The Amazing Race Canada 1

The Oakes Garden Theatre Park, overlooking the famous Horseshoe Falls section of Niagara Falls, served as the Starting Line for the first season of The Amazing Race Canada.

The first season was filmed from May 3 to May 24, 2013.[1]

The winning team earned CAD$250,000, a pair of Chevrolet Corvette Stingrays, and Air Canada executive passes for unlimited international air travel for a year.

The series' premiere sponsorship partners included Air Canada, BlackBerry, Chevrolet, and Interac.

During the airing of the episode for Leg 3, a message read by host Jon Montgomery recognized that the 2013 Alberta floods had occurred since the filming of the leg and prior to the series premiere. The message encouraged viewers to donate to flood relief and rebuilding efforts.

The Leg 5 Pit Stop was originally scheduled to be on the grounds of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building; however, unexpected warm weather brought more people out to enjoy the weather. The unforeseen circumstance forced producers to move the Pit Stop to nearby Pine Island (a more secluded spot).[2]

On May 8, 2013, Toronto City Council granted permission for Insight Productions to film a television episode for "3 participants rappelling over the West Tower roof onto the podium green roof of City Hall" on May 24, 2013.[3] Ultimately, this permit was a ruse to prevent fans from recording teams rappelling off a different building and posting it online.

Casting began on December 20, 2012 with an online site for submission of applications and audition videos.[4] The contestants included Body Break hosts Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod and actress Vanessa Morgan.

At the live start of Season 7 on April 23, 2019, it was revealed that Jet & Dave would return to compete for a second time, as the winners of a public vote that closed on April 1.[5]

Vanessa Morgan competed on the Paramount Network reality competition Lip Sync Battle in 2019.[6]

In the first Roadblock of The Amazing Race Canada, racers searched for the mythical Ogopogo in the depths of Kelowna's Lake Okanagan.

Airdate: July 15, 2013

• Niagara Falls, Ontario , Canada (Oakes Garden Theatre Park) (Starting Line)
• Niagara Falls (Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory)
• Toronto (Toronto Pearson International Airport) to Kelowna, British Columbia (Kelowna International Airport)
• Kelowna (Stuart Park – The Kelowna Bear)
• Kelowna (Kelowna Yacht Club – Houseboat) (Overnight Rest)
• Kelowna (Lakefront Watersports Kiosk)
• Okanagan Valley (Lake Okanagan)
• Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park (Bellevue Trestle)
• Westbank (Quails' Gate Winery)

In the series' first Roadblock, teams had to travel by personal watercraft to a diving platform using a rudimentary map of Lake Okanagan. There, one team member had to don diving gear, take a dive cage to the bottom of Lake Okanagan, and search for a statue of Ogopogo, where they would find their next clue.

In the leg's second Roadblock, the team member that did not perform the first Roadblock had to walk across a narrow plank attached to a railway trestle and suspended high above the canyon in order to retrieve their clue dangling off the edge of the plank. They then had to jump off the plank to the ground to meet their partner before continuing.

Additional tasks

• At the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory, teams had to search the conservatory for one of nine terrariums, each containing a variety of creatures and two clues. Each team member had to reach into the terrarium and retrieve a clue, which contained an Air Canada ticket voucher for their first destination: Kelowna, British Columbia. The terrariums containing more dangerous creatures held tickets for the earlier flight. Four teams would be on the first flight with the remaining five teams on the second flight arriving 90 minutes behind the first.
• At Stuart Park, teams had to find a model of the yellow Interac truck, where they would find their next clue along with an Interac debit card that would serve as the teams' source of money for the rest of the season.

Additional notes

• While in Ontario, teams were provided a Chevrolet Spark as their transportation.
• While in British Columbia, teams were provided a Chevrolet Equinox as their transportation.

While in Vancouver, teams visited its historic Chinatown, known for its "Millennium Gate".

Airdate: July 22, 2013

• Kelowna (Kelowna International Airport) to Vancouver (Vancouver International Airport)
• Sea Island (Vancouver International Airport – Maple Leaf Lounge)
• Richmond (Richmond Olympic Oval)
• Vancouver (Chinatown – Millennium Gate)
• Vancouver (Ten Ren Tea & Ginseng Company and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden or Chinatown and Chinese Cultural Centre)
• Vancouver (DP World Container Terminal)
• Vancouver (Vancouver Convention Centre – Green Roof)

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to complete two laps of short track speed skating in under 1 minute and 30 seconds to receive their next clue from champion speed skater Michelle Pepin.

