A MMA Fighter and his Vivacious Girlfriend, Hamilton Brothers, and a Newly Engaged East Coast Couple are First Three Teams Announced for Season 3 of CTV's THE AMAZING RACE CANADA

– This season, 12 teams go head-to-head for more than $1 million dollars in prizes –
– More teams to be revealed throughout the week on CANADA AM (tomorrow), THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW (Wednesday), and THE SOCIAL (Thursday) –
– In a series first, new challenge element, the "Face Off", added to the competition –
– THE AMAZING RACE CANADA premieres Wednesday, July 8 on CTV and CTV GO –
– Team videos, bios, fun facts, and exclusive content available at CTV.ca/TheAmazingRaceCanada – 
– Follow @AmazingRaceCDA for all the latest updates –

To tweet this release: http://bmpr.ca/1GoMHy0

TORONTO, June 15, 2015 /CNW/ - The first three teams for the upcoming third season of CTV's THE AMAZING RACE CANADA were revealed tonight on ETALK. Competing in this race of a lifetime are:

• newly dating couple Max and Elias from Toronto, who bring beauty, brawn – Elias is a UFC fighter – and boundless personality;
• athletic, close-knit, and competitive Steeltown brothers Gino and Jesse;
• and recently engaged, travel-loving, former military cadets Hamilton and Michaelia from Centreville, N.S. A transgender man, Hamilton is racing to inspire people to be true to themselves.

Up from 11 teams last season, a total of 12 teams will race to win more than $1 million dollars in prizes and THE AMAZING RACE CANADA. Teams will continue to be announced in groups of three this week on CTV programs: CANADA AM tomorrow (June 16), followed by THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW on Wednesday (June 17), and the final three on THE SOCIAL on Thursday (June 18). In addition, the official Season 3 group photo will be released by @CTV_PR following the final team reveal on THE SOCIAL.

Set to anchor CTV's Summer 2015 schedule, the most-watched Canadian television show in history airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT beginning July 8 on CTV and CTV GO. Visit CTV.ca to check local listings.

**Media Note** Download artwork for THE AMAZING RACE CANADA at BellMediaPR.ca

"No doubt this season's racers will light up screens across the country," said Phil King, President – CTV, Sports, and Entertainment Programming, Bell Media. "All 12 teams have their work cut out for them, but boy, will it be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of them. Good luck to all the teams involved this season."

"I can't wait for Canada to meet this amazing group of racers," said John Brunton, Executive Producer – THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, Insight Productions. "Each team has a unique story to tell that will hit home with Canadians across the country. It's an adventure that you won't want to miss!"

For more on the racers, fans can visit CTV.ca/TheAmazingRaceCanada and click on the team pages presented by Chevrolet Canada. With team videos, bios, fun facts, and exclusive content, the site is the ultimate destination to get the scoop on this season's competitors. Full episodes, sneak peeks, and extras will also be available following the July 8 premiere.

See below for more information on the first three teams announced for THE AMAZING RACE CANADA. Click on the team names for full bios and photography.

Max Altamuro and Elias Theodorou – Dating 

Name: Max (Michaela) Altamuro
Age: 28
Current City: Toronto
Occupation: Retail Manager
Twitter: @MaxAltamuro

Name: Elias Theodorou
Age: 26
Current City: Toronto
Occupation: MMA Fighter
Twitter: @eliastheodorou

Motto: "Don't look dumb on TV, and don't die."

Gino Montani and Jesse Montani – Brothers 

Name: Gino Montani
Age: 28
Current City: Hamilton
Occupation: Works for the city of Hamilton
Twitter: @g_montani

Name: Jesse Montani
Age: 25
Current City: Hamilton
Occupation: Steelworker
Twitter: @jessemontani

Team Motto: "Losing is NOT an option!"

