amazing race canada: episode 1

an introduction
since the amazing race is happening in canada, i figured that i may as well follow it on the blog. i regularly follow the american version, and tell myself that i'll eventually want to go to the same places that they have been. but i guess the problem is that there are always so many more places that they showcase compared to my a) limited budget, and b) my limited time. and then i forget.

the canadian version seems a bit different in that it's solely within canada (no international travel occurring, kind of like the family edition of the amazing race which was purely america/canada). in theory, it would make it easier to retrace their steps. it's also fun to watch because i've been to most of the major cities in canada, and it'll be exciting to be able to say that i've maybe done this and maybe done that. finally, it's exciting to know that friends were involved in the production of the series.

the background
9 teams of two follow road markers in a race around canada. there are mandatory roadblocks and detours which are challenges that must be completed before the end of the episode. there are various mandatory pit stops which complete certain legs of the race. at the end of each leg, the last team to arrive at the pit stop faces potential elimination from the race.

the prize
in the american version, the winning team usually wins a total of $1 million dollars. on our version, the winning team shares $250,000, two chevrolet corvette stingrays, and executive class unlimited air canada passes for one year. the guaranteed winnings would be greater than $300,000 per couple. remember that prizes south of the border are taxed at certain brackets, and 2 x $500,000 prizes could actually be equal maybe 2 x $375,000 after taxes have taken their share. my understanding is that this is not the case in canada.

my fave team so far
while i'll always have a soft spot for hal johnson and joanne mcleod of body break, i'm kinda cheering for brett and holly, married pediatricians from montreal.

holly: "our biggest challenge is going to be racing. we are not physical people at all, at all. we are workaholics. we don't have a lot of time to go to the gym."
brett: "i think viewers will see us as strategic players. bottom line is we're not playing a physical game. that's not going to be our strength."

i loved that piece of honesty. i can see that being a problem for me as well.

episode one destinations:
niagara falls, ontario

• oaks garden theater park
• niagara falls butterfly conservatory: given my deathly fear of butterflies, i'd be okay with skipping this particular site.

kelowna, british columbia

• the bear statue, stuart park
• kelowna yacht club -- roadblock 1: underwater dive task to search for a clue
• lakefront watersports kiosk
• okanagan highland -- roadblock 2: bungee jumping from the bellevue trestle.

westbank, british columbia

• quail's gate winery -- pit stop

upcoming episodes
episode 2 has already been previewed as being in vancouver, episode 3 has been suggested to be in calgary. current city followed by hometown ... can't wait!