‘The Amazing Race Canada’ a ‘ love-letter’ to Canada: CTV exec

TORONTO — Producers of “The Amazing Race Canada” promise the show will stand shoulder-toshoulder with its slick U.S. counterpart, even though competitors will never leave the country.

CTV executive Phil King says the network spent a lot of time debating whether or not to send competitors around the world. In the end, they relished the chance to showcase the country’s diversity.

“We have one of the few countries in the world that you could do this in — you couldn’t do this in Norway,” King said Monday, a day after “The Amazing Race” host Phil Keoghan announced the Canadian version during a commercial break of Sunday’s broadcast.

“But Canada (is) so diverse and not only in terms of land mass and climates — whether you go from Vancouver to the north or in the Prairies (with their) varying climates all the time — but even the people have very distinct cultures.”

King says 10 one-hour episodes have been ordered and that casting will begin in the new year. Shooting will likely take place in late spring and the series will debut mid-summer.

Prizes have yet to be determined, but King says cash will be involved.

Canadian producer John Brunton, whose Toronto-based company Insight Productions was responsible for “Canadian Idol,” “Canada’s Got Talent” and the upcoming “Big Brother Canada,” says the travel-based series has long been a favourite north of the border.

“It’s a show that I think fans in Canada have been dying to participate in and it seemed like a natural project for CTV to want to dig their teeth into,” Brunton said by phone while travelling with “The Amazing Race” crew as research.

The moment the show was greenlit, he says he jumped on a plane to join the ongoing U.S. race and glean tips on how to pull off a respectable Canuck take.

“It’s an enormous production. And it’s run-and-gun television. You are literally chasing people all over the country,” he said, refusing to divulge which far-flung location he was speaking from Monday.

“It’s got to be full of unpredictability and surprises.”

King says the Emmy Awardwinning team responsible for “The Amazing Race” will be close collaborators for “The Amazing Race Canada.”