It was a dream come true when avid Amazing Race fans Jamie Cumberland and Pierre Cadieux heard the adventure was coming to Canada.

Cumberland saw an advert explaining the Race was accepting applicants from Canadian teams and immediately dialed the number of his best friend of 15 years.

"Girl! Clutch your pearls, we can finally apply for THE AMAZING RACE!" Cumberland said.

"I’m in!" Cadieux retorted and so the quest was initiated.

Their game plan was simple: "remember the Cowboys that ran the Amazing Race in the US? We’re just like them, except gayer," Cumberland summed up in the pair’s video submission.

"And clearly more fabulous," Cadieux chimed in.

It worked. The Albertan Cowboys were selected as one of nine teams to compete in Canada.

The duo originally met at a fundraising dance for the Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association and instantly struck a tight friendship.

Cumberland is an edgy competitor at ARGRA’s Big Rock Canadian Rockies International Rodeo, competing in the calf roping on foot, shoot dogging and wild drag events, while Cadieux lends his hand out of the saddle. Cadieux sat on the ARGRA Board of Directors for a number of years and continues to help out wherever needed, in and out of the arena.

Thus it is no surprise that, in tackling Amazing Race challenges, Cumberland would be packing the brawn while Cadieux touted the brains.

"Pierre and I are very complimentary," says Cumberland. "I like to jump off buildings; Pierre has a fear of heights."

"Jaime is clearly more fit than I am... I was going to do more of the ok let’s solve this puzzle or equation," Cadieux says. "Jaime wouldn’t eat the gross things either, so I knew I was going to have to do that."

Though filming occurred over the month of May, the boys were not at liberty to reveal any of the goings on during taping. They were able to confirm, however, that they both came home to Alberta on June 4th without any physical injuries.

Cumberland, 47, returned to his home in Airdrie and job as Human Resource Advisor – Talent Management, while Cadieux, 38, settled back in Innisfail where he resides with his two sons and holds rank as General Manager for Creditor Insurance at ATB Financial.

Cumberland says that, though both him and Pierre have traveled the United States extensively and sojourn to Mexico every year, they weren’t as savvy of their own backyards as they had anticipated.

Traversing and being tested throughout the diverse landscape of Canada proved to be a greater, and more awe inspiring, task than expected, but worth every step.

"We were there to win it," Cumberland states proudly.

The cowboys haven’t seen any of the footage of the show yet; they will need to wait like the rest of us until the series premiers on CTV mid-month.

"We lived it so now it will be interesting watching it, and watching our friends watching us," Cumberland says.

"It will be a really cool experience to share not only with my friends and family but with the gay community, and the general community as well," says Cadieux, reinforcing the fact that this was a once in a lifetime achievement and a showcase of the "beautiful country we live in."

"It’s something you’ll never get to do again."

The Amazing Race Canada airs Mondays at 9PM ET/PT beginning July 15 on CTV. Visit CTV.ca to confirm your local broadcast times.