The series' first Detour was a choice between Draw It and Dance It. In Draw It, teams traveled to Ten Ren's Tea & Ginseng Company, where each team member would drink a cup of green tea. Printed on the bottom of each saucer was a Chinese symbol representing one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. They would have to memorize these characters, then go to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, reproduce them with a calligraphy brush on a rice paper, and give it to a calligraphy expert. If the characters were incorrectly reproduced, teams would start all over again with new Chinese symbols. Once the calligraphy expert was satisfied with both symbols, she would give teams their next clue. In Dance It, teams went to the Chinese Cultural Centre, where they would receive a list of destinations written entirely in Mandarin Chinese. They would have to travel to these locations in Chinatown to find the four pieces of a Chinese lion costume. Then, they had to return to the Cultural Centre, where they would have to put on the outfit and successfully perform a traditional lion dance to receive their next clue.

Additional task

• At the DP World Container Terminal, teams had to climb to the top of a shipping crane and use a pair of binoculars to search for flags marking the location of the next Pit Stop: the green roof at Vancouver Convention Centre.

In Leg 3, teams visited the hoodoos in the town of Drumheller.

Airdate: July 29, 2013

• Vancouver (Nicola Internet Cafe)
• Vancouver (Vancouver International Airport) to Calgary, Alberta (Calgary International Airport)
• Calgary (Statue of Outlaw)
• Calgary (Ranchman's Cookhouse)
• Drumheller (Hoodoos)
• East Coulee (Atlas Coal Mine) or Drumheller (Royal Tyrrell Museum)
• Starland County (Horsethief Canyon Outlook)

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to learn and then correctly perform a classic Canadian line dance to receive their next clue from a professional line dancer.

This leg's Detour was a choice between Lump by Lump and Bone by Bone. In Lump by Lump, teams traveled to the Atlas Coal Mine and rode a locomotive called "Linda" to the wash house, where they dressed up in coal mining outfits. They then had to shovel coal into a mine cart so that it overflowed and touched all four edges of the cart and properly place their numbered-tag on the cart to receive their next clue. In Bone by Bone, teams traveled to the Royal Tyrrell Museum, where they would study a mounted display of a dinosaur's skeleton. They then had to enter the specimen preparation laboratory and completely build a model of the same skeleton from memory to receive their next clue.

Additional tasks

• At Nicola Internet cafe, teams had to book their flight to Calgary on the Air Canada website.
• Once in Calgary, teams had to choose a marked Chevrolet Silverado and drive themselves to the statue of "Outlaw" in Downtown Calgary to find their next clue.

Upon arrival in Carcross, teams had to locate a steam engine named "The Duchess".

Airdate: August 5, 2013

• Calgary (Calgary International Airport) to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories (Yellowknife Airport)
• Yellowknife (Bush Pilot's Monument)
• Yellowknife (Government Dock)
• Yellowknife (Great Slave Lake – Yellowknife Bay Floating Bed & Breakfast)
• Yellowknife (Yellowknife Airport – Arctic Sunwest Charters) to Carcross, Yukon (Carcross Airport)
• Carcross (White Pass and Yukon Railway Last Spike – "The Duchess")
• Carcross (Bennett Lake)
• Carcross (Carcross Desert)

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to complete a polar bear dip. They had to strip down to a bathing suit and socks, jump into a hole cut into the ice, and retrieve their clue from the opposite side of the freezing water.

For their Speed Bump, Tim Sr. & Tim Jr. had to correctly memorize and recite the first four stanzas of "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" to a Robert W. Service impersonator before they could continue with the Detour.

This leg's Detour was a choice between Yukon Supply Run and Klondike Gold Rush. In Yukon Supply Run, teams had to use the provided tools and materials to build a raft and had to paddle themselves, as well as some supplies, out into the lake to retrieve their next clue. In Klondike Gold Rush, teams completed three games inspired by the task's namesake. First, they would have to use a two-man saw to cut off a slice of wood from a log. Next, both team members would have to toss a hatchet and have it stick to a wooden target. Finally, one team member would ride in a wheelbarrow and had to direct their blindfolded partner around a course while collecting five "gold nuggets" in a gold pan, which could be exchanged for their next clue.

Additional tasks

• Upon arrival in Yellowknife, teams had to drive themselves in a Chevrolet Traverse to Bush Pilot's Monument and search the grounds for their next clue.
• After completing the Roadblock, teams had to find Arctic Sunwest Charters at the Yellowknife Airport, where they had to sign up for one of three charter flights, each departing 20 minutes apart. The first two bush planes would carry two teams each, while the last plane would carry three teams.
• After completing the Detour, team members had to drive an ATV to the Pit Stop at Carcross Desert.

