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Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
3 First Nations teams compete on new season of The Amazing Race Canada
In the new season of The Amazing Race Canada, three of the 11 teams racing for the win are made up of First Nations competitors. One of those teams is husband and wife duo Blair and Skylene Gladue. Despite the intensity of the race, Blair said the best part of the experience was connecting with so many other First Nations teams. "We lifted each other up," he said. "We love each other, respect each other and we're family." Blair, a Cree entertainer from Calling Lake, Alta., is better known as Superfan Magoo, a die-hard Edmonton Oilers fan who can be spotted hyping up the crowd at most Oilers games. His teammate is his wife Skylene Gladue, a Cree and Dane-zaa performer and fashion designer from Beaver First Nation in northern Alberta. Skylene is the founder of Nipîy Iskwew Designs and her From Rez to the Runway workshops empower youth to explore all aspects of the fashion industry. The couple works with the Magoo Crew, an anti-bullying motivational speaking group that leads youth workshops in Indigenous communities. "The show really tests your relationship," Blair said. "It's hard. If you've ever watched it on TV, It's 10 times harder in real life." Blair's only regret about joining the show? Missing the Oilers' first two playoff rounds while filming. He'll be watching the season premiere at home with friends and family, while Skylene tunes in from New York where she's touring as Jan in Bear Grease, a First Nations twist on the musical Grease. Another First Nations duo racing this season are Vancouver-based best friends and roommates Rebecca Merasty and Rebecca Watt, or as they're called on the show, The Rebeccas. Merasty is Cree from Flying Dust First Nation in Saskatchewan and Watt is Dehcho Dene from Pehdzeh Ki First Nation in Wrigley, N.W.T. "Initially the excitement of being on a show that is well represented throughout the world was encouraging and motivating but digging a little deeper, being Indigenous women coming from small communities, this could be an opportunity for us to be represented in mainstream media," said Merasty, who works as a model. "Our biggest message is for all those the youth out there that come from small communities to dream big. You can make it happen. If you can dream it, you can do it." Model Ashley Callingbull and her father Joel Ground were the first First Nations duo to compete in the race in 2016. In 2019, Anthony Johnson and James Makokis became the first Indigenous team to win the race. For the Rebeccas, a highlight of the season came on day one, when they noticed a familiar face among their competitors: their friend actor Grace Dove. "That was just the most beautiful and funniest surprise ever, turning around and seeing her face," said Merasty. Dove, known for her roles in The Revenant, Alaska Daily and Bones of Crows, is Secwépemc from Canim Lake in B.C. She's racing with her brother, Joe Syme. In a preview, Syme said he's most excited to explore parts of Canada never seen. Dove said she's looking forward to the competition and spending time with her brother. The winning team of The Amazing Race Canada's 11th season will receive two Chevrolet Blazers, a trip around the world and $250,000 in cash.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Oilers faithful Superfan Magoo hits TV screens on The Amazing Race Canada
When Blair Gladue and his wife Skylene 'Nipîy' Gladue were asked to join this season's cast of The Amazing Race he had one big worry. 'I looked at the schedule and I was like, 'oh, no, you know what? If we do this, I'm going to miss the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs,'' says Gladue, known best in Oiler fandom and Edmonton at large as Superfan Magoo. 'Then, if we lost any of those first two rounds, it's going to be on me.' Thankfully the Oilers made it past those two playoff encounters for Gladue, who runs Magoo Crew Entertainment when he isn't leading chants and beating on a drum at Rogers Place games. Gladue and his five associates host youth workshops across the country, focusing on hoop and traditional dancing, rapping and break dancing as they dispense their message about suicide awareness and anti-bullying. Gladue's wife Skylene is also an entertainer; she's unavailable for the interview due to prior commitments as part of the touring cast of Bear Grease, which is currently enjoying an Off-Broadway run at the Theater at St. Luke's in Manhattan. With no way to check in on McDavid and crew from mid-April to mid-May, Gladue was forced to stay in the moment as he competed against 11 teams representing cities from across Canada. This year, five contestants were drawn from Alberta: Jesse Harink of Sherwood Park (teamed with Ontario's Jonathan Braun) plus Calgary brothers Osas and Esosa Igbinosun battling with the Gladues for provincial glory. Gladue, who says that he's watched a number of seasons in the past, admits that he wasn't quite prepared for what he and his wife went through. 