Racers Reach The Tipping Point, Literally and Figuratively, on THE AMAZING RACE CANADA

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede Teams on CTV’s THE AMAZING RACE CANADA regularly perform “self-rescues” in a general sense, both mentally and physically. It’s kind of what the game is all about, right? But in the second episode of Season 10 (available for catch-up on CTV.ca and the CTV app), the 10 remaining teams literally had to perform self-rescues in kayaks – meaning, they had to purposely capsize, and then manoeuvre their way back into the boat. As anyone who has ever tried it knows, there’s a definite knack to it, and it is way harder than it looks. Just like THE AMAZING RACE CANADA itself! SPOILER ALERT: Details about the episode are about to be discussed. With the action having shifted to British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast, teams also faced challenges such as identifying specific flavours in olive oils and balsamic vinegars, and playing marimbas in precise rhythm with a band. Additionally, the racers faced an equestrian roadblock that didn’t involve real horses, but rather hobby horses. Having turned around their fortunes after a tough first episode, Michael and Tyson were in first place at the end of the second episode. But there was no more horsing around for Dorothy and Olus Adeneye, married entrepreneurs from Calgary, who were eliminated. Here’s what Dorothy and Olus had to say: Q: How would you describe your overall experience on THE AMAZING RACE CANADA? OLUS: “It’s a once-in-a lifetime opportunity, and something that I will always be grateful for. I think going through the show now, I’m able to see the huge difference between watching it from home, and actually racing on the show. It’s a whole different ball game entirely.” DOROTHY: “I would say for me, it was also just about being exposed to things that Canadians do, pretty much for the first time in our lives. I mean, rappelling (down a cliff at Niagara Falls in Episode 1), or being in a kayak, and doing all of that. We grew up in Nigeria. We’ve never done any of that. So for us to be able to face those kinds of challenges, and still overcome them, I feel like that’s a big achievement on our end. Even if we didn’t last long, it didn’t really matter, because we were still able to get it done.” Q: What was the most unexpected part? OLUS: “I think right at the beginning of the race, the run to Horseshoe Falls (in Episode 1) was a reality check. We had to run all that way, and it was like, ‘oh, this is real … we’re actually on foot. Nobody is coming to scoop us up in a crew van or anything like that.’ ” DOROTHY: “And it was raining. My leg was hurting me. I think my leg was kind of frozen from being in the cold. So I couldn’t really feel my legs. But we showed the spirit of resilience that we have.” OLUS: “Also, even the tiniest things are difficult, like looking for the clue box. It’s harder to see it when you’re under a lot of pressure. You’re not in the same frame of mind as you are when you’re sitting on your couch, eating popcorn and watching it.” Q: You had some trouble with the kayak. But ultimately, what do you think it was that scuttled your chances? DOROTHY: “I think your answer might be different (looking at Olus). But the minute I saw the clue for the pitstop, with the drawing (the mandala at Roberts Creek Pier on the Georgia Strait), I was like, ‘yeah, I’m going home.’ I was like, ‘what is this picture that they’re giving us?’ Like, I don’t know what this is, and I’m not even in the frame of mind to try to figure it out, because I’m just so tired. So I think that was the tipping point for me. The kayak definitely stalled us a little bit, but once we were done at the kayak, I was like, ‘you know what? I’m just going to put that trauma on hold right now, and focus on all the other things.’ But the minute I saw that picture, I was like, ‘yeah, this is the end for us.’ The circle, the image, I don’t even know what it’s called. I was like, ‘what do I do now?’ ” OLUS: “I think for me, first of all, the kayak challenge was terrible. We drank a lot of swampy water. So it was there that I was like, ‘okay, we’re about to lose this.’ But then when we got past that, we saw there was still hope. We went over and did the marimbas, and then we actually did pretty well on the horse challenge. But then we saw that picture in the last clue, and we didn’t even think to ask anyone, because we just were not thinking straight. That was when I knew we had lost it.” Q: Could you have changed anything, either in your preparation, or your execution? OLUS: “I think in terms of preparation, we did a good job, we covered a lot of bases. But then there’s a whole portion of the game that’s kind of left to chance, and just being in the heat of the moment and the situation at that time. So I think we really gave it our all, and we trained properly, physically, mentally, we read paper maps. But it was just how it happened at the end, which was kind of beyond our control.” DOROTHY: “I feel the same way. No regrets on our end. I know I had issues with my legs, but thinking about it now, I didn’t grow up here, I’m still new to the climate, I never trained for standing in the cold, trying to run when I’m frozen. My body has never felt that, because I came from a climate where the weather is always good, 24/7. Everyone thinks that they could train for this race, and that they could do their best, but nothing can ever prepare you for when Jon (Montgomery, host) says ‘go,’ and you’re suddenly trying to figure things out. Nothing prepares you for that.” Q: What has the reaction been from your friends and family to seeing you on THE AMAZING RACE CANADA? DOROTHY: “Everyone was excited for us. And they were also shocked and surprised to see it, like, ‘wow, you’re on a Canadian reality TV show?’ Just seeing that we were part of it is a win for them. We came from Nigeria, we’ve been here for only three years, they’ve seen us grind and hustle, and boom, we’re on THE AMAZING RACE CANADA. And they’re all like, ‘wow, you guys are inspiring us. You guys are living the dream.’ And because of us, everyone is just trying to live their own dreams, and take their own steps, and make their own change in their own environment. So I think for us, it’s kind of a different story. It’s the immigrants’ dream. We’re just trying to get that Canadian dream.” Season 10 of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA continues with a new episode, next Tuesday, July 16 at 9 p.m. ET on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app. [email protected] @billharris_tv