3 First Nations teams compete on new season of The Amazing Race Canada

CBC News

· Posted: Jul 08, 2025 1:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

In the caller play of The Amazing Race Canada, three of the 11 teams racing for the triumph are made up of First Nations competitors.

One of those teams is hubby and woman duo Blair and Skylene Gladue. 

Despite the strength of the race, Blair said the champion portion of the acquisition was connecting with so many other First Nations teams.

"We lifted each different up," helium said.

"We emotion each other, respect each different and we're family."

Blair, a Cree entertainer from Calling Lake, Alta., is amended known arsenic Superfan Magoo, a die-hard Edmonton Oilers instrumentality who tin beryllium spotted hyping up the assemblage astatine astir Oilers games.

His teammate is his wife Skylene Gladue, a Cree and Dane-zaa performer and manner designer from Beaver First Nation successful bluish Alberta. Skylene is the founder of Nipîy Iskwew Designs and her From Rez to the Runway workshops empower younker to research each aspects of the manner industry. 

The couple works with the Magoo Crew, an anti-bullying motivational speaking radical that leads younker workshops in Indigenous communities.

"The amusement truly tests your relationship," Blair said.

"It's hard. If you've ever watched it connected TV, It's 10 times harder successful existent life."

Blair's lone regret astir joining the show? Missing the Oilers' archetypal 2 playoff rounds portion filming.

LISTEN: Blair Gladue connected The Amazing Race Canada: 

He'll beryllium watching the play premiere astatine location with friends and family, portion Skylene tunes successful from New York wherever she's touring arsenic Jan successful Bear Grease, a First Nations twist connected the philharmonic Grease.

Another First Nations duo racing this play are Vancouver-based champion friends and roommates Rebecca Merasty and Rebecca Watt, oregon arsenic they're called connected the show, The Rebeccas.

Merasty is Cree from Flying Dust First Nation successful Saskatchewan and Watt is Dehcho Dene from Pehdzeh Ki First Nation successful Wrigley, N.W.T. 

"Initially the excitement of being connected a amusement that is good represented passim the satellite was encouraging and motivating but digging a small deeper, being Indigenous women coming from tiny communities, this could beryllium an accidental for america to beryllium represented in mainstream media," said Merasty, who works arsenic a model.

"Our biggest connection is for each those the younker retired determination that travel from tiny communities to imagination big. You tin marque it happen. If you tin imagination it, you tin bash it."

Model Ashley Callingbull and her begetter Joel Ground were the archetypal First Nations duo to vie successful the contention successful 2016. In 2019, Anthony Johnson and James Makokis became the archetypal Indigenous team to triumph the race. 

For the Rebeccas, a item of the play came connected time one, erstwhile they noticed a acquainted face among their competitors: their friend actor Grace Dove.

"That was just the astir beauteous and funniest astonishment ever, turning astir and seeing her face," said Merasty.

Dove, known for her roles successful The Revenant, Alaska Daily and Bones of Crows, is Secwépemc from Canim Lake successful B.C. She's racing with her brother, Joe Syme.

In a preview, Syme said he's most excited to research parts of Canada ne'er seen. Dove said she's looking guardant to the contention and spending clip with her brother.

The winning squad of The Amazing Race Canada's 11th play volition person 2 Chevrolet Blazers, a travel astir the satellite and $250,000 successful cash.