A day before their upfronts CTV made what was probably the most anticipated of their expected announcements…who exactly will be the host of the inaugural season of The Amazing Race Canada.
And I have to say, I love who they chose!
When the show premieres on July 15th, Olympic Gold Medalist John Montgomery will host the greatest race this Canada has every seen and he’ll be doing it like never before! You’ll remember that Montgomery represented the ginger population well when he won a gold medal in the Skeleton competition in Vancouver and then promptly chugged a jug of beer! The Manitoba-native, who is also an awesome auctioneer, will be going the extra mile and will actually participate and demonstrate to both the competitors and viewers at home the risks involved and the skills required for some of the daring challenges facing the racers.
I gotta say, that’s way cooler than Phil’s trick he does with his eyebrow.
I honestly can’t believe that someone from the ETalk team isn’t hosting. If there is one thing that Canadian networks love, it’s synergy. So I thought Ben Mulroney was essentially a shoe-in. But maybe his busy family life kept him from the extensive travel that is required for the show. You could make that case that Montgomery sort of feels like a CTV property because of his extensive coverage during the 2010 Olympics, which aired on the network. But the next games are in Sochi and will be aired on CBC, so maybe I’m being too cynical when I say that I’m surprised that the CTV would be so willing to promote someone that will be a star on another network this time next year!
I think this is a fantastic choice. Canada is used to cheering for John, so he’s a natural fit. I love that he’ll be right there getting dirty with the competitors, it’s a fun twist that separates the show from its American counterparts!
I can’t wait for July 15th!
