The next leg of Amazing Race Canada comes to Guelph and Elora in the latest episode.
This is the 10th season of the high-intensity race challenge reality TV show but a first for it to feature Wellington County.
Episode six airs Tuesday at 9 p.m. on CTV, ctv.ca and the CTV app.
“I think the goal with the show is to highlight different communities that we haven't been to,” said Mark Lysakowski, executive producer of Amazing Race Canada.
Lysakowski knew he could make an episode out of the Guelph and Elora area. It’s a mix of rural, urban and a university city. Elements of art and nature from the communities are incorporated into the episode.
One of the locations is the Elora Gorge. “So we went there for a bit because it's one of those stunning places that people always talk about,” said Lysakowski. The show brought its own twist to the gorge. Viewers will have to tune in to find out what it is.
A surprise location is the Wellington County Museum and Archives. “Who knew the archives would create such an interesting moment in the show?” he said.
While in Guelph the racers went to Dublin Street United Church and used the recreation hall for a wrestling challenge.
The CTV team's approach to the show since the beginning has been “don't just show the tourism, don’t just show the obvious. Show the unexpected,” said Lysakowski. He wants people across Canada to learn something new about places that make up such a vast country.
In the Amazing Race Canada, he wants to tell the stories of the communities the show features. The challenges, like wrestling, are universal across the country but it features wrestling in Guelph, that people may not know exists here.
“You never know what's going to happen on an episode of Amazing Race Canada. You can celebrate our veterans and also do a body slam in a pro-wrestling challenge all in the same hour of television. That's what I love about this show,” said Lysakowski.
Some of Guelph’s history took him by surprise. “I had no idea that John McCrae, who penned In Flanders Fields, lived in the area,” he said. There is an element in the episode that honours veterans like McCrae.
For this episode he said viewers can look forward to the drama continuing from the rest of the season. As always viewers will see the competitiveness of the teams racing in the wild nature of the show.
The communities and people are what makes up the heart of Canada. “I love that we get to celebrate the community for what it is,” said Lysakowski.
