Coached by Canadian superstar athletes, six teams of four players will compete for a trip to the Olympic Games Paris 2024
Let’s GO! CBC today announced the 24 Canadians striving for success in the new original competition reality format CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE (8x60). Six iconic Canadian athletes each coach and mentor a team of four players through mentally and physically grueling challenges at awe-inspiring locations across the country, making strategic decisions and motivating their players to victory. The winning team will receive a trip to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 to cheer on Team Canada. Produced by Insight Productions and The Gurin Company, CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE debuts Thursday, February 16 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC TV and CBC Gem.
The inaugural season of the competition series is hosted by sports broadcaster Nikki Reyes and professional snowboarder and CBC Sports analyst Craig McMorris, and sees the entire country turned into one giant obstacle course, with challenges in Whitehorse, YK; Squamish, BC; Kelowna, BC; Hinton, AB; Sudbury, ON; Thousand Islands, ON; and Québec City, QC, culminating with the finale on the Confederation Bridge between New Brunswick and PEI.
The superstar Canadian athletes coaching the six teams through solo, tandem, and team challenges are: sprinting legend Donovan Bailey; Olympian in water polo and advocate for Indigenous sport, Waneek Horn-Miller; six-time Olympic medallist in cycling and speed skating and mental health advocate, Clara Hughes; three-time Olympian in speed-skating, Gilmore Junio; former captain of Canada’s Olympic bronze medal-winning rugby sevens team, Jen Kish; and NFL Super Bowl Champion with the Seattle Seahawks, Luke Willson.
Meet the 24 Canadians who have stepped up for CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE:
Team Red - Coached by Donovan Bailey
- Dilpreet Bhattal (she/her), 31, a personal trainer and fitness instructor from Toronto, ON
- Lori Campbell (she/her/Two-Spirit), 50, a university associate vice-president from Regina, SK
- Chris Cederstrand (he/him), 42, an athlete, public speaker and firefighter from Okotoks, AB
- Franz Wellington (he/him), 52, a lifestyle and fitness coach from Toronto, ON
Team Yellow - Coached by Waneek Horn-Miller
- Victoria Coman (she/her), 24, a student and personal trainer from Ottawa, ON
- Em Donkers (he/them), 27, a fitness influencer and trainer from Kingston, ON
- Kate Fabien-Ferrol (she/her), 34, a fitness and wellness coach from Yellowknife, NT
- Chris “Cuddly” Lewarne (he/him), 38, a former lawyer and personal trainer from Toronto, ON
Team Blue - Coached by Clara Hughes
- Jesse Benjamin (she/her), 41, a Mi’kmaq matriarch and former veterinarian from Kjipuktuk, NS
- Skylar LeBlanc (he/him), 27, a single dad and football player from Halifax, NS
- Zalie Tshuma (she/her), 30, a chef, business owner and fitness instructor from Toronto, ON
- Mitchell Wendland (he/him), 27, a retail worker, spin instructor and cheerleader from Edmonton, AB
Team Orange - Coached by Gilmore Junio
- Christian Oberegger (he/him), 37, a firefighter and paramedic from Fort McMurray, AB
- Julie “Juls” Tower (she/her), 46, an auto worker and fitness competitor from York, ON
- Meaux Redhead (she/her), 37, a flight attendant and fitness trainer from Toronto, ON
- Vincent “Vinny” Rojas (he/him), 28, a personal trainer and fitness instructor from Montreal, QC
Team Teal - Coached by Jen Kish
- Kimberly “Kimber” Bernhard (she/her), 35, a tattoo artist and roller derby skater from Saskatoon, SK
- Dustin Seidler (he/him), 33, a real estate agent and paramedic from Toronto, ON
- Stiva Sinanan (he/him), 47, a fitness instructor from Toronto, ON
- Rachael Spurling (she/her), 31, a hairstylist and competitive boxer from Sooke, BC
Team Black - Coached by Luke Willson
- Bradley Farquhar (he/him), 36, a businessman and adventurer from Mahone Bay, NS
- Kenny Ho (he/him), 23, a marketing coordinator and track and field coach from Vancouver, BC
- Devon MD Jones (she/her), 44, a stretch therapist and reflexologist from Toronto, ON
- Alana Warnick (she/her), 42, a firefighter from Winnipeg, MB
Alternates
- Mina Abd-Al-Ahhad (she/her), 33, a customer service associate and student at McMaster University from Hamilton, ON
- Louis Ngo (he/him), 39, a yoga teacher, personal trainer and massage therapist from Vancouver, BC
For all things Canada’s Ultimate Challenge, including team bios, interviews and updates, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/television/canadasultimatechallenge
Follow us on Instagram: @canadasultimatechallenge and Facebook
A CBC original series, CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE is executive produced by John Brunton and Mark Lysakowski for Insight Productions (A Boat Rocker Company) and Phil Gurin for The Gurin Company; Jeff Thrasher is the series producer for Insight Productions. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual & Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; and Ann-Marie Redmond is Executive in Charge of Production. International format rights are handled by TGC Global Entertainment.
