The Amazing Race Canada 12

Production and broadcast

CTV officially renewed The Amazing Race Canada for a twelfth season on September 10, 2025. Casting for the season opened on October 7, 2025, and concluded on December 15 of that year. Principal filming commenced on April 20, 2026, and wrapped on May 15, 2026, with the race starting on Whistler Mountain in British Columbia. The network announced the premiere date on June 16, 2026, confirming the season would debut on July 7, 2026. The season finale aired on September 15, 2026, concluding the eleven-episode run that aired weekly on CTV.

The production spanned seven provinces, with legs taking place in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Manitoba, before the final leg concluded in Calgary, Alberta. Filming locations included Whistler, Squamish, Kelowna, Jasper, Montreal, Peterborough, Toronto, and Gimli. Several returning sponsors supported the season, including Expedia, Desjardins Group, Boost, and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, which promoted the film Moana. New corporate partners for the twelfth season were Café William, Molson Coors, Bell Canada, and the restaurant chain Pür & Simple, which was featured in a task in Sarnia, Ontario.

Cast and teams

The cast of ten teams was revealed by CTV on June 23, 2026. The competitors represented a diverse cross-section of Canadian personalities, including athletes, digital creators, musicians, and a beauty pageant titleholder. Each team consisted of two individuals with a pre-existing personal or professional relationship, such as siblings, married couples, or close friends. The cast included several notable public figures, which contributed to the season's visibility and audience engagement across the country.

The cast included several notable public figures. Sébastien Régnier, a Canadian Olympic athlete, competed alongside his partner Sacha. YouTube personalities and married couple Eamon Fitzgerald and Rebecca "Bec" Moroney were also contestants. Hip hop musicians Maestro Fresh Wes and Duane "D.O." Gibson raced as a team. Miss Universe Canada 2020 Nova Stevens participated with her friend Keshia. The remaining teams were composed of siblings, friends, and couples, including the eventual winning twin sisters, Tina and Liz Liao, who demonstrated strong teamwork throughout the competition.

• Tina & Liz Liao: Twin sisters and the winners.
• Eamon & Bec: Married YouTube personalities and runners-up.
• Michele & Matteo Bruzzese: Brothers who finished in third place.
• Sacha & Sébastien: Partners, with Sébastien being an Olympic athlete.
• Ameen & Surria: A married couple.
• Chayla & Chyana: Best friends.
• Filipe & Clara: A dating couple.
• Keshia & Nova: Friends, with Nova being Miss Universe Canada 2020.
• Maestro & Duane: Hip hop musicians.
• Dana & Cordelia: Mother and daughter.

Season format and new twists

The twelfth season introduced several new gameplay mechanics while retaining popular elements from previous editions. A major new twist was the distribution of an Express Pass to every team at the starting line on Whistler Mountain. This pass could be used to bypass any single task up to and including the fifth leg of the race, with the restriction that no more than one team could use their pass on any given task. This strategic element forced teams to decide when to use their valuable advantage early in the race, as demonstrated when Maestro & Duane used theirs on the first Detour and Michele & Matteo used theirs on the sailing task.

Another new feature was the Intersection, which required two teams to join together temporarily to complete a task before continuing the leg separately. The season also featured a U-Turn Vote, where teams voted to assign a penalty vote to a non-eliminated team. This resulted in a unique situation during Leg 5 where a tie for second place in the voting led to three teams being U-Turned instead of the usual two. Returning format elements included a double elimination leg, a final leg with three teams, and non-elimination legs where the last-place team faced a Speed Bump in the following leg. The Assist advantage also returned, hidden in certain clue boxes to provide teams with a reduced workload on specific tasks such as collecting flowers or making deliveries.

Race summary and leg highlights

The race began with a dramatic start on Whistler Mountain, where teams had to dig through snow to find their first clue and Express Pass. The initial legs focused on Western Canada, with challenges in Whistler, Squamish, Kelowna, and Jasper. Early tasks included sailing on Alta Lake to retrieve props from Moana, completing a slalom course on a sit-ski at Big White Ski Resort, and participating in a Calf Scramble at the Falkland Stampede. The first elimination occurred in Leg 2, with musicians Maestro & Duane being eliminated after struggling with their Speed Bump and other challenges. Leg 3 was a double elimination that saw mother-daughter team Dana & Cordelia removed from the race after tasks on the Rocky Mountaineer train and in Jasper National Park.

The race then moved east, with legs in Quebec and Ontario presenting distinct cultural and physical tests. In Montreal, teams encountered an Intersection requiring paired teams to perform a disco routine together at Club Electric Avenue. Ontario legs featured tasks such as solving a puzzle at the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, performing a scene for a Christmas romantic comedy movie in Toronto, and using metal detectors to find a miniature pumpjack on Grand Bend Beach. The season also included a Face Off challenge in Markham, where teams competed in table tennis matches at the Canadian Community Table Tennis Association. Olympic sprinter Andre De Grasse appeared as the Pit Stop greeter during the sixth leg at the R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant.

