Andreas (Dre) MorelThis Week on Peak Season: Episode Eight

Mondays are the perfect day for my weekly dose of Whistler. Typically, I stumble around like a madwoman, scattering children and cute old ladies aside on the streets, with nothing to look forward to except Tuesday. I’m usually ashamed of my weekend, having thrown away any hopes of productivity as soon as Friday night rolls around. But, hark, what’s the only solution to making yourself feel better about yourself, thereby your boosting self-esteem on the dreaded day-after-the-weekend? Why, just find people that behave worse than you do, of course. Thus, Peak Season comes on the scene. I’m a true believer in fate. Monday nights plus Peak Season = the best combination since gravy, cheese and fries.

What happens:

Dre: The girl-whisperer.

It looks like we have a triple threat on our hands with this Dre character. He can DJ, he can snowboard and he can take lethal bites without even a grimace.

As Dre discusses last episode’s events with his friend, Jason, at the ski lodge, it becomes apparent that he is speaking in code. Tricky bastard. Thankfully, after scourging the internet for Whister-translation, I was able to translate his foreign language to common tongue.  Case in point:

“I just calmed her down.” Translation: “I held her hair back until she passed out.”

“I said the right words.” Translation: “I got lucky.”

This week, Dre spins the fashion show event that Amanda is modeling in, and the only thing hotter than his mixes was the eye-contact between the two on the runway.

Lauren: Just one of the guys.

Lauren tucks away the sweet innocent side we’ve been growing to accept, and brings back the burly gruff alter-ego that we’ve loved from the beginning. Out for Caesars with Scoot, Ian and Doyle, at first glance it just looks as though she is the exceptionally beautiful man out of the group, she blends in so well. Next thing you know she’ll be pumping iron with Ian in the gym, commenting on how sculpted and handsome they both are.

Unfortunately, no amount of weight training will ever blow Lauren up to the proportions of the gorilla-sized Mr. Clean that develops a man-crush on Scoot at the bar. I’m still not sure if it’s socially acceptable for this man to bring up his hot tub to Scoot within two minutes of meeting him, but I highly suspect it’s his innovative method of boiling and cleansing his food before he cooks it. Poor Scoot, not only is he being sized up as an appetizer, but his victimization results in a not-so-clear fight between him and Lauren. Perhaps she’s threatened that Scoot might be attracted to the one person in Whistler that could possibly beat her in an arm-wrestling match.

Amanda: The player.

In a way, I can relate to Amanda. I’ve always been the indecisive one at the restaurant, the one that agonizes over every choice on the menu, sends away the waiter several times, and ends up with the grilled cheese sandwich in the end. I think Amanda is like this too, but substitute the menu items for men. We all know what she’s going to order in the end, but it’s still amusing to watch her agonize over the choices.

Denny, unfortunately, is the bread served at the beginning of the meal. Amanda has had her fill, and now she doesn’t need any more carbs to ruin the rest of her restaurant experience. Colton, who disconcertedly resembles Dre with a widows peak and a ponytail, is the new dessert on the menu, perhaps an exquisite creme brule that Amanda won’t be able to finish herself. And then there’s Dre himself, the grilled cheese sandwich, the reliable choice that everyone (except for yourself, that is) knows you’re going to pick in the end.

This is painstakingly evident in the “sex-me” eyes that the two exchange over the runway at a Fashion Show that Dre is spinning for, and Amanda is walking in. Those looks are more sexually loaded than twenty of Ian’s text messages. I don’t know who she’s trying to fool with the nonchalance in terms of Dre- you can’t go from bridezilla to singleton in one week. Time will only tell if her bipolar dating strategy will work out in the end.

Matt and Elle: Destined for Distance.

I don’t know what this show is going to do without Matt and Elle’s PDA. After deciding that it’s time for her to go home, Elle breaks the news to Matt, who is heartbroken enough to say that it “sucks,” instead of it’s “sucky.” I’m truly going to miss the international vocabulary these two brought out of each other.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Elle just missed her sun-kissed glow, and was just sick of curling her hair every day, only to put a toque overtop of it. It’s just another perk of being a Canadian.

After a final night out for sushi, Elle packs up and departs on the Pacific Coach bus to head back to the land of sunshine and surfer’s. Poor Matt, who’s he going to go dogsledding and jumping off bridge with? I suppose he will have to go drown his sorrows in a pint, or perhaps celebrate his freedom… with a pint. Either way, Matt without female supervision will is bound to involve some drunken trouble.

