The Amazing Race Canada 5


The fifth season of The Amazing Race Canada was a reality game show based on the American series The Amazing Race. It features teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship. The grand prize includes: a cash payout, a "once-in-a-lifetime" trip for two around the world with accommodation in Asia provided by new sponsor Sinorama, and a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox "True North Edition" for each. For the fifth year in a row, Jon Montgomery returned as the host.
The season premiered on July 4, 2017, with the season finale airing on September 12, 2017. Dating couple Sam Lambert and Paul Mitskopoulos were the winners of this season of The Amazing Race Canada.

Production

Development and filming

On October 12, 2016, CTV announced that the show was renewed for the fifth season.
This season featured the addition of several real-time interactive features during the airing of each episode, including trivia, polls, and a national leaderboard. Additionally, viewers were able to explore locations seen throughout the race through virtual 360 degree views, including this season's Starting Line: Signal Hill National Historic Site in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Included among the 360-degree view videos on CTV's official YouTube page was of a game of underwater hockey being played in the swimming pool at the Centre Sportif de Gatineau in Gatineau, Quebec. This is the only 360-degree location to never be seen nor mentioned on air, so it is unknown whether this was originally intended to be a task during Leg 6's visit to Gatineau, or was simply unaired.
To mark the occasion of 2017 being the 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada, some legs featured a specially-themed task called a 150 Challenge.
According to executive producer John Brunton, an overseas visit to Kenya was originally planned, but was scrapped due to safety concerns.

Casting

Casting began on October 12, 2016, and as in the previous four seasons, an online site was used for submission of applications and audition videos. Casting closed on December 1, 2016. The cast includes former Canada's Next Top Model cycle 3 contestant Ebonie Finley-Roberge, who placed 8th.
Contestant Kenneth McAlpine died in a hiking accident on Mount Gimli in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia on August 26, 2019 at the age of 28. The Season 7 finale included a picture of McAlpine and a brief memorial message.

Future appearances

Sam & Paul were the local Pit Stop greeters of during the sixth leg of Season 6 at Ireland Park in their hometown of Toronto.
On February 5, 2020, Karen & Bert competed with their family on an episode of Family Feud Canada but failed to reach Fast Money.

Programming

Similar to previous seasons, a special season-end reunion/recap again titled After The Race, again hosted by the cast of The Social, aired immediately after the season finale with all teams present – minus Ebonie who was unable to attend – to review the season as a whole.

Marketing

Trip sponsor Hotels.com, outerwear sponsor Mountain Equipment Co-op, and Mentos discontinued their sponsorship; Chevrolet continued sponsoring the show along with multiple previous seasons' sponsor, Bank of Montreal. New sponsors for this season are trip sponsor Sinorama, Canadian Tire's Woods brand as outerwear/outfitter sponsor, and the Campbell Soup Company.
As additional marketing for Race sponsor Chevrolet, following each episode, a special series by previous season winners Steph LeClair and Kristen McKenzie entitled Backseat Drivers was featured in the bonus videos. In these roughly two-and-a-half-minute clips, Steph & Kristen discussed the events of the previous episode while driving a differing Chevrolet vehicle, sometimes then stopping to pick up a team from a previous season and discuss what's changed in their lives since their respective Race. The feature teams included: Hal & Joanne and Holly & Brett from Season 1, Rex & Bob from Season 2, Brent & Sean and Hamilton & Michaelia from Season 3, Frankie & Amy from Season 4, and this year's winners Sam & Paul for the finale installment.

Results

The following teams participated in the Race, each listed along with their placements in each leg and relationships as identified by the program. Note that this table is not necessarily reflective of all content broadcast on television, owing to the inclusion or exclusion of some data. Placements are listed in finishing order:
  1. Andrea & Ebonie initially arrived 2nd, but were issued a 2-hour penalty for failing to complete the morse code challenge. Five teams checked-in during the penalty time, dropping Andrea & Ebonie to 7th.
  2. Karen & Bert used the Express Pass given to them by Kenneth & Ryan to bypass the Route Marker task at the roastery.
  3. Kenneth & Ryan used their Express Pass to bypass the Detour.

