December 14, 2005

Canada Provides Backdrop for Finale of CBS Reality Show 'The Amazing Race: Family Edition'

VANCOUVER, Canada, Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Canada's metropolitan cities and majestic natural settings in Montreal and Toronto served as the backdrop for the December 13th finale episode of the primetime CBS hit "The Amazing Race: Family Edition."

Viewers watched as the three remaining teams embarked upon their Canadian adventure in Montreal's Underground City. From there teams participated in a curling match at Glenfinnan Rink at McGill University, checked out the famous Biosphere and made trapeze catches at the Trapezium in Montreal. After a quick overnight stop at the Olympic Stadium it was off to Toronto's CN Tower, and then the teams were offered the choice of an activity at either the Bata Shoe Museum or Kajama, an 18th century Tall Ship anchored in Lake Ontario. Successfully completing these activities, teams raced up the Niagara River in jet boats into the Niagara Gorge or Whirlpool where they concluded their visit to Canada in Joseph Davis State Park. The finale episode culminated with the Linz family, coming in first place and winning the $1 million prize.

"The Amazing Race: Family Edition" features the first-ever all-family installment of the three-time Emmy Award-winning adventure reality series hosted by Phil Keoghan, which pits 10 teams, each team comprising of four family members, on a trek around North America for approximately 30 days. The show's producers worked closely with the Canadian Tourism Commission, Tourisme Montreal and Ontario Tourism staging the final episode's challenges in Canada.

"The Amazing Race provides incredible exposure for Canada to be seen as a destination which provides a myriad of things to see and do," said Susan Iris, Vice President, U.S. Canadian Tourism Commission. "From vibrant cities like Montreal and Toronto, to natural wonders like Niagara Falls, The Amazing Race: Family Edition is a great opportunity to heighten the awareness of all the unique experiences that visitors can find in Canada."

"The show provides us with an opportunity to showcase how exciting and diverse the province of Ontario is," said Sandra McInnis, President and CEO of Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporations. "We are equally thrilled to tout all of Montreal's exceptional offerings in a medium that reaches millions of past and future guests," concluded Charles Lapointe, President and CEO of Tourisme Montreal.

You don't have to be a competitor on "The Amazing Race: Family Edition" to enjoy all that Toronto and Montreal offer travelers. Visitors can experience Canada for themselves with various travel packages available now. Montreal recently launched its "Sweet Deal ... a la Montreal" campaign that allows visitors to stay a second night at half price in any one of the participating hotels. For details, log on to http://www.montrealsweetdeal.com. Toronto and other Ontario destinations provide exciting visitor experiences, which can be accessed by logging on to http://www.ontariotravel.net.

For more information on travel to Canada, visit the official tourism Web site at http://www.CanadaKeepExploring.com.

Contact:

Meaghan McGee
Weber Shandwick
212-445-8353
mmcgee@webershandwick.com

Helen Lovekin
Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corp.
416-314-7555
helen.lovekin@mtr.gov.on.ca

Gilles Bengal
Tourisme Montreal
514-844-3264
bengle.gilles@tourisme-montreal.org