Best Lines:

“We’re high school sweethearts.” -Matt

“I think that high school sweethearts have the highest rate of divorce.” -Elle’s friend.

“I love putting the fear in girls that are screwing around.” -Lauren

“I’ll be staring right into your eyes when I’m walking…” -Amanda

“Don’t trip.” -Dre

Overall:

Romance is in the air in Whistler, and it seems toxic to breathe in. With the word “love” tossed around like an easy girl, it seems as though all the opposite sex causes is trouble in this resort town. The thing I love most about this show is that it’s the only time I’m allowed to say “dude,” “sick,” and “stoked” without sounding like Steven Hyde on That ‘70s Show. I also love how it completley contradicts the stereotype that all Canadians are peacemakers. Peak Season encompasses a lot of themes, but I wouldn’t say that “peace” is ever one of them. Dramatic, yes. Crazy, of course. Nearing legally insane at some points? Absolutely. All in all, it’s fantastic that a Canadian show can generate this big of a fan base. Within these past eight episodes, the characters of Peak Season have stumbled, slurred, bitten and charmed their way into my cynical heart.

andPOP insider interview with Andreas (Dre) Morel:

What’s not to love? Dre Morel writes in to let us know what it’s like living in Whistler, spinning in Whistler, and what the show has done to change his life.

Did you have any idea that Peak Season would get this huge?

“While filming I would always think of how the show would turn out, but I honestly had no idea that it would be this successful. Being filmed in Whistler, obviously the show has the right recipe to generate interest with all the beautiful scenery, action, and of course… drama.”

Do you feel like you’ve become a celebrity, or is that hard to grasp?

“When I walk around town or go to Vancouver I’m getting recognized here and there from people that watch the show. It’s cool when people come up to me and say ‘Hey, you’re Dre from Peak Season. I love that show’ and then they talk to me about my mixes. Its kind of weird but I would have say its definitely helping my DJ career.”

Have you been seeing more people coming to Whistler for your spinning at the Beagle and Garf’s to come see the stars of Peak Season?

“For sure. Ian also works at Garfs so there are Peak Season fans there every weekend.”

Best moment on the show?

“That would have to be the scene where I’m playing hockey with my boys on Alta Lake. That was an early sunny morning and the ice was just perfect.”

Anything you’ve said on air that you wish you could have taken back?

“There are a couple things I’ve said on air that I kind of regret. There’s one scene where I’m playing pool with Jason and I call Amanda ‘the one’. Don’t remember saying that. I definitely regret calling Amanda a psycho on The After Show cause my mother gave me so much grief for that one… whoops!”

We’ve already seen you get scratched, bitten and chased after in the bar by Amanda. Was this a regular occurrence while you were dating as well?

“I would have to say it’s happened more than once but only when Amanda is under the influence. All my friends have witnessed her antics so if you don’t believe me ask any of them.”

Why did you two break up in the first place? You were already moving out by the first episode.

“There were a lot of reasons why we broke up as there are in most break-ups, we’ve tried breaking up like a hundred times. I think living with Amanda at the young age that we were at was definitely the main issue for our break-up. Living with your girlfriend at that age is a serious move and commitment that I wasn’t ready for. I had no time for the things I wanted to do cause I would be with Amanda 24/7.”

Are you currently single?

“Yup.”

Still friends with Amanda?

“Definitely. I still talk to Amanda here and there and try to support her through this crazy Peak Season ride. Its hard especially for her to go through the whole break-up scenes again since we filmed this a year ago.”

In the last episode, we see that your friend Mike also doubles as a waiter. Do you have a second job aside from DJ’ing?

“I am a man of many trades. I do a whole bunch of odd jobs here and there like construction, landscaping, snow shovelling, and this summer I was even delivering sculptures for this gallery in Whistler.”

Tell me something about you that people can’t tell from watching Peak Season.

“It’s hard to tell what kind of music I play from all the episodes because of editing. I usually play electro/house.”

Anything else to say to your fans?

“Thank you for watching the show and if you like house/electro music check out my blog andreasmorel.blogspot.com or soundcloud.com/dremorel to download all my mixes. If you’re ever in Whistler come check me out at Garfinkles or the Savage Beagle!”






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