‘Seeing people that look like us’: Amazing Race Canada features most Indigenous contestants in show’s history

Best friends and roommates, Rebecca Merasty and Rebecca Watt, are competing on Season 11 of the Amazing Race Canada.

The Amazing Race Canada is making history this season with the highest number of Indigenous contestants the show has ever seen.

Season 11 premieres Tuesday night with six Indigenous participants — including Rebecca Merasty, from Saskatchewan’s Flying Dust First Nation.

Merasty is teamed up with her best friend and roommate, Rebecca Watt, who is from the Pehdzeh Kí First Nation in the Northwest Territories.

“We didn’t grow up seeing people that look like us, other than Pocahontas ... which obviously isn’t the greatest representation,” Merasty told CTV News from Vancouver, where she now lives.

Merasty said she was first contacted by a casting producer. A few weeks later, Watt was also individually contacted.

“They had no idea we were besties and roommates,” Merasty said, taking the two separate messages as a sign.

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“We were just like, ‘Okay, I guess we’re doing this. This is creator telling us that it is time for us to go on The Amazing Race.’”

Now known as “The Rebeccas,” the duo said representation was a driving force behind joining the race.

“That was such a big motivating factor for us. You know, having those little eyes look up at us and be like, ‘Hey, they kind of look like us. We can do that, too!’ And just like encouraging youth to really go for it, go for what they want,” Merasty said.

Teams are competing for two 2025 Chevrolet Blazers, a trip around the world, and a $250,000 cash prize.

The new season kicks off in Edmonton at Commonwealth Stadium.