Despite being harnessed into a pulley system some 55 feet above the ground and traversing the two Absolute Buildings (aka the Marilyn Monroe towers) in Mississauga and jumping out of a helicopter into frigid water, EB and Blake Burnett say they felt no fear while competing on The Amazing Race Canada. And now the Toronto (Mississauga) brothers are one of four teams in the finale of Season 11 airing on Tuesday, September 16th at 9 p.m. on CTV, CTV.ca, the CTV app. The winning team collects the impressive grand prize of two 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS‘s, a trip around the world, $250,000 cash courtesy of FUZE Iced Tea as well as the coveted title of The Amazing Race Canada Champions.
In an interview just days before the finale, Blake and EB shared what it means to them to have made it to the finale:
“During the race we were checking off milestones,” states EB, “like winning a leg or surviving a roadblock or a U-turn, but the biggest roadblock is making it to that final leg. This experience is one of a kind and so unique. There are only a handful of people in the world who will ever get to experience this, so aside from the prize money and the trips, just the experience of getting to complete all 10 legs in the race is huge in itself.”
Asked what it would mean to the brothers to win the title of The Amazing Race Canada Champions, Blake answers: “We are students of the game; we grew up watching it and just love this race, so to be able to make it to the end would be so massive for us. We’ve already won two legs; we got some trips and prize money, we survived the U-turn board, so now it’s about just winning that final leg. There’s only one more goal, which would be to win the whole show.”
Hosted by Olympic Gold Medallist Jon Montgomery, The Amazing Race Canada is one of the most-watched summer reality TV shows, which begins with 11 teams competing against each other in various physical and mental challenges as they trek across Canada. At each “Pit Stop” (destination), the teams are given various challenges to complete. Once completed, the racers are handed an envelope with clues for their next destination. The first team to arrive at a Pit Stop usually wins a big prize while the last team to arrive is usually eliminated.
While some of the challenges may seem easy (like finding Rosie’s Restaurant in Gander, Newfoundland, and ordering “Moose Farts”), others challenge the racer’s mental and physical strength. Like going to the rooftop of the Absolute Towers and traversing between the two buildings. EB drew the straw to attempt that harrowing feat.
“No fear, man; it was actually really exciting,” exclaims EB, talking about the aerial traverse. “I was so happy because I thought we were at the back of the pack and was more focused on getting across as soon as possible. We are the only people on earth going between those two buildings so how can I ever be afraid of something like that? I felt so grateful to have such a legendary experience.”
In a pre-show promo on the CTV website for The Amazing Race Canada, both 26-year-old Blake and 24-year-old EB joked about having no fear. Asked if this changed during the race, Blake answers: “Absolutely not. I felt no fear during the race, only joy and intensity. This experience is so great and so unique as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so if you are going to let yourself feel fear, that means you are going to take yourself out of what EB and I were experiencing. Fear gets in the way of gratitude, so it’s not welcome here!”
Competing couples included married couples, dating couples, friends, and siblings.
“Understanding each other is massively important in this race,” explains Blake. “Not only do EB and I have a high level of communication, but we’ve travelled and experienced the world together and have been in precarious situations in random cities and countries. Being brothers and having the ebb and flow and understanding how to navigate the world together was a massive advantage for us in this race.”
Asked to name a favourite moment, destination or challenge, the brothers share two different highlights.
Blake: “It’s not on camera, but after we won the leg in the Arctic, what you don’t see is that the sun doesn’t set in Tuktoyaktuk, so it’s just 24 hours of daylight. Around 11 p.m. we were waiting at this small airport for our charter flight back to Inuvik, and we were just sitting there soaking up the sunlight, and it looked like it was pure daylight even though it was nighttime. Just being in that moment and being able to ride the high of the day and the surroundings was special.”
EB: “One of my favourite moments was also an off-camera moment when we made it to Lake Louise. At that point, things were starting to heat up, and we were pushing ourselves hard and had a strenuous day, and we ended it off by just relaxing near Lake Louise. Blake and I did the polar bear plunge and jumped into the lake together, and we got to look at the beautiful mountains. We reflected on how lucky we were to be running the race that we grew up watching on TV.”
It was Blake’s idea to sign up for the race, but he had no trouble convincing EB to join him. Says EB: “It was almost a given that we would compete, and anyone who knows us knows that we are well-suited for it.”
Blake and EB took time out of their careers to compete on the show. Blake manages Greta Arcade Bar in Toronto and is also a part-time model. Says Blake: “I model, but his guy (EB) is a real super star model. He was in South Korea for four months modelling. I’m more casual with it—I’m behind the bar, but EB has been on billboards and such.” Asked where we might see his work, EB answers: “You can catch me on billboards across different continents, or maybe while you are in a store, you might see my smiling face wearing a t-shirt and stuff like that. I got cast as a model when I was 17 years old. Now I am in school studying fashion merchandising in Santa Monica in Los Angeles.”
Proud of their Toronto roots, Blake wore a Toronto sweatshirt on the episode filmed in Newfoundland and Labrador, while EB wore a Canada sweatshirt.
“I left my jacket in Mississauga and bought that sweatshirt at the airport,” says Blake. “I was happy to find it because this city is such a huge part of who we are. A lot of our attitude and our swagger and the way we carry ourselves is super representative of Toronto as a city. The way the city is so multicultural and multifaceted, that’s within EB and I, so to be able to make it so far in the race and bring the city with us across the whole country while competing is a really good feeling.”
While never underestimating their fellow racers, the brothers mention that they formed special bonds during the competition.
“As much as the race depends on your team effort, there are a lot of challenges that are collaborative in nature and when you are out there and you are sweating and tired and you and another team help each other through it, that’s a special bonding experience,” says EB. “While surviving each leg and getting one step closer to the finale, you end up feeling like you are with family because you spend so much time together.” Blake adds: “Plus the added layer of knowing that nobody else can understand this experience other than those other racers. Even the racers from past seasons have been reaching out since we’ve been on the show, and I feel such a strong connection with all of them because they understand what we experienced. They know the challenges and how strenuous it is on your relationships and on your body, so there’s a common ground that all racers have that gives us that special relationship with each other.”
Best advice for someone watching and thinking about competing?
“Just apply and see what happens,” answered Blake. “I will say that the show is a lot harder than it looks. A lot of people watching think, ‘Oh I can do that, or my mom and I would kill that.’ I watched the show and thought the same thing, but it’s way more taxing than you can ever imagine, but it’s also way more rewarding. ”
The season finale on Tuesday, September 16 is available on CTV, CTV.ca, the CTV app or streamed the following day on Crave. Beginning September 16, all seasons of The Amazing Race Canada are available for streaming on Crave.
@CTV_PR, @CTV, @TheLede_ca, @AmazingRaceCDA, @JonMonty, #AmazingRaceCanada
by Laurie Wallace-Lynch
images supplied by The Amazing Race Canada
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