Olympic Champion Jon Montgomery Named Host of CTV's THE AMAZING RACE CANADA

CTV announced today that Jon Montgomery (@jrmonty12), the Vancouver 2010 Olympic gold medallist in skeleton, has been named host of CTV's reality competition series The Amazing Race CANADA. Three years after gaining hero status with Canadians following his Olympic win and now-famous, frosty, golden beer victory walk through the streets of Whistler, the reigning Olympic Champion guides teams on the race of a lifetime on THE AMAZING RACE CANADA. Set to anchor CTV's Summer 2013 schedule, The Amazing Race CANADA airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT beginning July 15 on CTV (visit CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times).

In a Canadian twist, Montgomery's dynamic athleticism will be featured in The Amazing Race CANADA. The host actually participates and demonstrates to both the competitors and viewers at home the risks involved and the skills required for some of the daring challenges facing the racers.

"Canadian hero Jon Montgomery knows what it takes to compete in the race of a lifetime," said Phil King, President, CTV Programming and Sports. "Combine that with his charismatic charm, captivating personality, and thirst for adventure, and you get the perfect host for The Amazing Race CANADA."

"It's such a great honour to be able to host The Amazing Race CANADA," said Montgomery. "Canadians are going to love seeing our great country serve as the backdrop to one of their favourite TV shows."

"Jon as host was a no-brainer - he is the quintessential embodiment of the Canadian attitude," said John Brunton, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Insight Productions. "He represents the Canadian spirit. It's about hard work, dedication and heart. And it's that spirit and passion that he brings to The Amazing Race CANADA."

Montgomery travels coast-to-coast-to-coast with the teams as they embark on a uniquely Canadian journey in pursuit of the biggest prize ever awarded for a Canadian competition television series. No stranger to podium finishes, Montgomery joins The Amazing Race CANADA with a passion for life, a thrill for adventure, and a love for new challenges. Only eight years after his first run down a skeleton track, Montgomery won gold at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Born and raised in Russell, MB, Montgomery transitioned from a career as an auctioneer, to become a champion skeleton racer. He captured a silver medal at the 2007/2008 FIBT World Championships in Altenberg, Germany, and has earned eight World Cup medals (four gold, two silver, and two bronze), and five Canadian National titles to date.

Following his powerful gold-medal run down Whistler's Blackcomb Mountain during Vancouver 2010, Montgomery became a household name as Canadians across the country instantly fell in love with this inspirational hero. He currently lives in Calgary, with his wife Darla, a fellow skeleton racer.

Thousands of teams have entered, but only one team will run away with the historic grand prize for The Amazing Race CANADA. Valued at more than half a million dollars including $250,000 in cash, the prize also features the opportunity to fly free for a year for two anywhere Air Canada flies worldwide (175 destinations) in Executive First Class (based on 10 trips for two), and two 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingrays. In total, the prize is equal to 167,224 hockey pucks, 178,572 cans of beer, and 33,356 half-liter jars of pure Canadian maple syrup.

With the knowledge that most Canadians have not travelled beyond their own province, The Amazing Race CANADA gives Canadians the opportunity to race around Canada and discover the country they love in a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Teams will race to the finish line, criss-crossing up to 23,000 kilometres. A stunning depiction of the Canadian fabric, the teams will travel through both the country's urban centres as well as the most remote outposts in the land, all while exploring its broad cultural and ethnic diversity, wildlife, and iconic landmarks. Fans are encouraged to follow @AmazingRaceCDA and stay tuned to the CTV Facebook page for updates.

The Amazing Race CANADA will also air TSN on Tuesdays at 12 a.m. ET/PT beginning July 16, on RDS2 Wednesdays at 6 p.m. ET beginning July 17, and TSN2 on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT beginning July 17, as well as on demand across CTV's digital platforms: CTV.ca, the CTV App, and through video on demand partners.

The four top-tier sponsors for The Amazing Race CANADA are Air Canada, BlackBerry, INTERAC, and Chevrolet Canada.

The Amazing Race CANADA is based on THE AMAZING RACE, the nine-time, Emmy award-winning, hit program created by Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri that premiered in 2001 in the United States. van Munster, Doganieri, and Mark Vertullo are executive producers for Worldrace Productions, a division of Profiles Television. Jerry Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman are executive producers for Jerry Bruckheimer Television. The program is produced in association with ABC Studios. The U.S. version of The Amazing Race was a Top 3 series last fall on CTV and is this season's #1 reality program in Canada with an average audience of 2.7 million viewers.

The Amazing Race CANADA will be the 12 th international version to launch outside of the United States, joining Asia, Australia, Brazil, China, France, Israel, Latin America, Norway, Philippines, Ukraine and Vietnam as territories with an original The Amazing Race production.

The Amazing Race CANADA will be produced by Insight Productions in association with CTV and with the support of Profiles Television. Executive Producers for Insight Productions are John Brunton and Barbara Bowlby, and Supervising Producer is Mark Lysakowski. Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri are executive producers for Profiles Television. Robin Johnston is the CTV Production Executive. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks. Phil King is President, CTV Programming and Sports.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Twitter:
@CTV_PR
@CTV_Television
@AmazingRaceCDA
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@AirCanada
@chevrolet

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About Bell Media Independent Production
Bell Media has commissioned and co-produced some of Canada's most-watched and most-acclaimed original programming, while working with the best Canadian independent producers in the country. Hit CTV series include ratings success stories SAVING HOPE, MOTIVE, and THE LISTENER, and the recently concluded game changer FLASHPOINT. New for 2013 on CTV are the drama series PLAYED, relationship comedy SATISFACTION, multi-cam office comedy SPUN OUT, and The Amazing Race CANADA, a Canadian-produced, complementary version of the hit international series. Among the scripted series on Bell Media specialty channels are the two-time Emmy -nominated hit DEGRASSI, ORPHAN BLACK, and upcoming drama BITTEN, as well as reality series PANIC BUTTON and BRAVE NEW GIRL. In total, Bell Media ordered 27 new original Canadian series in 2012, and put 35 scripted projects into development.

About CTV
CTV is Canada's #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV has been Canada's most-watched television network for the past 12 years in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio and digital. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network's website at CTV.ca.

About Insight Production Company Ltd.
Insight Production Company Ltd., headed by John Brunton & Barbara Bowlby has become an industry leader in the creative development, financing and production of highly rated television programs and cutting edge multiplatform content for the global market in every genre. Since 1979, it has been recognized for its reputation for outstanding quality as the recipient of numerous International awards, including multiple Gemini's. The company has created thousands of hours of groundbreaking television that continues to be broadcast over major networks worldwide. Recent hits include original formats Battle of the Blades and Canada Sings along with Big Brother Canada, Canada's Got Talent, Intervention Canada, The JUNO Awards and Never Ever Do This at Home. For more information visit www.insighttv.com.

SOURCE CTV

Image: CNW Group/CTV