NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE UNDERDOG!
TEAM WILDCARD WINS CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE IN THRILLING TWO-PART SEASON FINALE

Brandon Rodwell, Shasily Matowe and Whitney Beers are Season Two champions of Canada’s Ultimate Challenge and winners of a VIP trip to the Olympic Games Paris 2024

CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE has been renewed for a third season and casting is open now

Download photos from the two-part finale here

June 3, 2024 - After six weeks of intense competition filled with twists and turns, Team Wildcard shocked the country, upsetting Team Red in the final obstacle course to win season two of CANADA’s ULTIMATE CHALLENGE last night on CBC. Standing on the shores of Vancouver Island, host Brandon Gonez declared Brandon Rodwell (Woodstock, ON), Shasily Matowe (Edmonton, AB) and Whitney Beers (Saint John, NB) season two champions and winners of a VIP trip to cheer on Team Canada at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Season two of CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE, including the finale episodes, are available to stream now on CBC Gem.

As the two-part finale began, teams Blue, Red and Orange travelled to Revelstoke, BC, in anticipation of the biggest elimination showdown of the season. There, they were faced with a terrifying gondola challenge atop the largest vertical drop in North America where Team Red secured their spot in the finale. Then, in the most surprising twist of the season it was revealed that eliminated Players Brandon Rodwell, Shasily Matowe and Whitney Beers were returning as the newly formed Team Wildcard and, after facing off in a kayak challenge, Team Orange was sent packing. Player tensions and rivalries came full circle as the remaining teams headed to Vancouver Island for the final three obstacles. Known for its gnarly trails and legendary precipitation, Mount Washington set the backdrop for a mountain bike relay that ultimately led to the elimination of the Team Blue, and pitted season favourites Team Red and underdogs Team Wildcard against each other in the final challenge of the season, “Canada’s Ultimate Log Jam.” In an intense obstacle course, Team Wildcard pulled off the ultimate upset and defeated Team Red for the win. They’ll be joining Season One winners Vinny Rojas (Dorval, QC), Alana Warnick (Winnipeg, MB), Bradley Farquhar (Halifax, NS), and Devon MD Jones (Toronto, ON) at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 this summer.

The season finale comes fresh off the heels of the announcement that the series has been renewed for a third season. Casting for season three of CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE is open now. Season one of CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE was nominated for four Canadian Screen Awards including Best Reality/Competition Series.

Hosted by Brandon Gonez, CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE is an original reality competition format that transforms Canada into an epic obstacle course. Each episode takes place at an awe-inspiring location showcasing the beauty and grandeur of Canada. Players compete in a series of challenges that test every aspect of their physical and mental strength, pushing them to their limits. Season two featured 20 fierce competitors divided into teams of five who battled it out in  St. John’s, NL, Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC, Ottawa, ON, Hamilton, ON, Canmore, AB, Revelstoke, BC and Vancouver Island.

Commissioned by CBC, season two of CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE is executive produced by Erin Brock, John Brunton, Mark Lysakowski, and Jeff Thrasher for Insight Productions (A Boat Rocker Company) and Phil Gurin for The Gurin Company. 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. The format was co-created by CBC and The Gurin Company. International format rights are handled by TGC Global Entertainment.

For all things Canada’s Ultimate Challenge, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/television/canadasultimatechallenge. Follow us on Instagram: @canadasultimatechallenge and Facebook.

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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 is known for its award-winning ratings juggernauts and is Canada’s most established content producer and an industry leader in the development, financing, and production of hit programming. The company has created some of the most dynamic and top-rated programs including The Amazing Race Canada (the most watched Canadian show on record), Big Brother Canada, Stronger Together/Tous Ensemble, Canada’s New Year’s Eve: Countdown, and The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration, a live concert special on CBC watched by one in three Canadians. Insight has also collaborated with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation as executive producers 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 at www.facebook.com/InsightProductions

About The Gurin Company
Award-winning Producer/Writer/Creator and President & CEO of The Gurin Company (http://www.gurinco.com), Phil Gurin creates, acquires, sells and produces entertainment programs all over the world. Gurin 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 hit show The Singing Bee is one of the Top 30 most produced original formats in the world. He has also produced and written over 3,000 hours of television that have been seen in more than 185 countries, and many other formats, including Fridge Wars, Weakest Link, Lingo, Test The Nation, Candid Camera, Double Dare, Remote Control, Before They Were Stars, 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 11 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. His latest format, The Swap Project, recently debuted in Japan on Fuji Television, and Canada’s Ultimate Challenge has been renewed for it’s third season on the CBC. Gurin recently launched an independent international distribution company TGC GLOBAL ENTERTAINMENT (http://www.tgc-global.com) specializing in formats, entertainment, factual and documentaries. Gurin is Co-Chair of FRAPA (Format Recognition and Protection Association), served on the Board of NATPE and is a member of the Producer’s Peer Group Executive Committee for the Television Academy. He speaks, moderates panels and writes frequently about the world of formats and the international television business. He also makes wine (visit http://www.gurinwines.com).
Visit The Gurin Company at: www.gurinco.com.

Media Contacts
Joanna Landsberg (for CBC)
647-628-4788
joanna.landsberg@cbc.ca

Gabrielle Free (for Insight Productions)
416-220-0201
GabFree.publicity@gmail.com

Cheryl Clarke at Mushroom Media (for The Gurin Company and TGC Global Entertainment)
+44 (0)7939554109
cheryl@mushroom-media.co.uk