Having Battled Through The Most Unique Season in The History of The Franchise, Proud New Champions Emerge on THE AMAZING RACE CANADA

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede Two resilient teammates put their “stamp” on Season 8 of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, which wrapped up tonight with an intense four-team finale on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app. Moving through tasks that included jumping from a helicopter, lacing up old-style roller-skates, singing in Italian, and taking multiple orders at the Richmond Night Market, the deciding factor was a memory challenge that pushed teams to the extreme. But one duo figured it out fastest, and emerged as the new champion on THE AMAZING RACE CANADA. SPOILER ALERT: Details about what occurred follow. Franca and Nella, and Catherine and Craig arrived at the Vancouver Public Library virtually simultaneously, followed by Brendan and Connor, and Jesse and Marika. Once there, the teams were presented with 27 riddles from the Race, each corresponding with a previous challenge. The racers had to figure out the riddles, and then place them on a big board, in the exact chronological order that the challenges took place. It was fascinating for viewers to watch, as all the teams – unbeknownst to each other, of course – were stuck on the same riddle, misinterpreting it. But it was Craig who suddenly had an epiphany, realizing that the key word in the riddle wasn’t “case,” but rather, “licks.” So it wasn’t about the murder mystery, it was about the stamps! With that newfound clarity, best friends Catherine Wreford Ledlow and Craig Ramsay were the first team to get all 27 riddles in the right order, and they hustled to nearby B.C. Place, where they were officially declared THE AMAZING RACE CANADA Season 8 champions. They were followed by Jesse and Marika, Franca and Nella, and Brendan and Connor, in that order. Having emerged as one of the most inspirational teams in the history of the show, with Catherine fighting through brain cancer, and a spell on the sidelines when they both were diagnosed with COVID, here’s what Catherine and Craig had to say about their incredible journey: Q: What has it been like watching the episodes roll out, and carrying this big secret? CATHERINE: “Well, for me, I’ve just been pretending that we lost. So I’ve been like, ‘yeah, when we got eliminated … ’ I’ve been saying things so people might say, ‘oh, I heard her say this,’ and they’ll think maybe we didn’t win. So I’m sure they’re really surprised to see that we did.” Q: So you added a layer of deception and misdirection. How exciting! CATHERINE: “I know! I thought it was pretty cool, too. I told Craig about it the other day, when he asked me, ‘how have you been keeping the secret?’ ” CRAIG: “Yes, she told me THE OTHER DAY! Why did she wait this long? I’ve been hiding out so I could keep the secret. Catherine, we’re both actors! That would have worked!” Q: Having been forced to leave the Race due to COVID, and then returning and winning, this has to be the most unique season in the history of the franchise, right? CATHERINE: “I’d say for sure this was the most unusual out of all THE AMAZING RACES ever. Just the fact that we came back in was so special to us. We didn’t really know what was happening during that whole time. We were sort of in our hotel rooms, just wondering and saying, ‘oh, we’ll find out more tomorrow, or maybe not.’ It was very isolating, but of course it wound up being so fulfilling.” CRAIG: “If it was tough on us, just imagine what it was like for production. Catherine and I immediately switched gears after testing positive, wanting to protect our fellow racers, production, and ultimately our fellow Canadians. We had done our part with preparing ourselves as much as medically possible, with our vaccines and such. And luckily for us, we had mild cases of COVID. But we definitely still felt the effects after we rejoined the Race. So yes, COVID was by far the most difficult challenge, and the most unexpected challenge.” Q: Tell me about your breakthrough with those final riddles. CRAIG: “That was the moment that I truly realized we could win this, and the pressure was so overwhelming for me. Throughout the Race – and Catherine can agree or disagree to this – but I feel like there were many times that I had to pull up Catherine energetically, to have her refocus, to put any kind of struggle that we had in the past, and just uplift her. But with that last challenge, I crumbled! And it was Catherine who literally regurgitated all of the positive words that I had spewed at her throughout the Race. If Catherine hadn’t done that, I don’t think we would have been able to calm down and finish the task at hand. And we had no idea it was only one riddle that was in the wrong place. When you’re watching at home, you get to see the red lights, and see what’s wrong, and the music plays, but we don’t get to see or hear any of that.” CATHERINE: “Yes, it would have been so much easier if we had been watching the TV show! But it just happened for us … I wouldn’t say it was luck, but something drew us to change it, and we figured it out at just the right time.” Q: You’ve won $250,000, and you’re THE AMAZING RACE CANADA champions. Does it feel real? CRAIG: “It feels real to me, in the sense that Catherine is such a champion, I can’t imagine racing this with anyone else. And she has won by all that she’s able to overcome. Throughout this Race, I felt like a winner with her by my side. So to me it does feel real, because Catherine is an absolute warrior and champion, and she deserves this.” CATHERINE: “So do you, Craig. It feels kind of like a dream. I think with me winning it, I’m sort of giving people permission to try new things, even if they have a terminal illness, or a disease that makes them not be able to do a lot of stuff. Even if it’s just going for a walk, going for a bike ride, maintaining relationships with old friends, going out for a coffee with somebody. It’s so important to nurture friendships right now, especially after the pandemic. I can’t make plans for five years from now, because I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be in this world. So I want to experience a world with my children, with my husband, with Craig and his family. I just want to explore a world with them, and be with my friends and my family, and love them.” CRAIG: “And I also want to say, congrats to all the teams that were in the Race with us this season. We felt like we had a unique responsibility to help guide Canadians back into life, post-pandemic. I think all of us were brave. All of us suffered our own unique trauma, as all Canadians did through the pandemic. And we came out making new friends, and loving each other, and trusting each other. The support that Catherine and I have received from our fellow racers with this win is something that really identifies Canadians, and what we’re known for.” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv