Indigenous teams still in it to win it on Amazing Race Canada

The Amazing Race Canada Season 11 contestants. (Instagram/amazingracecda)

The race is on!

From hockey shootouts and chiseling ice sculptures, to roping tests and cracking riddles, the 11 teams on the 11th season of The Amazing Race Canada 2025 have been faced with many challenges—and it’s just the beginning.

On July 8, the series kicked off in Edmonton at the Commonwealth Stadium where the 2024 race winners were crowned.

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Three of the teams are comprised of six Indigenous people who come from communities across Canada.

“I think over the course of the series, we’ve seen more and more Indigenous teams on the show,” said Mark Lysakowski, co-chief content officer and executive producer. “I think when the community sees ‘Oh, I can go on the show and do well,’ you think ‘this can be for me’.”

Grace Dove and Joe Syme are siblings from Prince George, BC, who are not afraid of being on screen. Grace has received the Canadian Screen Award nomination as an actress and has filled roles on The Revenant, Alaska Daily and How it Ends.

Married couple Skylene and Blair Gladue, also known as “Superfan Magoo” from Edmonton, hope their time on the show inspires Indigenous people by demonstrating strength, joy and perseverance despite being faced with difficulties.

The last Indigenous team, known as the Rebeccas, consists of Rebecca Merasty from Meadow Lake, Sask., and Rebecca Watt from Wrigley, N.W.T. The best friend duo are currently roommates in Vancouver. Their determination to win the race pays tribute to those who have played a pivotal role in shaping them into the woman they’ve become, they say.

“We were both raised in smaller communities and raised in the bush. I think, just that in itself, shaped us to who we are today,” said Watt. “We’re both very strong and very resilient individuals that honestly aren’t scared of anything.”

Watt describes Merasty as the more athletic one, but she too enjoys an active lifestyle with regular activities.

“Rebecca is more of an athlete than I am,” said Watt. “I like to hike. I play whatever sports and do anything to get my body moving.”

But no matter who is more athletic, the duo has been killing it.

“The experience overall, honestly, is a once in a lifetime. I’m so grateful for the opportunity and to be able to do the entire time with my best friend,” Watt said. “We had the best time. I couldn’t have asked for a better person.”

Each and every morning, the Rebeccas pray “for a good day.”

“And to thank the Creator and (ask for the) backing of our ancestors and everybody that came before us. You know, to just push us through and get us to that next level, that next leg,” Watt explained.

She is a strategic lead for mental wellness, and owner of the company Auntie’s Insights. She works with youth through mental health and substance programming.

The business was established in response to a gap for Indigenous youth in cities who were missing out on essential advice from aunties in the community.

“There was a gap just in a lot of the knowledge and teachings in terms of harm reduction and prevention education for youth under 12,” Watt said.

The Rebeccas are hoping their participation in The Amazing Race Canada will encourage younger generations to embrace new experiences.

“It was so important for us to get out there and represent, not just Indigenous people and Indigenous women, but also just be that representation we didn’t have as kids,” she said.

From rugged coasts and busy cities, the remainder of the season will see contestants move across the country.

“My philosophy of this show is, yes there’s tourism in every place we go, but I don’t always want to show tourism… With everything that’s happening in the world geopolitically and how people are traveling less, I think our show is a great show that lets people say ‘hey there is still a whole massive country to explore’,” Lysakowski said.

One of the highlights will be when the contestants travel to the third coast—the Arctic Ocean.

Watch The Amazing Race Canada Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, and streaming next day on Crave.

By Crystal St.Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com