Already the Amazing Race Canada seems to be a hit, as early analysis shows an 11.5 per cent increase in show engagement on Twitter from last year’s premiere.
There is no doubt the Amazing Race Canada brand is growing, and to reinforce that brand the show has changed its hashtag from #RaceCDA to #AmazingRaceCanada, which almost everyone referencing the show on Twitter has now adopted.
Even though the show has some very interesting and diverse contestants, including some contestants with something of a following, the show seems to be relying less on the star power of contestants — such as last year’s runners-up and women’s Team Canada hockey stars, Natalie Spooner and Meaghan Mikkelson.
The show itself has become the draw, as well as the destinations.
Last year, in terms of team popularity, it was a blowout: Spooner and Mikkelson’s popularity outstripped all contestants combined, including host Jon Montgomery. But during the first episode Montgomery and TSN broadcaster James Duthie were both mentioned far more than the top mentioned team, UFC fighter Elias Theodorou and girlfriend Max Altamuro.
Jon Montgomery (@jonmonty) 97.7% more
James Duthie (@tsnjamesduthie) 44.4% more
And though Theodorou and Altamuro were the most popular contestants, they were also eliminated on the first episode. This also breaks the convention of the two previous seasons.
The winners of the first leg, Gino and Jesse Montani, ranked fourth amongst team mentions — also a bit of a surprise, since the winners are usually in the top two in mentions.
Overall, team mentions and popularity were fairly consistent amongst all teams.
There also seemed to be a lot of mentions around the events and locations. For example, the TSN Road Block was very popular and accounted for 8.6 per cent of total mentions during the broadcast.
Is this a sign that the Amazing Race Canada brand is more about the steak than the sizzle? Let us know and be sure to read our recap each week.
MediaMiser actively blogs about the Amazing Race Canada and leverages MediaMiser solutions to compile analysis on the show.