    Episode title quotes

Episode titles are often taken from quotes made by the racers.
  1. "Who Wants to Be the Python?" – Kenneth
  2. "You've Got to Leave My Hose Alone Dude!" – Ryan
  3. "It's Like Ducks In the Forest" – Korey
  4. "This Is a Butt Workout" – Ebonie
  5. "This Is a Real Chase" – Shabbir
  6. "We Just Saw Johnny Mustard" – Kenneth
  7. "Break Time For Korey" – Ivana
  8. "Can I See Your Kuna?" – Korey
  9. "It's Like Finding Waldo In a Bunch of Waldos" – Andrea
  10. "They're Crawling On YOU!" – Ivana
  11. "Canada's Coming Together Like a " – Kenneth

    Prizes

The prize for each leg is awarded to the first place team for that leg.

Leg 1 (Newfoundland and Labrador → British Columbia)

Airdate: July 4, 2017
In the first Roadblock and 150 Challenge of the Race, one team member had to walk across a tightrope suspended 12 storeys across the front of the hotel to retrieve the next clue.
The first Detour of the Race was a choice between Pedal or Paddle. In Pedal, teams travelled to Sunset Beach where, riding bicycles, they had to complete two bike polo drills. First, each team member while riding a bicycle had to maneuver the ball using a plastic mallet through a series of cones. They then had to pass the ball back and forth to each other and score one goal to receive their next clue. In Paddle, teams joined a dragon boat racing crew. One team member helped paddle, while the other steered the boat with an oar through a course in False Creek using specific commands. Once they completed the course, teams received their next clue.
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Airdate: July 11, 2017
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to search the Wild Play adventure park for three different coloured pieces of their next clue in pouches scattered among the park's 50 platforms. Additionally, three of the pouches contained an Express Pass. A team could claim more than one Express Pass, but they had to give any extra passes away by the end of the third leg.
This leg's Detour at the Fort McMurray Fish and Game Association was a choice between Pump It or Pull It, both had a limit of 5 stations. In Pump It, teams had to suit up as firefighters and carry a water pump to a nearby reservoir and figure out how to correctly operate the pump. After attaching a fire hose, teams then had to completely extinguish a controlled fire away to receive their next clue. In Pull It, teams had to shoot a total of 15 clay targets with a 20-gauge shotgun, alternating partners after every 3 shots, to receive their next clue.
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Airdate: July 18, 2017
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to put on a wetsuit and swing from a cord beneath the Nelson Bridge, known locally as the "Big Orange Bridge", letting go to land as close as possible to a buoy holding their clue. They then had to swim the rest of the way across Kootenay Lake to the dock where they would reunite with their partner.
Billed as the "Number One Small Town Arts Community in Canada", this leg's Detour paid tribute to Nelson's large and diverse artisan community, with a choice between Strike It or Throw It. In Strike It, teams had to use provided blacksmith tools to forge red-hot irons into two coat hooks matching a given example. Once both were approved, teams received their next clue. In Throw It, teams had to use a potter's wheel and provided tools to correctly "throw" two ceramic cups from clay. Once both were approved, teams received their next clue.
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Airdate: July 25, 2017
This leg's Detour was a choice between In Sync or In Line, both taking place at the Ying Tung Natatorium, one of the 2008 Summer Olympics venues. In In Sync, teams had to synchronized dive from the platform into the pool and earn a combined score of 20 or more from the three judges to receive their next clue. In In Line, teams had to dress in colourful costumes and correctly perform a dance routine on the terrace combining a flash mob and line dancing to receive their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock at Ren Yi Tang, a traditional pharmacy, one team member was given a herbal remedy prescription with three ingredients, written in Chinese characters, and had to search among 800 drawers for the three drawers with corresponding characters. Once all three ingredients were found, they had to weigh the correct doses to receive their next clue.
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Airdate: August 1, 2017