Hamilton Elliot and Michaelia Drever – Engaged

Name: Hamilton Elliot
Age: 19
Current City: Centreville, N.S. 
Occupation: Service Industry
Twitter: @HamCElliott

Name: Michaelia Drever
Age: 19
Current City: Centreville, N.S. 
Occupation: Service Industry
Twitter: @MichaeliaDrever

Team Motto: "Go big or go home!"

For the first time on THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, teams will compete in a new challenge that could dramatically change their position in the race. The Face Off is a challenge where teams compete head-to-head. No team can move forward in the race until they've successfully won the challenge – by beating their opponent. The last team at the Face Off must wait out a pre-determined time penalty before moving on.

In the end, only one team can win the THE AMAZING RACE CANADA and receive the life-changing grand prize valued at close to $1 million dollars, which includes "gas for life" from Petro-Canada, a $250,000 cash payout, the opportunity to fly for a year anywhere Air Canada flies worldwide in Business Class, plus two Chevrolet Colorado Trucks – the 2015 Motor Trend Truck of the Year. Teams are also competing for special pit stop prizes courtesy of Air Canada and Petro-Canada, to be revealed during the broadcasts.

The third season of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA is back with brand new teams and fresh, exciting, nail-biting challenges. Canada's most-watched television series on record now has 12 teams, meaning more action, more challenges, and more at stake as the racers travel across Canada in the hopes of being the first team to cross the finish line. Hosted by Olympic champion and Canadian hero Jon Montgomery (@jonmonty), Season 2 of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA garnered four 2015 Canadian Screen Award wins including Best Reality/Competition Program or Series. Viewers are encouraged to follow @AmazingRaceCDA and stay tuned to THE AMAZING RACE CANADA Facebook page for updates.

Commissioned by CTV, Season 3 of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA is produced by Insight Productions in association with CTV and with the support of Profiles Television Productions. Insight Productions' John Brunton and Barbara Bowlby are Executive Producers, and Mark Lysakowski is Supervising Producer. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President and Robin Johnston is Production Executive at Bell Media. Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks and CraveTV. Phil King is President – CTV, Sports, and Entertainment Programming.

Encore episodes of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA will air Saturdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT and Sundays at 5 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO. Previous seasons are also now streaming on CraveTV.

The three premier sponsors for THE AMAZING RACECANADAare Air Canada, Chevrolet Canada, and newly added BMO Financial Group. Dairy Queen^® Canada, Mentos, and Petro-Canada™, a Suncor business, also return to partner with the juggernaut hit series.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Twitter:
#AmazingRaceCanada
@CTV_PR
@CTV_Television
@AmazingRaceCDA
@AirCanada
@BMO
@ChevroletCanada
@DQCanada

Facebook:
Facebook.com/ctv
Facebook.com/aircanada
Facebook.com/BMOcommunity
Facebook.com/chevroletcanada
Facebook.com/dairyqueencanada
Facebook.com/MentosCanada
Facebook.com/petropoints

Instagram:
Instagram.com/AmazingRaceCDA
Instagram.com/ChevroletCanada

About Bell Media Independent Production
Bell Media has commissioned some of Canada's most-watched and most-acclaimed original programming, working with the best Canadian independent producers in the country. Hit CTV series include ratings success stories SAVING HOPE, MOTIVE, the record-breaking THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, and MASTERCHEF CANADA. Among the scripted series on Bell Media pay and specialty channels are the three-time Emmy®-nominated hit DEGRASSI, the internationally acclaimed ORPHAN BLACK, the most-watched original series in Space history BITTEN, Bravo's most-watched original drama 19-2, award-winning dramedy SENSITIVE SKIN, the upcoming adventure series KILLJOYS, and upcoming cult comedy, LETTERKENNY. Bell Media specialty channels are also home to hit factual series HIGHWAY THRU HELL, COLD WATER COWBOYS, and CANADA'S WORST DRIVER, among others.

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 14 years in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, digital, and Out-of-Home. 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.

Source: Numeris (BBM Canada)

SOURCE CTV