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About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
About Insight Productions (A Boat Rocker Company)
Insight Productions, known for its award-winning ratings juggernauts, is Canada’s most established content producer and an industry leader in the development, financing, and production of hit programming. Insight Senior Vice President Mark Lysakowski serves as Executive Producer – alongside Insight’s Chair and CEO John Brunton, on Canada’s Ultimate Challenge. The company has created some of the most dynamic and top-rated programs including Canada’s New Year’s Eve: Countdown; The Amazing Race Canada (the most watched Canadian show on record); ten seasons of ratings hits Big Brother Canada and Top Chef Canada; Stronger Together/Tous Ensemble (the largest multi-platform broadcast and highest viewed non-sporting broadcast in Canadian television history); and The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration, a live concert special on CBC watched by one in three Canadians. Insight has collaborated with The Black Academy on The Legacy Awards and with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation on Every Child Matters: Reconciliation Through Education and National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. Insight Productions was founded in 1979 and has since created thousands of hours of ground-breaking content. For more information on Insight Productions, please visit www.insighttv.com or on Twitter @insightprod or Facebook www.facebook.com/InsightProductions.
About The Gurin Company
With the world as its market, The Gurin Company is one of the leading independent creators, producers and distributors of non-scripted television, focusing on entertainment, game shows, live events and factual formats. The Gurin Company is led by award-winning Producer/Writer/Creator Phil Gurin, who has won four Prime Time Emmy Awards as an Executive Producer on ABC’s Shark Tank, and an international Rose d’Or (Golden Rose) for the comedy game show Oh Sit!, which he co-created for The CW. His The Singing Bee (NBC/CMT) is one of the Top 30 most produced original formats in the world. He has also produced and written over 3000 hours of television that have been seen in more than 185 countries, and many other formats, including Fridge Wars (CBC, CW and Sat.1), Weakest Link, Lingo, Test The Nation, Candid Camera, Double Dare, Remote Control, Your Chance To Dance, Wanna Bet?, All-New 3’s A Crowd, Make The Grade, Win Lose or Pawn, So You Think You’d Survive, FOX’s New Year’s Eve Live, Women Rock, US Olympic Hall of Fame, KISS: Live, Miss America, Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe. Gurin has Executive Produced 9 NAACP Image Awards and he recently Executive Produced Friday Night Vibes with Tiffany Haddish and Deon Cole for TBS, and Honoring Our Kings: A Celebration of Black Fatherhood starring Oprah Winfrey and Sterling K. Brown for OWN. Gurin is also Co-Chair of FRAPA and serves on the Board of NATPE. He speaks, moderates panels and writes frequently about the world of formats and the international television business.
Media Contacts
Joanna Landsberg (for CBC)
647.628.4788
Gabrielle Free (for Insight Productions)
416-220-0201
Cheryl Clarke at Mushroom Media (for The Gurin Company)
+44 (0)7939554109
