MCH doctors finish the Amazing Race Canada in fifth place

Married MCH doctors, Holly Agostino and Brett Burstein completed seven out of ten legs of the Amazing Race Canada.

Drs. Holly Agostino and Brett Burstein might be out of the Amazing Race Canada, but boy oh boy, were they ever fun to watch! Building an igloo and throwing a harpoon in Nunavut proved to be too much for the young couple, despite the fact that Dr. Burstein wolfed down 10 pieces of muktuk (whale skin and blubber) in 30 seconds. Even though physical challenges were not their forte, they played a very ‘smart game’ and were contenders until the very end. “The race is a lot harder in real life, than on TV,” laughs Dr. Agostino, who was sometimes criticized for crying during difficult challenges. “Like the time we spent four hours in 30 degrees searching for two key chains in a truckload full of lentils. Let’s just say I haven’t eaten any lentils since!” Overall, they found the experience very rewarding and would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Five fun facts about the Amazing Race Canada:

• On race days, teams wake up between 1:00 and 3:00 a.m. and compete until 6:00 p.m.
• The race doesn’t stop for meals or pee breaks so teams eat granola bars while on the run and only stop for bathroom emergencies.
• On non-race days teams get 12- to 24-hours of rest, but are not allowed to leave their hotel rooms!
• The docs were very close to the two Tims (father and son duo from Winnipeg) and still talk to Jet and Dave (best friends from London, Ontario.)
• Amazing Race Canada is the #1 show in Canadian TV history with 3.5 million viewers!

The couple was hoping to donate 25 per cent of their Amazing Race winnings to the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation, but have still managed to raise over $14,000. For more information, visit their website www.amazingcause.com.