For the Roadblock in Regina, racers experienced the recruitment process of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Airdate: August 12, 2013

• Whitehorse (Yukon River) (Pit Start)
• Whitehorse (SS Klondike )
• Whitehorse (Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport) to Regina, Saskatchewan (Regina International Airport)
• Regina (Saskcan Pulse Trading Company)
• Regina (RCMP Heritage Centre)
• Regina (Regina City Hall – 'I Love Regina' Sign)
• Regina (Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field)
• Regina (Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field – Luxury Box between Sections 26 and 27)
• Regina (Wascana Centre – Pine Island)

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to dress in a RCMP cadet uniform and take a supply of clothes to a boot camp bedroom known as "the pit", where they had to place their clothes in the closet and cabinets and make their bed exactly like a prepared room. If a sergeant major believed the room met RCMP standards, assistant commissioner Roger Brown would give racers their next clue. If not, the sergeant major would dump any misplaced clothes onto the bed and the team member would have to start again.

This leg's Detour was a choice between Brawn and Beauty. In Brawn, teams had to perform a series of Canadian football drills. Then, one team member had to catch a touchdown pass from coach Khari Jones, while the other team member had to complete a field goal to receive their next clue from Khari. If teams failed, they had to run a lap around the field and start over. In Beauty, teams had to learn a choreographed cheerleading routine composed of dance, cartwheels, and flips. Then, they had to correctly perform the routine for Saskatchewan Roughriders fans to receive their next clue from team mascot Gainer the Gopher.

There was a Fast Forward in this leg as Vanessa is seen holding a Fast Forward clue in her hand; however, it was unaired but included driving a police car simulation.

Additional tasks

• At the SS Klondike, teams had to search the decks for their next clue.
• Upon arrival in Regina, teams had to search the airport parking lot for a Chevrolet Trax, where they would find a BlackBerry Z10, which they tapped with the parking attendants' Z10 to reveal turn by turn directions to their next location.
• At Saskcan Pulse Trading Company, teams had to dig through dry bulk trailer full of lentils to find 2 Sergeant Bullmoose plush toys (one tagged "RCMP" and the other tagged "Heritage Centre"), which led to their next clue.
• At Regina City Hall, teams had to perform a Ukrainian dance to get their next clue.

The Roadblock in Quebec City required one team member to make four proper crêpes using a crêpe maker.

Airdate: August 19, 2013

• Regina (Regina International Airport) to Quebec City, Quebec (Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport)
• Lévis (Lévis Forts National Historic Site) (Overnight Rest)
• Lévis (Levis Ferry Terminal) to Quebec City (Port of Quebec)
• Quebec City (Château Frontenac (Dufferin Terrace – Statue of Samuel de Champlain)
• Quebec City (Place Royale (in French) – Notre-Dame-des-Victoires or Parc de la Cetière and 102 Rue du Petit-Champlain)
• Quebec City (Place de l'Université-du-Québec (in French))
• Quebec City (Plains of Abraham – Terrain de Sport)
• Quebec City (The Battlefields Park – Avenue Saint-Denis)

This leg's Detour was a choice between Sculpt It and Spot It. In Sculpt It, teams had to travel to Place Royale near Notre-Dame-des-Victoires and choose an ice block with an outline of a star, a house, or a boat. Then, they had to chisel the ice to create an ice sculpture and get their next clue. In Spot It, teams had to find a replica of the Rue du Petit-Champlain mural in Parc de la Cetière with missing items. They then had to find the original mural at 102 Rue du Petit-Champlain and then place magnets with Québécois French words in the appropriate spots to receive their next clue.

In the leg's Roadblock, one team member had to take orders from two patrons in Québécois French. Team members then had to find the correct ingredients from their order and prepare four crêpes, two savory and two sweet. A chef would demonstrate how to properly make and plate the crêpes. Once they correctly made and served all four crêpes, the chef would give them the next clue.

Additional tasks

• Upon arrival in Quebec City, teams had to travel to Lévis Forts National Historic Site in Lévis, where they had to search their next clue when the fortress opened in the morning.
• After finding their clue at Lévis Forts, teams had to board a ferry across the Saint Lawrence River and take the Old Quebec Funicular to Château Frontenac, where they find the statue of Samuel de Champlain at Dufferin Terrace to find their next clue.
• At the Plains of Abraham, teams had to play lacrosse. Each team member had to catch a pass from their partner and score a goal to receive their next clue.