The final legs took teams to Atlantic Canada and the Prairies before the finish line in Calgary. The season was notable for its emphasis on Canadian culture, history, and environmental recovery, such as tasks in Jasper that contributed to reforestation efforts following the 2024 wildfire. Other culturally significant tasks included learning about Syilx moon cycles in Kelowna and serving dim sum orders in Cantonese in Scarborough. The race covered significant distances, including a train journey from Kamloops to Jasper on the Rocky Mountaineer and flights from Vancouver to Kelowna and from Montreal to Toronto, which tested the teams' travel logistics and adaptability.

Task and challenge overview

The season featured a wide array of Detours, Roadblocks, and other challenges designed to test the teams' physical, mental, and collaborative skills. Detours typically offered a choice between two tasks, often with a limit on how many teams could attempt each option simultaneously. Examples included the choice between untangling lights or performing an après-ski dance in Whistler (Sparkle or Shine), planting trees or building a garden box in Jasper (Plant It or Box It), and solving a plate puzzle or correcting a museum display in Montreal (Shout Opa or Say Cheese). Another Detour in Peterborough offered a choice between searching for canoes inside a museum or paddling a canoe through a course on Little Lake within seven minutes.

Roadblocks, which only one team member could perform, ranged from extreme physical feats to precise memorization tasks. Key Roadblocks included walking a slackline 100 feet above the Mamquam River in Squamish, rappelling down the Morro Slabs in Jasper, and assembling an irrigation sprinkler system in Kelowna. The season also introduced a Travelling Roadblock on the Rocky Mountaineer train, where a team member had to memorize and serve a dinner menu before arriving in Jasper. The Assist, a hidden advantage found in certain clue boxes, provided teams with benefits like a reduced workload on tasks such as collecting kangaroo droppings or delivering ice cream. Teams found the Assist in Legs 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7, with Michele & Matteo finding it twice during the race.

Other notable challenges included the Face Off table tennis match, the Intersection disco routine, and the U-Turn Vote. Speed Bumps, penalties for teams last in a non-elimination leg, involved tasks like stacking snow tubes or receiving a penalty vote. The season's tasks often incorporated local industries and traditions, such as sorting worms at a bait shop, cleaning a turtle habitat, and working with flowers at a Laval garden centre. Many clues were presented in both official languages, with the Detour clue in Montreal written in Quebec French, reflecting the bilingual nature of the country.

Elimination and results progression

The competition progressed over ten legs with two non-elimination points and one double elimination. The order of elimination and team performances demonstrated the impact of the new Express Pass strategy and the U-Turn Vote. The table below outlines the finishing order for each team across the season's legs, with the winners highlighted. Placement numbers indicate the team's arrival order at the Pit Stop, with dagger symbols denoting elimination and underlining indicating a non-elimination last place.

Leg 3 and Leg 7 were double elimination legs, removing Dana & Cordelia and then Chayla & Chyana, respectively. The U-Turn Vote in Leg 5 resulted in the elimination of Keshia & Nova, who received the penalty vote. The three final teams, Tina & Liz, Eamon & Bec, and Michele & Matteo, raced in the final leg from Manitoba to the finish line at a location in Calgary. Teams that arrived last in non-elimination legs faced Speed Bumps in subsequent legs, such as Maestro & Duane stacking snow tubes in Leg 2 and Keshia & Nova receiving the penalty vote in Leg 5, which significantly impacted their race performance.

Prizes and destinations

In addition to the grand prize, each leg winner received a cash prize and travel rewards, continuing the show's partnership with Expedia. The leg prizes highlighted both international and domestic destinations, offering winners cashback rewards for future trips. These prizes added an extra layer of incentive throughout the competition and presented a variety of global locales for viewers. The increasing cash value of the leg prizes, culminating in CA$15,000 for Leg 7, provided additional motivation as the race progressed toward the finale and the CA$250,000 grand prize.

The leg-by-leg prizes were as follows: Leg 1 offered CA$20,000 and a trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Leg 2 awarded CA$10,000 and a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland. Leg 3 winners received CA$10,000 and a trip to Malta. Leg 4 featured a CA$10,000 prize and a trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia. Leg 5 awarded CA$10,000 and a trip to Patagonia, Chile. Leg 6 winners got CA$10,000 and a trip to Barcelona, Spain. Leg 7 offered an increased prize of CA$15,000 and a trip to Hanoi, Vietnam. The prizes for the final three legs were part of the season's structure but their specific details were not part of the publicly released episode summaries.

