Amazing Race Canada 3: Preview of Episode 1, "Who's Feeling Sporty Now?"

There are BIG SPOILERS AHEAD. Please proceed with CAUTION!

Bam! Hold onto your Muskoka chairs people. Here we go again. Another exciting season of Amazing Race Canada will start on Wednesday, and it looks like it will be just as action-packed as the Season 2 premiere.

Are you ready for that incredible, perhaps gratuitous, overhead shot zooming in on Jon Montgomery as he introduces us to the starting line?

Here is what we know so far, with a bit of speculation thrown in:

• In case you didn't read my Leg by Leg spoilers, or you've been hiding under a rock somewhere, the Season 3 start (filmed May 1) is behind the Chateau Frontenac on the Terrasse Dufferin (Dufferin Terrace) high above the St. Lawrence. It truly is one of the most beautiful sights in North America, and I am glad the show revisited Quebec City if only for this one locale. (not that there aren't plenty of other places in Quebec City to visit in future seasons!) The teams will have to run hard to the front of the hotel and the statue of Samuel de Champlain in order to get their backpacks and their first clue.
• There is only one task in Quebec City. The cluebox is at the ferry dock beside the Corridor du Littoral - a well-known bike path. I think this is a Route Marker task.
• From there, teams flew to Toronto. This was filmed May 2.
• The first task here was at the St. Lawrence Market. This was a Race equalizer - teams had to wait until the 8 A.M. market opening before they could start. Teams were then seen on the lower level reading their clues. I can only speculate on this, and I think this should be either a task for a clue or a Detour. Are we looking at a typical shopping-list task here?
• There was a task at the Air Canada Centre and you can expect it to involve the Toronto Raptors.
• Jon was seen filming a stand-up (introduction) at the Toronto Railway Museum the next day - May 3, which may be for this episode OR for the beginning of episode 2.

Additional information gleaned from previews:

• Teams will arrive at the start line by caleche - a horse drawn carriage. (revealed on Canada AM, July 7) So glad they chose this method because it is THE thing to do in Old Quebec!
• There is a task at Ontario Place (currently closed for renovations and only open for special events). The previews show teams crossing the lagoon on a net as well as jumping from a platform on the Atlantis Pavilion into what must have been very cold water at the beginning of May. Don't worry, they wear wetsuits! Ummn, now who was it that said they were afraid of water? It was Dujean, Nic and Sabrina.  There are also shots of racers crossing a log (and falling - OUCH), so I believe this whole task may be an obstacle course. 
• The latest preview shows TSN's James Duthie handing out clues to teams - Susan and Sharnjit to be exact. Their reaction suggests they just successfully completed a task. And thanks to the latest preview, this is a Roadblock. One team member must deliver sports news and scores in the anchor chair next to James Duthie, who will judge their performance. We see Gino, Neil, Simi, Brian, Elias, Susan, Hamilton, Dana, and Dujean taking this challenge on. (don't know about Nick & Matt, Brent & Sean or Nic & Sabrina) Looks like things will get a bit awkward for those who fear public speaking (Susan confesses to this) or those who have a bit of trouble with pronunciation. And you just know the challenge producer threw in the hardest names.

No, I am not 100% sure of the location of the Pitstop BUT there is a clip of Simi & Ope doing their ITM at what looks to be Fort York. It would  fit with the other locations.
UPDATE: The CTV 6 O'Clock News (July 8) just showed a clip with Susan and Sharnjit hitting the matt in the ACC, so it looks like Fort York was just used as a backdrop to film the post-leg 1 ITMs.

Knock out! Who's There?

Who will be eliminated? Looks like the big guy The Spartan and his wee girlfriend (Elias & Max) will join the list of First-Outs. And in this case, Elias is bound to get a lot of flack about it among the MMA types. Let's all try to be kind on Twitter, okay? Remember even Ultimate Fighters are human. And definitely no knock-knock - or should I say, knock-out jokes. Okay, maybe just one, but that's it.

I don't know what went wrong with these two. I don't think anyone believed they could have won, but they really should have outlasted a few of the other teams. So I have to wonder did some fate happen to them. Remember Season 1 twins Treena and Tennille? They were eliminated because of a time penalty when they failed to get both clues in Niagara Falls. Then last year there was Shahla and Nabeela who basically had to drop out because of hypothermia. These were really tough, hard-to-watch eliminations. Let's hope it doesn't become a tradition.

I am posting this preview early, so if there are any last minute changes or additional information, I will update...right up to 9 P.M. Wednesday night. And there WILL be more information. Jon Montgomery is scheduled to appear Tuesday on Canada AM to talk about the season. I am sure The Marilyn Denis Show, The Social and etalk will also have segments.