Teams were required to construct a traditional Inuit igloo as one side of the Detour tasks in Nunavut.

Airdate: August 26, 2013

• Quebec City (Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport) to Iqaluit, Nunavut (Iqaluit Airport)
• Baffin Region (Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park)
• Baffin Region (Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park – Sylvia Grinnell River)
• Baffin Region (Frobisher Bay)
• Iqaluit (Hudson's Bay Company Trading Post)
• Iqaluit (Panoramic Lookout)

This leg's Detour was a choice between Harpoon Hunter and Igloo Builder. In Harpoon Hunter, one team member had to put on snow shoes and pull their teammate on a sled 1 km (0.62 mi) across the Sylvia Grinnell River basin. They then both had to throw a traditional harpoon and hit the colored-center of a target. Once both team members were successful, the other team member had to pull the sled back to the starting point to receive their next clue. In Igloo Builder, teams had to build an igloo using only the tools provided and pre-cut 30-pound (14 kg) blocks of snow. Once the Inuit elder believed that the igloo could withstand an arctic night, he would give teams their next clue.

For their Speed Bump, Tim Sr. & Tim Jr. had to lead a dog sled team across Frobisher Bay to retrieve a food cache and deliver it back to the starting point in order to continue racing.

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to consume an entire serving of muktuk (ᒪᒃᑕᒃ) – 10 pieces of whale skin and blubber – to receive their next clue.

Additional tasks

• On the Iqaluit Airport tarmac, teams would find their next clue written entirely in Inuktitut, leaving them to figure out that their next destination was Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park.
• At Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park, teams had to search for their next clue, which instructed teams to locate two throat singers near the Sylvia Grinnell River and listen to an Inuit throat singing performance to receive their next clue.
• After the Detour, teams had to travel by snowmobile across Frobisher Bay to the Hudson's Bay Company Trading Post.
• After completing the Roadblock, teams had to walk uphill 1 km (0.62 mi) northwest from the Hudson Bay Trading Post to the top of a mountain marked with inuksuk to find the Pit Stop.

The Bluenose II, the successor of the Bluenose, in Lunenburg served as the Pit Stop for this leg.

Airdate: September 2, 2013

• Iqaluit (Iqaluit Airport) to Halifax, Nova Scotia (Halifax Stanfield International Airport)
• Halifax (Pier 21) (Overnight Rest)
• Mahone Bay (St. James' Anglican Church)
• Mahone Bay (Gazebo Cafe – Gazebo)
• Lunenburg (Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic)
• Lunenburg (Lunenburg Harbour and Grand Banker Seafood Bar & Grill or Boscawen Inn and Zwicker Wharf)
• Lunenburg (St. John's Anglican Church)
• Lunenburg (Bluenose II )

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to search for the scarecrow pictured on a BlackBerry Z10. Once they found the scarecrow, they had to bring it to a gazebo, where they had to build a copy of it with the items provided. When they were ready for inspection, they had to take a photograph of the scarecrow with the Z10 and hand it to a scarecrow expert. If the expert was satisfied, he would give teams their next clue.

This leg's Detour was a choice between Surf and Turf. In Surf, teams made their way to Lunenburg Harbour, where they had to board a lobster fishing boat and pull six lobster traps from the sea. They then had to band the claws of each lobster and then deliver them to the Grand Banker Seafood Bar & Grill to receive their next clue. In Turf, teams had to make their way to Boscawen Inn, where they were presented with samples of 12 different kinds of sausages and had to memorize their German names. They then had to run to Zwicker Wharf and identify the 12 sausages from another, unlabeled set of samples to receive their next clue.

Additional tasks

• At the Halifax airport, teams found a USB flash drive inside their Chevrolet Sonics, which contained a message that teams had to play on the car's MyLink video system and directed them to Pier 21.
• When Pier 21 opened, teams received a passport and had to find 7 different stamps and ink the 7 stamps onto the passport to receive their next clue.
• At St. John's Anglican Church, teams received a Canadian dime, which features the Bluenose sailing ship on its reverse. Teams had to make their way to its successor, the Bluenose II, which was in a Lunenburg drydock at the time, to find the Pit Stop.

Teams finished the penultimate leg at Cape Spear, known as the easternmost point in Canada and the continent of North America.

