Tom Hache

The Amazing Race is supposed to be thrilling, teams racing across continents, culture shocks, jaw-dropping challenges, the world unfolding in technicolor. But The Amazing Race Canada? It feels like a tourism commercial stretched into a season-long yawn. Every episode is the same: people jogging through airports, hopping on domestic flights, and trudging across the same predictable backdrops. Instead of global culture clashes, we get… maple syrup tastings, canoe portages, and yet another heritage site tour. It’s less “race around the world” and more “field trip with a CTV camera crew.” What’s worse is the tone. It reeks of propaganda, every challenge framed like a government ad campaign: “See how polite! See how diverse! See how we recycle!” Instead of heart-pounding competition, it feels like CTV is hand-feeding us a carefully curated brochure for “Brand Canada.” There’s no grit, no unpredictability, no edge. Just sanitized content that makes you wonder if it’s produced in partnership with Ottawa. At this point, calling it The Amazing Race is false advertising. It should be called The Adequate Jog: Canada Edition. Or better yet, GTV—Government Television, because it’s as controlled, polished, and lifeless as the bureaucracies running the country. Sad, boring, and hollow. That’s the legacy of The Amazing Race Canada.