Impact Wrestling star Gisele Shaw and Impact Hall of Famer Gail Kim are set to compete on season 9 of The Amazing Race Canada, which premieres on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app on Tuesday, July at 9 p.m. ET.
Kim and Shaw are one of ten teams competing for the grand prize, which includes two brand-new 2023 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 vehicles, a round-the-world trip for two provided by GURU Organic Energy, and a $250,000 cash prize from Samsung.
Full show details, as well as Kim and Shaw’s official bios, can be found below.
The biographies are as follows:
Gail Kim (she/her)
Age: 46
Occupation: Producer and Talent Relations/Retired Pro-Wrestler
Current City: Tampa Bay, FL
Hometown: Toronto
Strengths: Confident, strong work ethic, loyal
Fear/phobia: Cockroaches
Pet peeve about your teammate: Gisele goes a little faster and rushes through things. I like to be more thorough and focused.
Gisele Shaw (she/her)
Age: 33
Occupation: Pro-Wrestler
Current City: Windsor, ON
Hometown: Yellowknife
Strengths: Intelligent, confident, strong
Fear/phobia: Snakes and reptiles
Pet peeve about your teammate: None!
Two highly competitive former and current pro-wrestlers, Gail and Gisele say they feel more like sisters than friends. They’ll do anything to protect one another and are racing to deepen their friendship outside of the world of wrestling, and also to inspire young girls to never let anything, or anyone, stand in their way.
Born to traditional Asian parents who wanted her to become a doctor, a lawyer, or to marry one, Gail soon discovered that life had other plans for her. She fell in love with women’s wrestling and noticed the lack of Asian representation, so used her university tuition money to go to wrestling school instead. She promised herself she’d tell her parents once she “made it” – and two years later, she did. Now one of the most iconic names in wrestling, Gail is among the best in the world, with a Hall of Fame career to prove it.
Gisele was born in the Philippines before moving to Yellowknife with her family. For Gisele, Gail is an icon, a hero, and now a mentor. Gisele came out as a transgender woman at Toronto Pride 2022, and is the first trans woman pro-wrestler signed by IMPACT and the second to be signed by a major North American pro-wrestling promotion. There is nothing more important to Gisele than inspiring, empowering, and representing the LGBTQ2S+ community, and helping to educate not only this generation, but also the previous and next.
Gail and Gisele want to crush the stereotype of “dumb wrestlers” in a “fake” world and show Canada that they are fierce female athletes. Proudly representing their Asian backgrounds, they are racing to inspire young girls everywhere to go after their dreams – and to do it together – and for the LGBTQ2S+ community.
Fun Facts
What team do you most associate with from Seasons 1-8 and why:
Nick and Matt from Season 2. They are also pro-wrestlers.
What would your team name be?
Team Knockout!
What three things can always be found in your refrigerator?
Gail: Eggs, sriracha, and kimchi.
Gisele: Water, hot sauce, and pickles.
What is your number one Roadblock as a team?
Only having known each other for a short period of time.
What will you do with the prize money?
Gail: I honestly haven’t thought about it – I’m here for bragging rights!
Gisele: Invest. I would also love to be able to buy a bigger house for my parents.
Below is the full press release on the new season:
On Your Mark, Canada! All 10 Teams Revealed for Season 9 of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, Beginning July 4 on CTV
– Hosted by Jon Montgomery, THE AMAZING RACE CANADA Season 9 teams include pro-wrestlers, drag queens, YouTubers, a professional athlete, a conservation officer, mental health and Indigenous advocates, a commercial scuba diver, an actor, and more –
– For more information on the teams competing this season, visit CTV.ca/TheAmazingRaceCanada-
TORONTO (June 21, 2023) – The starting line is set for another adrenaline-pumping season of Canada’s most-watched summer series, THE AMAZING RACE CANADA. Hosted by Olympic Gold Medallist Jon Montgomery, Season 9 of the mega-hit CTV Original series airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, beginning July 4 as an all-new cast of racers take their marks and prepare to embark on a non-stop, action-packed, high-stakes adventure of a lifetime.
Faced with the most intense race of their lives as they travel across Canada, the 10 teams tackle various challenges with the hope of winning the grand prize, consisting of two all-new 2023 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 vehicles, an epic, round-the-world trip-of-a-lifetime for two courtesy of GURU Organic Energy, a $250,000 cash prize from Samsung, and the coveted title of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA champions.
The 10 teams poised at the starting line for Season 9 of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA are:
Allie & Eddie
Competitive and athletic married couple who want to inspire and motivate all Canadians.
Allie Seller (she/her)
Age: 48
Hometown: Courtenay, B.C.*
Occupation: Business Coach
Instagram: @allisonseller
Eddie Parinas (he/him)
Age: 52
Hometown: Courtenay, B.C.
Occupation: Health & Fitness, Business Coach
Instagram: @eddie_parinas
Ben & Anwar
Best friends and first-generation Canadians who know what it takes to beat the odds.
Ben Chutta (he/him)
Age: 31
Hometown: Winnipeg
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Instagram: @benchutta
Anwar Ahmed (he/him)
Age: 32
Hometown: Winnipeg
Occupation: Former Talent Acquisition Specialist
Instagram: @anwarahmed4
Derek & Jaspal
Inseparable, fun-loving friends and YouTubers racing for the title of “Best Duo,” and the title of champions this season.
