The Amazing Race Canada
The Amazing Race Canada is a Canadian adventure reality game show based on the international Amazing Race franchise. Following the premise of other versions of the format, the show follows teams of two as they race across Canada and around the world. The Race is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in foreign areas, interact with locals, perform physical and mental challenges, and travel by air, boat, car, taxi, and other modes of transport. Teams are progressively eliminated at the end of most legs for being the last to arrive at designated Pit Stops. The first team to arrive at the Finish Line wins a grand prize of, and additional prizes from the show's sponsors.
Commissioned and broadcast by CTV, The Amazing Race Canada is hosted by former Olympian Jon Montgomery, produced by Insight Productions in association with Bell Media and with the support of Profiles Television.
After the season 7 finale, it was announced that the show was renewed for an eighth season to air in 2020. However, its production was postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Race
The Amazing Race Canada is a reality television competition between at least nine teams of two. The race is divided into a number of legs wherein teams travel and complete various tasks to obtain clues to help them progress to a Pit Stop, where they are given a chance to rest and recover before starting the next leg twelve hours later. The first team to arrive at a Pit Stop is often awarded a prize while the last team is normally eliminated from the race. The final leg of each race is run by the last three remaining teams, and the first to arrive at the final destination wins, two vehicles of any Chevrolet model cars and unlimited air travel for a year with Air Canada.On the airdate of the first season finale it was announced that CTV Bell Media had ordered another season of The Amazing Race Canada. Casting began in fall 2013 and the second season aired in summer 2014. New to the eligibility requirements for season 2 were clauses that applicants must possess a valid Canadian passport, and be able to travel not only within Canada but around the world; this meant that, unlike the first season, the race travelled to destinations outside of Canada, closer to its American counterpart.
In the second season, Petro-Canada was the fuel sponsor with the team winning a lifetime supply of gasoline from Petro-Canada, and Scotiabank was the financial sponsor. In the third season, the Bank of Montreal replaced Scotiabank as the financial sponsor. In the fourth season, Hotels.com replaced Air Canada as the trip sponsor with the team winning a 'once-in-a-lifetime' trip for two around the world with Hotels.com, and the fuel sponsor was removed. In the fifth season, Sinorama replaced Hotels.com as the trip sponsor with the winning team winning a 'once-in-a-lifetime' trip for two around the world with Sinorama. In the sixth season, the financial and trip sponsors were removed, and Dempster's Bakery began their sponsorship. In the seventh season, Shell Canada's V-Power was the fuel sponsor.
Teams
Each team is composed of two individuals who have some type of relationship to each other. A total of 71 teams, or 142 contestants, have participated in The Amazing Race Canada.Route Markers
Route Markers are yellow and red flags that mark the places where teams must go. Most Route Markers are attached to the boxes that contain clue envelopes, but some may mark places where teams must go in order to complete tasks, or may be used to line a course that the teams must follow.Clues
Clues are found throughout the race in sealed envelopes, normally inside clue boxes. They give teams the information they need and tasks they need to do in order for them to progress through the race.- Route Info: A general clue that may include a task to be completed by the team before they can receive their next clue.
- Detour: A choice of two tasks. Teams are free to choose either task or swap tasks if they find one option too difficult.
- Roadblock: A task only one team member can complete. Teams must choose which member will challenge the task based on a brief clue about the task before fully revealing the details of the task.
- Fast Forward: A task that only one team may complete, allowing that team to skip all remaining tasks and head directly for the next Pit Stop. Teams may only claim one Fast Forward during the entire race.
- 150 Challenge: A series of special challenges during season 5 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada. They had no effect on the gameplay mechanics of the "Race", except for their relevance in the Final Memory Challenge that season.
Obstacles
- U-Turn: An obstacle where a team can force another trailing team to complete the other option of the Detour they did not select. Teams may use their ability to u-turn another team more than once throughout the race, as shown in season 3 when Gino & Jesse u-turned two teams.
- One Way: An obstacle where a team can force another trailing team to complete one specific option of the Detour.
- Face Off: An obstacle which has two teams compete against each other in a specific task. The winning team is given the next clue, while the losing team must wait out a 15-minute penalty before receiving the next clue.
Legs
Teams then have to follow clues and Route Markers that will lead them to the various destinations and tasks they will face. Modes of travel between these destinations include commercial and chartered airplanes, boats, trains, taxis, buses, and rented vehicles provided by the show, or the teams may simply travel by foot. Each leg ends with a twelve-hour Pit Stop where teams are able to rest and where teams that arrives last are progressively eliminated from the race until only three teams remain. Most legs comprise three or more challenges, often a Roadblock, Detour and a Route Info Task. The first teams to arrive at the Pit Stop win prizes, usually from the show's sponsors.
- The Express Pass, awarded to the winners of the first legs of seasons 1 and 2, allows that team to skip any task they want during the race. In Season 1, Kristen & Darren won this pass, one for themselves and gave the second one to Vanessa & Celina; Kristen & Darren ultimately did not use theirs. Vanessa & Celina used their Express Pass to bypass the Detour in Leg 4. In Season 2, Natalie & Meaghan won this pass, one for themselves and gave the second one to Pierre & Michel; Natalie & Meaghan used their Express Pass to bypass the Detour in Leg 3. Pierre & Michel used their Express Pass to bypass the Roadblock in Leg 6. In seasons 3 and 4, the Express Pass was given out in an optional task in Leg 2 right before the Detour, allowing any team to possibly win it rather than it being a definite award for a first-place finish on the leg. In Season 3, Hamilton & Michaelia won this pass, one for themselves and gave the second one to Brent & Sean; Hamilton & Michaelia immediately used their Express Pass to bypass the Detour in Leg 2. Brent & Sean used their Express Pass to bypass a task in Leg 7. In Season 4, Steph & Kristen won this pass, one for themselves and gave the second one to Frankie & Amy; Steph & Kristen ultimately did not use theirs. Frankie & Amy used their Express Pass to bypass the Roadblock in Leg 6.
Non-elimination legs
- Speed Bump: A task that only the team saved from elimination on the previous leg must complete before continuing on.
Rules and penalties
Seasons
The show first aired in 2013 with the first season premiere airing on July 15, 2013 and ending on September 16, 2013.Places visited
As of the seventh season, The Amazing Race Canada has visited all of Canada's provinces and territories, in addition to eleven foreign countries in Asia, Europe, South America and North America.The following are the number of times places are featured in The Amazing Race Canada.
Canada
Province
Territory
International
;Notes- This count only includes provinces that fielded actual Route Markers, tasks & challenges, or Pit Stops. Transport stopovers and connecting flights are not counted or listed.
- Includes 1 Finish Line.
- Includes 2 Finish Lines.
- Includes 3 Finish Lines.
- Including the Special Administrative Regions of and .
Reception