One Team is Unexpectedly Saved While Another Hits Insurmountable Obstacles, Setting Up a Frantic Finale on THE AMAZING RACE CANADA

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede For the first time in the history of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, four teams – rather than the traditional three – are headed to the Season 8 finale next week. So that meant two teammates got a delightful surprise when they arrived on the mat in fourth place at the end of a new episode that debuted tonight on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app. Expecting to be ousted, they rejoiced at their good fortune. However, that still meant the team that arrived in fifth place was in for some inevitable bad news. As darkness fell, the teammates were well aware that they were last, and thus were sent home. SPOILER ALERT: Details about what happened follow. Following a diving expedition (which slowed down Franca and Nella), and a pool-hall Face Off (which slowed down Jesse and Marika), the teams rushed to CFB Meaford, where they were tasked with completing an obstacle course in military gear. As the racers progressed, a training officer barked out the seven values that a soldier needs: integrity, loyalty, courage, excellence, responsibility, honesty, and fairness. Upon completion of the course, the racers were asked: “In order, what soldier values did you learn today?” Those who couldn’t get it right had to go through the course again. The key moment of the episode was the look on the faces of Beverley and Veronica when they were asked to recite the seven soldier values. They had not grasped the memorization aspect of the challenge. Ultimately, it took them three tries to get through, and that proved costly. Brendan and Connor arrived first on the mat, followed by Catherine and Craig, and Jesse and Marika. Franca and Nella were fourth, and went from tears to cheers when they learned about the four-team finale. Beverley Cheng and Veronica Skye were eliminated after arriving fifth, and here’s what they had to say about their experience on the show: Q: What has it been like watching the episodes? BEVERLEY: “It’s an interesting feeling, for sure. I watch it, and I’m like, ‘huh … I didn’t remember saying that,’ whether it’s a really good moment, or a really stressful moment. So watching the show is so different from being there. It really kind of makes me appreciate and respect reality TV so much more, in a way. It’s a long process, being with the show for five weeks, staying with your teammate 24/7. You see only a small part of it on TV, but we remember everything that went into it, the highs, the lows, the exhaustion, the energy, the adrenaline.” VERONICA: “I think Bev nailed that. There’s a lot that went into it in terms of mental clarity and mental focus, as well as the physical exhaustion. You say things off the cuff sometimes, and you’re not really realizing that you’re being filmed. And then watching it back, you’re like, ‘huh, yeah … I guess I did say that.’ But overall, I think the experience was once in a lifetime – probably not anything I would do again. I think what I’ve learned from it is that reality TV is not really for me! But I definitely had a lot of fun, it was great exploring the different areas of Canada, and I quite enjoyed some of the challenges.” Q: When you left the pool hall, you were in third place. So what happened at the obstacle course? VERONICA: “That episode is something that I replay over and over in my head. Some things happened that led to some mental and physical exhaustion. Our memory wasn’t serving us. I don’t think I was as focused, or as physically ready for that challenge.” BEVERLEY: “We were doing really well, and we were in very high spirits. But when we realized that we had completely missed a huge aspect of the challenge, it was kind of a hit to our … not our ego, but I guess it was a hit to our energy. We felt very strongly that we were out. So I don’t think we did our best trying to find our way, because we were feeling quite defeated. When I look back on it, that’s where we dropped the ball a little bit. It’s tough, because directions were something that we had been quite on top of throughout the entire Race. But that whole day, as Veronica said, was just exhausting. I think back on it a lot. I feel like we could have put in a bit more effort, but at the same time, it is what it is.” Q: You had a nice moment at the end, as you accepted your fate with good humour. And you really were the team that drove the narrative throughout the season. VERONICA: “Thanks, that’s cool.” BEVERLEY: “I like to hear that, thanks for saying that.” Q: What advice would you give to a friend who was going on the show? BEVERLEY: “To be honest with you … ” VERONICA: “Don’t do it!” BEVERLEY: “I was going to say the same thing!” (both laughing) VERONICA: “If they were really adamant about doing it, I would say, keep your eyes and ears open, and your mouth shut. Don’t tell anyone what you’re planning, or what your strategy is. Don’t get caught up in what other people think of you, and the drama. Just run your own race. I think Beverley and I really stayed on par with that, and it showed – which is why we created the most drama. But we were just really in it for each other, we were in it for ourselves, and we were just head down, eye on the prize. And that’s it.” The Season 8 finale of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA airs Tuesday, Sept. 20, at 9 p.m. ET on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app. billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv