The Amazing Race Canada 5 is the fifth season of The Amazing Race Canada, a Canadian reality competition show based on the American series The Amazing Race. Hosted by Jon Montgomery, it featured ten teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race across Canada and the world. The grand prize included a CA$250,000 cash payout, a trip for two around the world, and two 2018 Chevrolet Equinox SUVs. This season visited six provinces and three additional countries and travelled over during eleven legs. Starting in St. John's, racers travelled through Newfoundland and Labrador, British Columbia, Alberta, China, Thailand, Ontario, Quebec, Panama, and Saskatchewan before finishing in Quebec City. A new twist introduced in this season was the 150 Challenge, which was a task themed after the 150th anniversary of Canada. The season premiered on CTV 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, while best friends Kenneth McAlpine and Ryan Lachapelle finished in second place, and personal trainers and best friends Korey Sam and Ivana Krunić finished in third place.
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 was 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 the visit to Gatineau in the sixth leg, 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.
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 to review the season as a whole.
Marketing Trip sponsor Hotels.com, outerwear sponsor Mountain Equipment Co-op, and Mentos discontinued their sponsorships; Chevrolet continued sponsoring the show along with Bank of Montreal (BMO). New sponsors for this season are trip sponsor Sinorama Holidays, Canadian Tire's Woods brand as outerwear/outfitter sponsor, and the Campbell Soup Company.
As additional marketing for sponsor Chevrolet, following each episode, a special series by previous season winners Steph LeClair and Kristen McKenzie entitled Backseat Drivers (a reference to the Roadblock clue in leg 6 of their season) was featured in the bonus videos. In these clips, Steph & Kristen discussed the events of the previous episode while driving a differing Chevrolet vehicle, sometimes stopping to pick up a team from a previous season and discuss what's changed in their lives since their respective season. The featured 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.
Cast The cast included former Canada's Next Top Model cycle 3 contestant Ebonie Finley-Roberge.
ContestantsAgeRelationshipHometownStatus 30Mother & Son Grand Forks, British ColumbiaEliminated 1st(in Vancouver, British Columbia) 55 23YouTube CreatorsToronto, OntarioEliminated 2nd(in Fort McMurray, Alberta) 23 23CousinsSt. John's, Newfoundland and LabradorEliminated 3rd(in Kokanee Creek Provincial Park,British Columbia) 21 27Father & Son Vancouver, British ColumbiaEliminated 4th(in Bangkok, Thailand) 57 29Business PartnersMontreal, QuebecEliminated 5th(in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador) 29 29Brother & Sister Montreal, QuebecEliminated 6th(in Bushell Park, Saskatchewan) 28 31Married CoupleEdmonton, AlbertaEliminated 7th(in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) 36 31Personal Trainers/Best FriendsToronto, OntarioThird place 31 25Best Friends Rossland, British ColumbiaRunners-up 25 25Dating CoupleToronto, OntarioWinners 24
Future appearances Sam & Paul were the 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. On November 30, 2020, Sam competed on the same show with his family.
Results The following teams are listed with their placements in each leg. Placements are listed in finishing order.
A placement with a dagger () indicates that the team was eliminated. An placement with a double-dagger () indicates that the team was the last to arrive at a Pit Stop in a non-elimination leg, and had to perform a Speed Bump task in the following leg. An italicized and underlined placement indicates that the team was the last to arrive at a Pit Stop, but there was no rest period at the Pit Stop and all teams were instructed to continue racing. A indicates that the team won the Fast Forward. A indicates that the team used an Express Pass on that leg to bypass one of their tasks. A indicates that the team used the U-Turn and a indicates the team on the receiving end of the U-Turn. A indicates that the leg featured a Face Off challenge.
+Team placement (by leg) Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11Sam & Paul4th3rd4th1st3rd2nd1st1st1st1st1stKenneth & Ryan1st5th6th4th4th5th2nd2nd2nd3rd2ndKorey & Ivana2nd8th2nd6th6th3rd5th4th4th2nd3rdKaren & Bert6th4th5th5th5th4th4th3rd Adam & Andrea3rd7th3rd3rd1st1st3rd3rd Andrea & Ebonie7th2nd7th7th2nd Zed & Shabbir5th6th1st2nd Megan & Courtney9th1st Dan & Riya8th Aaron & Deb Notes
Race summary
Leg 1 (Newfoundland and Labrador → British Columbia)
Episode 1: "Who Wants to Be the Python?" (July 4, 2017) Prize: A trip for two to Barcelona, Spain (awarded to Kenneth & Ryan) Eliminated: Aaron & Deb Locations St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador (Signal Hill National Historic Site – Queen's Battery) (Starting Line) St. John's (Signal Hill National Historic Site – Cabot Tower) St. John's → Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver (Capilano Suspension Bridge Park) Vancouver (Gastown – "Gassy Jack" Deighton Statue) Vancouver (The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver) Vancouver (Sunset Beach False Creek) Vancouver (VanDusen Botanical Garden – Hedge Maze) Episode summary Teams set off from the starting line at Queen's Battery, at the top of Signal Hill in St. John's, and had to make their way to Cabot Tower. There, teams had to listen to a Morse code message transmitted from the ham radio station inside the tower and decipher their first destination. Once teams had deciphered the correct answer – Vancouver Capilano Bridge – they received their next clue, which also contained a Bank of Montreal credit card that served as the teams' source of money for the duration of the season. Teams flew to Vancouver, British Columbia. Once there, teams had to search the grounds of the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park for a falconer who gave teams their next clue, instructing them to find the "Gassy Jack" statue in Maple Tree Square, where they found their next clue. In this season's first Roadblock and 150 Challenge, one team member had to walk across a tightrope suspended 12 storeys across the front of The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver in order to retrieve the next clue. This season's first Detour was a choice between Pedal or Paddle. In Pedal, teams travelled to Sunset Beach, where they had to complete two cycle polo drills. First, each team member had to maneuver the ball using a plastic mallet through a series of cones while riding a bicycle. They then had to pass the ball back and forth to each other and score one goal in order 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 on False Creek using specific commands. Once they completed the course, teams received their next clue. After the Detour, teams travelled to the VanDusen Botanical Garden and had to find the Pit Stop inside the hedge maze.
Leg 2 (British Columbia → Alberta)
Episode 2: "You've Got to Leave My Hose Alone Dude!" (July 11, 2017) Prize: A trip for two to Auckland, New Zealand (awarded to Megan & Courtney) Eliminated: Dan & Riya Locations Vancouver (Seawall Water Walk) Vancouver → Fort McMurray, Alberta (Fort McMurray International Airport) R.M. of Wood Buffalo (Vista Ridge – Wild Play Park) R.M. of Wood Buffalo (Fort McMurray Fish and Game Association) R.M. of Wood Buffalo (Phoenix Heli-Flight) → Fort McMurray (MacDonald Island Park – SMS Stadium at Shell Place) Fort McMurray (MacDonald Island Park – Miskanaw Golf Club) Episode summary At the start of this leg, teams were instructed to fly to Fort McMurray, Alberta. Once there, teams had to search outside the airport terminal for their marked vehicle, where they also found their clue inside. Teams then had to drive to Wild Play Park in order to find their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to search Wild Play 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. Kenneth & Ryan found the Express Passes. This leg's Detour at the Fort McMurray Fish and Game Association was a choice between Pump It or Pull It, both of which a limit of five stations. In Pump It (the 150 Challenge of the leg), 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 in order 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 three shots, in order to receive their next clue. In the hangar at Phoenix Heli-Flight, teams had to use figures from a helicopter's previous trip to calculate the missing fuel weight fraction values needed to determine its centre of gravity. Once teams filled in the correct solution, they received their next clue and were flown in a helicopter over an area destroyed by the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire, to SMS Stadium in MacDonald Island Park. Once there, they had to search for the Pit Stop: the sixteenth hole at Miskanaw Golf Club.
Leg 3 (Alberta → British Columbia)
Episode 3: "It's Like Ducks In the Forest" (July 18, 2017) Prize: A trip for two to Chicago, Illinois (awarded to Zed & Shabbir) Eliminated: Megan & Courtney Locations R.M. of Wood Buffalo (Syncrude Giants of Mining Exhibit) Fort McMurray → Castlegar, British Columbia Castlegar (Chances Casino) (Unaired) Castlegar (Columbia River – Zuckerberg Island) Nelson (Oso Negro Coffee Roastery) Nelson (Kootenay Lake – "Big Orange Bridge") Nelson (Selkirk College School of the Arts) Kokanee Creek Provincial Park (Kootenay Lake) Episode summary