Derek Gottenbos (he/him)
Age: 28
Hometown: Richmond, B.C.
Occupation: YouTuber
Instagram: @derek_gerard
Jaspal Sidhu (he/him)
Age: 28
Hometown: Richmond, B.C.
Occupation: YouTuber
Instagram: @jassidhu95
Deven & Amanda
Couple and adventure buddies racing for their daughters and Indigenous youth across the country.
Deven Condo-Mitchell (he/him)
Age: 33
Hometown: Gesgapegiag, QC
Occupation: Conservation Officer
Instagram: @deven.james
Amanda Larocque (she/her)
Age: 41
Hometown: Gesgapegiag, QC
Occupation: Director of Health & Social Services
Instagram: @amandalalaq
Gail & Gisele
Highly competitive former and current pro-wrestlers and friends racing for the LGBTQ2S+ community, and to inspire young girls everywhere.
Gail Kim (she/her)
Age: 46
Hometown: Toronto
Occupation: Producer and Talent Relations/Ex-Pro Wrestler
Instagram: @gailkimitsme
Gisele Shaw (she/her)
Age: 33
Hometown: Yellowknife, N.W.T.
Occupation: Pro Wrestler
Instagram: @giseleshaw08
Gracie & Lily
Friends and self-described “chaos masters” racing to demonstrate the strength of supportive female friendships.
Gracie Lowes (she/her)
Age: 25
Hometown: Pelham
Occupation: Harm Reduction and Overdose-Related Service Provider
Instagram: @martini.del.grace
Lily Bateman (she/her)
Age: 24
Hometown: Canning, N.S.
Occupation: Data Development and Communications
Instagram: @l.a.b
Jermaine & Justin
Close friends and drag sisters motivated by their desire to be inspirational representatives of the LGTBTQ2S+ community.
Jermaine Aranha (he/him)
Age: 41
Hometown: Toronto
Occupation: Airport Lounge Manager/Drag Queen (Anastarzia Anaquway)
Instagram: @anaquway
Justin Baird (he/him/she/her)
Age: 36
Hometown: Toronto
Occupation: Pain Management Nurse/Drag Queen (Kimora Amour)
Instagram: @amour_kimora
Shayla & Joel
Siblings who hope to be a source of light and inspiration for Indigenous youth.
Shayla Oulette Stonechild (she/her)
Age: 29
Hometown: Medicine Hat, AB
Occupation: Indigenous and Wellness Advocate
Instagram: @shayla0h
Joel Oulette (he/him)
Age: 21
Hometown: Medicine Hat, AB
Occupation: Actor
Instagram: @joel.oulette
Ty & Kat
Dating couple and mental health advocates who want to inspire all Canadians to find light during hard times.
Ty Smith (he/him)
Age: 25
Hometown: Calgary
Occupation: Public Speaker and Mental Health Advocate
Instagram: @smitty269
Kat Kastner (she/her)
Age: 25
Hometown: Calgary
Occupation: Client Success Specialist
Instagram: @katkastner
Tyler & Kayleen
Dating couple racing to prove that, despite living with disabilities, you can still take home the gold.
Tyler Turner (he/him)
Age: 35
Hometown: Comox Valley, B.C.
Occupation: Professional Athlete
Instagram: @tyturner14
Kayleen VanderRee (she/her)
Age: 31
Hometown: Comox Valley, B.C.
Occupation: Commercial Scuba Diver
Instagram: @fromsnowtosail
For more information on the teams competing on THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, including team videos, bios, and exclusive content, visit CTV.ca/TheAmazingRaceCanada. As the go-to resource for the series, CTV.ca also includes full episodes and sneak peeks throughout the upcoming season. To help viewers get Race-ready, CTV.ca and the CTV app’s Summer Hub features the past two seasons (Season 7 and 8) of Canada’s favourite summertime adventure, available with no subscription or sign-in required.
As previously announced, Chevrolet, the longest-running sponsor of THE AMAZING RACE CANDA, returns for the ninth consecutive season. Returning partners Expedia®, Desjardins Group, and GURU Organic Energy are back, alongside new partners Samsung and Staples.
Season 8 of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA was the top summer program and top Canadian program for the full 2021-22 broadcast year, with a season average of 1.6 million viewers. THE AMAZING RACE CANADA closed out its eighth consecutive year as Canada’s most-watched summer series among the A25-54 demo.
THE AMAZING RACE CANADA is produced by Insight Productions Ltd. (a Boat Rocker Company) in association with CTV. John Brunton is Executive Producer and Mark Lysakowski is Executive Producer and Showrunner. For Bell Media, Rachel Goldstein-Couto is Head of Development, Original Programming; Danielle Pearson is Senior Production Executive, Original Programming; Sarah Fowlie is Head of Production, Original Programming; Carlyn Klebuc is General Manager, Original Programming; Pat DiVittorio is Vice-President, CTV and Specialty Programming. Justin Stockman is Vice-President, Content Development & Programming, Bell Media. Karine Moses is Senior Vice-President, Content Development & News, Bell Media and Vice Chair, Québec, Bell.