Teams who chose to attempt the Fast Forward travelled to the grounds of the National Stadium of Thailand, where they participated in the Thai sport of hoop takraw. The first team to kick the ball into the hoop once would win the Fast Forward award.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Bling It or Shred It. In Bling It, teams travelled to Wat Ratchanatdaram, where they would choose a tuk-tuk to decorate. Once chosen, they had to compare two decorated tuk-tuks to determine which decorations were identical on both, including one of the plush pandas and elephants they were given back at Vancouver and Beijing. They then had to search the nearby Amulet Market and Khlong Thom Center to buy the decorations to affix to their chosen tuk-tuk. Once all details were correct, teams would receive their next clue. In Shred It, teams travelled to Flow House, where each team member had to maintain their balance while surfing an artificially-generated wave, receiving their next clue once both team members successfully grabbed a flag hanging overhead.
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Airdate: August 8, 2017
For this leg's Roadblock, teams travelled to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police National Division facility to find the RCMP Stables, where one team member had to suit up as an RCMP officer and properly groom a show horse from front to back. Next, they then had to correctly attach tack and a saddle to the horse. Finally, once approved by the supervising officer, they had to ride the horse into the practice arena and join in the RCMP Musical Ride to receive their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Tiptoe through the Tulips or Get the Picture. In Tiptoe through the Tulips, teams travelled to Commissioners Park, where they had to assemble a vendor cart for the Canadian Tulip Festival. Once built, they had to search the park for 12 buckets containing tulip bouquets of matching colours and arrange them to match the display on a completed example cart to receive their next clue. In Get the Picture, teams travelled to the Canada Council Art Bank, where they had to use the computer database to find 20 specified artworks by matching serial numbers and, once found, photograph each. Teams then had to place the correct 20 photographs into a photo album binder to receive their next clue.
In this leg's 150 Challenge, teams had to study the exhibits before making their way to the Canadian History Hall, where both teams members had to take the Canadian Citizenship Test and score at least 15 of 20 on the test to receive their next clue.
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Airdate: August 15, 2017
For their Speed Bump, Andrea & Ebonie had to shoot archers' arrows at a target until they earned a combined total of 25 points before they could continue racing.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Find Your Dory or Family Story, both taking place in the village of Woody Point within Gros Morne National Park. In Find Your Dory, teams had to use four oars to row a dory boat around Bonne Bay to spot a lobster trap along the shore containing their next clue. After retrieving the clue, they rowed back to the starting point. In Family Story, teams made their way to a mock Viking camp and dressed in period costume. They had to listen to impersonators of three Norse Gods – Loki, Odin, and Thor – describe their ancestry and descendants and then correctly fill in a family tree using stones carved with the given names to receive their next clue.
For the 150 Challenge and the first Face Off of the season, teams travelled to Corner Brook Centre Bowl, where they competed against each other in a full 10-frame game of five-pin bowling, a game developed in Canada. At the end of the game, the team who scored higher won their next clue, while the loser had to wait for another opponent. The last team remaining at the Face Off had to turn over an hourglass and wait out a time penalty before moving on.
For this leg's Roadblock, teams traveled to Swirsky's Theatre and Music Hall, where they had to choose and memorize twelve jokes from a list of fifty and successfully perform a stand-up comedy act on stage to receive their next clue from comedian Trent McClellan. Some of the jokes were intentionally duds. If they failed, they would be pelted with fruits and vegetables by the audience.
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Airdate: August 22, 2017
For this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to choose and memorize an intricate mola pattern at a marked kiosk, then search the streets and plazas of Casco Viejo for the one Kuna woman among many who was wearing the matching pattern on their dress. Once they found the correct woman, they had to escort her back to the kiosk to receive their next clue.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Up for a Drink or Down for the Count. In Up for a Drink, teams travelled to Hotel Las Clementinas, where they would find beers from Microbrewery. They then had to taste and identify five flavours of craft beer, from a selection of fourteen listed ingredients, to receive their next clue. In Down for the Count, teams travelled to a boxing gym, where both team members had to memorize six combinations of boxing moves, then each get into the ring and perform all six in succession against a professional to receive their next clue.
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Airdate: August 29, 2017