'It was insane, amazing, and crazy,' says Gladue, 'Emotions were running wild, adrenaline was flowing. It's nothing like when you're watching it on TV. It's, in fact, 10 times harder than what you see on TV. This was a life-changing experience for sure.' The reality show, which features teams in competition with each other across the country, kicks off Tuesday (July 8) at 9 p.m. MT on CTV, and the CTV app, with streaming available the next day on Crave. Episodes after that run every Tuesday until the still-to-be-announced final entry. Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton was the starting point, but the competition sees the teams moving through Red Deer, Prince George, the Northwest Territories and beyond. The pace is hectic, the physical toll punishing. That being said, Gladue insists that if anyone gets the opportunity to do it, they should snap it up immediately. 'But make sure, before you do it, that you do a lot of running and a lot of walking,' he cautions. 'Work out and eat well, because you're going to need all of that; it's not easy. I'm a high-energy guy, always moving, and my wife is the one who works out every morning, goes to the gym. But after the show, I'm like, 'You know what? Man, I need this.' I need to work out more, so I stretch and work out every morning, seven days a week.' Gladue and his wife can't speak to anything that happened during their month-long competition, but Blair does speak fondly of the friends he made. We'll just have to keep up with episodes as they roll in to see who wins season 11, with its attendant prizes of two 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS, a trip around the world, and a $250,000 cash prize. If the Gladues win it all, they promise to use some of that cash money for good, just as they promised at the very beginning to represent Indigenous people and the youth. 'Except that on our clothing, it said 'fer the youth,' not 'for the youth,'' he explains. 'That's youth slang. We're getting the message out there, representing our people, our community, you know, but also representing our Oiler fans!' Whyte Avenue Art Walk celebrates 30 years: bigger, bolder than ever before New Edmonton hot spot Bar Trove provided chef too good an opportunity to pass up You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.
Edmonton Journal
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Oilers faithful Superfan Magoo hits TV screens on The Amazing Race Canada
Article content When Blair Gladue and his wife Skylene 'Nipîy' Gladue were asked to join this season's cast of The Amazing Race he had one big worry. Article content 'I looked at the schedule and I was like, 'oh, no, you know what? If we do this, I'm going to miss the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs,'' says Gladue, known best in Oiler fandom and Edmonton at large as Superfan Magoo. 'Then, if we lost any of those first two rounds, it's going to be on me.' Article content Article content Thankfully the Oilers made it past those two playoff encounters for Gladue, who runs Magoo Crew Entertainment when he isn't leading chants and beating on a drum at Rogers Place games. Gladue and his five associates host youth workshops across the country, focusing on hoop and traditional dancing, rapping and break dancing as they dispense their message about suicide awareness and anti-bullying. Gladue's wife Skylene is also an entertainer; she's unavailable for the interview due to prior commitments as part of the touring cast of Bear Grease, which is currently enjoying an Off-Broadway run at the Theater at St. Luke's in Manhattan. Article content Article content With no way to check in on McDavid and crew from mid-April to mid-May, Gladue was forced to stay in the moment as he competed against 11 teams representing cities from across Canada. This year, five contestants were drawn from Alberta: Jesse Harink of Sherwood Park (teamed with Ontario's Jonathan Braun) plus Calgary brothers Osas and Esosa Igbinosun battling with the Gladues for provincial glory. Gladue, who says that he's watched a number of seasons in the past, admits that he wasn't quite prepared for what he and his wife went through. Article content Article content Article content 'It was insane, amazing, and crazy,' says Gladue, 'Emotions were running wild, adrenaline was flowing. It's nothing like when you're watching it on TV. It's, in fact, 10 times harder than what you see on TV. This was a life-changing experience for sure.' Article content Article content The reality show, which features teams in competition with each other across the country, kicks off Tuesday (July 8) at 9 p.m. MT on CTV, and the CTV app, with streaming available the next day on Crave. Episodes after that run every Tuesday until the still-to-be-announced final entry. Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton was the starting point, but the competition sees the teams moving through Red Deer, Prince George, the Northwest Territories and beyond. The pace is hectic, the physical toll punishing. Article content That being said, Gladue insists that if anyone gets the opportunity to do it, they should snap it up immediately.