Winning teams received additional prizes during certain legs of the race. In the first leg, Tina & Liz won CA$20,000, cashback rewards for a trip for two to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2026 FIFA World Cup jerseys, and a year-long 5G smart device package. Other leg prizes included cash rewards and trips to locations such as Edinburgh, Malta, Dubrovnik, Patagonia, and Barcelona. These prizes were provided by sponsors including Bell Canada, Expedia, and Desjardins Group. The integration of these rewards reflected the commercial partnerships supporting the season's production.

Cultural and regional highlights

The season prominently featured Canadian culture, Indigenous heritage, and regional industries across the provinces visited. In British Columbia, tasks included listening to Syilx elders describe the thirteen moon cycles in Nsyilxcən at Knox Mountain Park in Kelowna and sailing on Alta Lake near Whistler. The Alberta leg in Jasper National Park included tasks that contributed to recovery from the 2024 Jasper wildfire, with teams planting Douglas fir trees or constructing garden boxes as part of the reforestation effort. This environmental focus provided a meaningful connection to contemporary Canadian issues and community resilience.

Quebec's leg emphasized French Canadian culture, with a Detour clue written in Quebec French and tasks set in Montreal's Griffintown and Laval. The Ontario legs covered diverse aspects of the province, from the cottage country games in Peterborough to the urban challenges in Toronto's Scarborough district. The task at the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre in Peterborough highlighted wildlife conservation efforts. The later legs in Atlantic Canada and Manitoba, including a Viking task set up in Gimli, Manitoba, on May 13, continued this regional representation. The race route and challenges collectively presented a panoramic view of Canadian geography and community life from the Pacific coast to the Prairies.

Questions about The Amazing Race Canada 12

Who won The Amazing Race Canada 12?

Twin sisters Tina and Liz Liao won the twelfth season of The Amazing Race Canada. They defeated married YouTube personalities Eamon Fitzgerald and Rebecca "Bec" Moroney, who finished as runners-up, and brothers Michele and Matteo Bruzzese, who came in third place. The winning team claimed the grand prize of CA$250,000 and a trip around the world. Their victory was secured in the final leg, which concluded in Calgary, Alberta after a race that began on Whistler Mountain in British Columbia and spanned ten legs across the country.

What was the new Express Pass twist in season 12?

A major new twist in season 12 was that every team received an Express Pass at the starting line on Whistler Mountain. This pass could be used to bypass any single task up to and including the fifth leg of the race. A key strategic restriction was that no more than one team could redeem their Express Pass on any given task, forcing teams to carefully decide when to use their advantage. Several teams, including Maestro & Duane and Michele & Matteo, used their passes early on to skip challenges in the first leg, while others like Tina & Liz used theirs on the Montreal Detour in Leg 4.

How many teams were in The Amazing Race Canada 12?

There were ten teams of two in the twelfth season, each with a pre-existing relationship. The cast included twin sisters, married couples, brothers, best friends, dating couples, a mother and daughter, and notable personalities like Olympic athlete Sébastien Régnier and musicians Maestro Fresh Wes and Duane Gibson. The teams raced across Canada over ten legs, with eliminations occurring progressively until the final three teams competed in the last leg. The first team eliminated was Maestro & Duane in the second leg after they finished last at the KF Centre for Excellence in Kelowna.

When did The Amazing Race Canada 12 film and air?

The Amazing Race Canada 12 was filmed from April 20 to May 15, 2026. The season premiered on CTV on July 7, 2026, and aired its finale on September 15, 2026. The announcement of the renewal occurred on September 10, 2025, with casting opening the following month on October 7. The network confirmed the premiere date on June 16, 2026, and revealed the full cast on June 23, 2026, shortly before the season debuted for its eleven-episode run that featured a new episode each week throughout the summer.

What provinces did the race visit in season 12?

The race visited seven provinces during its journey across Canada. The route started in British Columbia, moved into Alberta, then travelled east to Quebec and Ontario. The later legs included destinations in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Manitoba, before the final leg concluded in Calgary, Alberta. In total, teams travelled approximately 12,000 kilometres over the course of the ten legs, experiencing a wide range of Canadian landscapes and cultures from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Lakes and the Atlantic coast, with specific stops in cities like Whistler, Jasper, Montreal, and Toronto.

What was the U-Turn Vote in season 12?

The U-Turn Vote was a new penalty mechanism introduced in season 12. During Leg 5, teams voted to assign a penalty vote to a team that was not eliminated. The team receiving the most penalty votes would be U-Turned in a future leg. A unique situation arose when a tie for second place in the voting resulted in three teams being U-Turned instead of the usual two. This vote occurred at Union Station in Toronto and added a layer of social strategy to the competition, ultimately affecting the elimination of Keshia & Nova in that same leg after they received the penalty vote.

Sources and further reading

• The Amazing Race Canada 12 (Wikipedia)
• The Amazing Race Canada, Season 12 (primevideo.com)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-11-04.