas Ledwell*
- Former arts columnist Pierre Landry
Sabrina Marandola got Andrew Chang in on it, and he decided to spice things up.
CTV Montreal
- Anchor Paul Karwatsky (challenged by Terry DiMonte)
- Sports anchor Paul Graif
- Sports anchor/reporter Andre Corbeil
- Weather presenter Lori Graham (challenged by Mike D)
- Reporter Max Harrold
- Reporter Natalie Nanowski* (challenged by Paul Karwatsky)
- Web reporter Amy Luft* (challenged by Natalie Nanowski)
- Sports and entertainment reporter Chantal Desjardins
Global Montreal
- Morning host Richard Dagenais (challenged by Aalia Adam)
- Weather specialist Jessica Laventure
- Reporter and substitute weather presenter Aalia Adam
- Reporter Rachel Lau
- Contributors Eric Cohen and Jay Walker
City Montreal
- Host Joanne Vrakas (challenged by Wilder Weir and Sarah Bartok)
- Host Alexandre Despatie
- Live Eye host Wilder Weir
- Reporter Laura Casella
- New media host Elias Makos (challenged by Joanne Vrakas and Shawn McMahon)
- News writer Levon Sevunts (challenged by Laura Casella)
City Toronto has compiled videos of these challenges from City personalities across the country
ICI
- General Manager Sam Norouzi (arguably a fail)
- Editor Brendan Charles
CJAD
The Beat
- Morning host Sarah Bartok (challenged by Frank Cavallaro)
- Daytime host Donna Saker* (challenged by Vinny Barrucco)
- Afternoon host Cousin Vinny Barrucco (challenged by Sarah Bartok)
- Afternoon host Shawn McMahon (challenged by Sarah Bartok)
- Evening host Kim Sullivan (challenged by Donna Saker)
The Beat also got former colleague Jeremy White to take the challenge, and former PD Leo Da Estrela.
CHOM
- Morning host Terry DiMonte
- Morning host Heather Backman
- Morning producer Esteban Vargas* (challenged by Terry DiMonte)
- Evening host Jason Rockman
- Weekend host Sharon Hyland*
- Weekend host Rob Kemp (challenged by Sharon Hyland)
- Montreal Rocks host Jay Walker
Virgin Radio 96
This video combines the following:
- Morning host Freeway Frank Depalo
- Afternoon host Mark Bergman
- Evening host Tony Stark
- Overnight host Mike D
- Weekend host Kelly Alexander
- Weekend host MC Mario
TSN Radio 690
- Host Tony Marinaro
- Alouettes broadcast team Rick Moffat and Dave Mudge
- Conor McKenna
- Mitch Gallo (challenged by Conor McKenna)
- Jay Farrar (challenged by Mitch Gallo)
- Dave Kaufman
KIC Country
The Gazette
- Engagement editor Mick Côté
- Managing Editor Michelle Richardson and copy editor Denise Duguay (challenged by Mick Côté)
- Columnist Dave Stubbs*
- Photojournalist Phil Carpenter
- Photojournalist John Mahoney (challenged by Phil Carpenter) – Bonus: Video from the bucket’s perspective
- Photojournalist Peter McCabe
- Reporter Christopher Curtis (challenged by Mick Côté)
- Reporter Jason Magder (challenged by Denise Duguay)
- Copy editor Steve Faguy (challenged by Denise Duguay)
Others
- Patrick Henry Charles* of Stingray Digital (challenged by Leo Da Estrela)
- Staff of Loulou magazine (challenged by City Montreal)
- Don Cherry and Ron MacLean
I made my $100 donation through the Tony Proudfoot Fund. The Gazette has reposted Proudfoot’s stories chronicling his life with ALS.
Based on the people who have done it so far(& have listed here). You are correct, most of those Montreal media who have posted their dunkings on Facebook, have not made it public(you wouldn’t know since you are probably Facebook friends with all these people). Example Debra Arbec, Cousin Vinny, Andie Bennett etc.. Surprised no one from The Gazette has done The Ice Bucket Challenge yet(to your knowledge).
100$ to ALS if Mutsumi takes the challenge.
Wait for the first freezing rain of the year and Montreal can do a collective ice bucket challenge.
You don’t get to wait that long, I’m afraid. Consider yourself challenged.