Airdate: September 9, 2013

• Lunenburg to North Sydney, Cape Breton Island (North Sydney Ferry Terminal)
• North Sydney (North Sydney Ferry Terminal) to Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and Labrador (Port aux Basques Ferry Terminal)
• St. John's (The Rooms)[9] (Unaired)
• St. John's (Trans-Canada Highway Mile Zero – Terry Fox Memorial Site)
• St. John's (Quidi Vidi – Quidi Vidi Brewing Company)
• St. John's (Shea Heights Overlook)
• Petty Harbour–Maddox Cove (Petty Harbour Fisherman's Co-op – Dock) or St. John's (Harbourside Park and Holloway Street)
• St. John's (O′Brien's Music Store)
• St. John's (George Street)
• St. John's (Cape Spear)

This leg's Detour was a choice between Tell a Tale and Wag a Tail. In Tell a Tale, teams traveled to the Petty Harbour dock, where they listened to two local fishermen tell a story in Newfoundland slang. They then had to relay the story, word-for-word, to a group of nearby listeners to receive their next clue. In Wag a Tail, teams made their way to Harbourside Park and chose a Newfoundland dog. They would then load up a cart with four dozen eggs and 12 bottles of milk and had to lead the dog up the extremely steep Holloway Street, known as "Heart Attack Hill", to deliver these goods, undamaged, to four households to receive their next clue. If the eggs or milk bottles broke, they had to go back to the bottom of the hill and restock.

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member could use any items available to them in the music store to perform on George Street and earn C$50 from passersby to receive their next clue from a street fiddler.

Additional tasks

• At Port aux Basques, teams had to run to one of three waiting shuttles that would take teams overnight to St. John's. The first shuttle carried one team. The second shuttle also carried one team, which left 15 minutes after the first vehicle. The third shuttle carried two teams and left fifteen minutes after the second vehicle.
• After arriving in St. John's, teams had to search the grounds of The Rooms to find their next clue, which went unaired.[9]
• At the Quidi Vidi Brewing Company, teams had to recite Terry Fox's inspirational quote at the monument that they had earlier memorized at St. John's Terry Fox Memorial Site ("I just wish people would realize that anything’s possible if you try, dreams are made if people try"). If correct, they would be granted entry into a traditional Newfoundland kitchen party, where each team member had to kiss a cod and drink a shot of Newfoundland Screech.
• After completing the Roadblock, teams had to find the Pit Stop at the most easterly point in North America, leaving them to figure out that it was Cape Spear, not the nearby Fort Amherst.

The skyline of the city of Toronto, as seen from Olympic Island, was the backdrop of the season's Finish Line.

Airdate: September 16, 2013

• St. John's (St. John's International Airport) to Toronto, Ontario (Toronto Pearson International Airport)
• Toronto (L Tower)
• Toronto (Cadbury Gladstone Chocolate Factory)
• Toronto (Toronto Zoo)
• Toronto (Evergreen Brick Works)
• Toronto (Jack Layton Ferry Terminal to Centre Island Dock)
• Toronto (Toronto Islands – Olympic Island)

In this leg's first Roadblock, one team member had to rappel face-first down the side of the L Tower, a building that was under construction at that time, about 44 stories tall. When they reached the roof of another three story building, they would reunite with their partner and could open the clue they received at the top of the building.

In this season's final Roadblock, the team member who did not perform the first Roadblock had to match the provincial and territorial flags with the floral emblems visited during this season onto a map board. If teams were sharp, they would have noticed the flags printed onto their Pit Start clue and that the Pit Stop greeters on each leg and the Cadbury president wore the floral emblem of their province or territory. The flag and emblem associated with each location are:

Province/Territory	Flower
British Columbia	Pacific Dogwood
Alberta	Wild Rose
Northwest Territories	Mountain Avens
Yukon	Fireweed
Saskatchewan	Western Red Lily
Quebec	Blue Flag Iris
Nunavut	Purple Saxifrage
Nova Scotia	Mayflower
Newfoundland and Labrador	Purple Pitcher Plant
Ontario	White Trillium

Once all the flags and emblems were paired up on the map, teams would receive their final clue.

Additional tasks

• After landing in Toronto, teams had to search outside Pearson International Airport for a woman wearing a maple leaf baseball cap with their next clue.
• After completing the first Roadblock, each team was given a Cadbury Caramilk bar inside their clue envelope, leaving them to figure out that they had to find the Cadbury Gladstone Chocolate Factory.
• At the Cadbury Chocolate Factory, teams had to search through cartons of Cadbury Caramilk bars to find one of three "golden chocolate bars". Once they found one, they could proceed to the president's office, where they would be given a golden key to unlock a safe, where their next clue was located.
• At the Toronto Zoo, teams had to search the grounds for their next clue, which had been set up inside the panda exhibit.

Additional note

• At the start of the leg, teams received a free upgrade to business class on their flight to Toronto.