This leg's Detour was a choice between The Cart or The Horse. In the 150 Challenge The Cart, teams had to maneuver a self-propelled grain auger to a grain cart, locate the auger's screw conveyor power switch, then shovel of Canadian-developed canola seed into the auger's mouth and convey it into the grain cart to receive their next clue. In The Horse, teams had to lead an auction for a Clydesdale horse. One team member was the auctioneer, who had to memorize and recite the horse's story to bidders and call out asking prices, and their partner was the bid catcher, who had to relay bids to their partner both verbally and with hand signals. After selling a horse for C$6,000, teams received their next clue.
For their Speed Bump, Karen & Bert had to use pitchforks to clean out manure-covered hay from a horse stall in the stable, then lay down fresh hay in its place before they could continue with the Detour.
For this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to dress as a beekeeper, search the honeycombs of a hive of 20,000 honey bees for the one queen bee, and correctly point her out to a judge to receive their next clue.
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Airdate: September 5, 2017
In this leg's 150 Challenge, teams travelled to a designated rail crossing and boarded the Agawa Canyon Tour train to ride it through the Algoma Highlands and Agawa Canyon. In one coach car, they found the titles and critiques of 14 works by the Canadian artists known as the Group of Seven, and prints of the corresponding works in the next coach car. They then had to memorize and, in the front baggage car, correctly identify all 14 to receive the clue for the Detour from the conductor. However, teams had to complete the task within the 30 minute travel time, otherwise they had to remain on the train and wait for the round trip to complete before they can try again.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Alpac-It or I'll Cast It. In Alpac-It, teams travelled to the Mockin'bird Hill Pioneer Farm, where they had to lead two alpacas through an obstacle course of nine obstacles, without knocking any down, in a time of three minutes or less to receive their next clue. In I'll Cast It, teams travelled to Kinsmen Park, donned hip waders, and entered Kinsmen Lake, where each team member had to cast their fly fishing rod to hit three floating targets to receive their next clue.
For the final Face Off of the season, teams travelled to the John Rhodes Community Centre Pool. On a circular curling sheet, teams competed against each other in Crokicurl – a recently developed game that is a cross between curling and the Canadian-created board game crokinole. The team who arrived earlier had the choice of taking their turn first or second. Each ring has a specific point value. Across from their partner, each team member took turns throwing six curling stones, attempting to knock out their opponent's stones while keeping theirs in place to score the most points. If the opposing stone is in play, it must be hit. If a stone lands in the direct centre, or "button", it is worth 20 points and the stone is removed from play. After all stones are thrown, the team with the higher score received the clue for the Roadblock. The last team remaining at the Face Off had to turn over an hourglass and wait out a time penalty before moving on.
For this leg's Roadblock, teams travelled to Entomica in Mill Market. The team member not performing the Roadblock had to insert their head into a plexiglass box, after which four species of live giant cockroaches were dropped on them. The team member who was performing the Roadblock then had to count the correct number of each species to receive their next clue.
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Airdate: September 12, 2017
In the first Roadblock of this leg, one team member had to attach a harness and a climb down a cargo net suspended from the pedestrian bridge over the waterfall to retrieve their next clue, then climb back up to reunite with their partner.
In the final Roadblock of the Race, the team member who did not perform the first Roadblock had to pull themselves up the side of the 31-storey Édifice Marie-Guyart, Quebec City's tallest building, to the rooftop. Once there, they had to search the city to spot a yellow and red Race flag on the roof of their next destination, the Morrin Centre, then take the elevator back down to reunite with their partner.
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Viewership includes initial date of viewing plus seven day DVR playback.
No.TitleAir dateViewers
Weekly rankRef.
1"Who Wants to Be the Python?"July 4, 20171.8881
2"You've Got to Leave My Hose Alone, Dude!"July 11, 20171.6082
3"It's Like Ducks In the Forest"July 18, 20171.7772
4"This Is a Butt Workout"July 25, 20171.6842
5"This Is a Real Cat and Mouse Chase"August 1, 20171.8301
6"We Just Saw Johnny Mustard"August 8, 20171.8961
7"Break Time For Korey"August 15, 20171.6111
8"Can I See Your Kuna?"August 22, 20171.6282
9"It's Like Finding Waldo In a Bunch of Waldos"August 29, 20171.7011
10"They're Crawling On You"September 5, 20171.7241
111.9611