Interview ‘The Amazing Race Canada’ Chayla and Chyana

Sisters Chyana and Chayla Mitchell took on Season 12 of The Amazing Race Canada with two very different competitive styles, but one thing in common: neither of them backs down easily. Chyana was the one who first suggested they apply, and from there the pair prepared by taking dance classes, brushing up on languages, practicing math and even learning archery, only to discover that there is really no way to fully prepare for what the race throws at you. In this exit interview, the sisters look back on using their Express Pass in the very first leg, the challenges they loved and hated, and the skills they trained for that never made an appearance. They also open up about how spending 24/7 together strengthened their sisterly bond, why they barely fought despite the pressure of the race, and the resilience they credit to growing up learning how to take care of themselves and each other.

TEM (The Extra Mile) : Looking back at it, how do you guys feel?

Chyana:   Oh my god, I feel so good, so proud. It’s like, you know, viewers will never ever understand what we go through as racers. Like, it’s so funny, like, you can never prepare for like that first leg, and then you really learn as you go, but you’re kind of like a chicken with your head cut off, and you’re like, okay, here we go. But then you get stronger, you get better, and then you become like addicted to it a little bit, like the adrenaline pumping through your body for like 12 to 16. 16 hours a day. It’s really unlike anything I’ve ever done or experienced. It was the hardest, but the most rewarding, and also like the most beautiful thing I’ve ever done.

TEM: How did you guys kind of get on the Amazing Race Canada? One of you guys kind of had to pursue the other, or how did that happen?

Chayla: Yeah, Chyana approached me first, totally out of the blue, and asked me if I would ever do the Amazing Race Canada with her, and I don’t know if I… I even thought twice about it. I was just like, yeah, let’s apply. Let’s do it.

TEM: Did you guys do a lot of preparation for a prior to go in? Or how was that preparation process like?

Chayla: The process, it was pretty quick. So you have so much time to prepare and you do all that you can beforehand, but I feel like you could never do enough.

Chyana: Yeah, pretty much from the moment we did our in-person interview, we just had a gut feeling that we were going to be on and that it was going to work out. So we each did some little things. You know, I started like a dance class and like was on Duolingo, you know, just doing new things to try to challenge your brain and get comfortable with doing something you’ve never done before.

TEM:  Would you say one of you guys are more competitive the other kind of the same?

Chayla: I am highly competitive. I was. Known for, you know, no one wanted to play games with me as a little girl, because if I was losing, no one was having a good time.

Chyana: Yeah, and I’m like competitive in a different way. I’m like a Capricorn through and through. So I have a goal and I chase it, but I’m like extremely competitive with myself, like to let my own standards, but like, I never really pay attention to other people and what other people are doing. I just focus on my own thing. And yeah, so competitive in a different way.

TEM:  Do you guys feel like you guys have any regrets when you use the Express Pass or wish you could have used at a different time?

Chayla: I think we made the right decision in the moment. I don’t enjoy the fact that everyone started out with Express Passes. I feel like that really forced our hand. Like our plan was not to use it unless we, you know, really felt like we couldn’t do that task where we really needed to. So, so, And I could have done that if I hadn’t have fallen off the slack line the first time, I would have got back up there and done it again. So had we had the time, we could have completed that task. So it’s unfortunate the way it unfolded, but everything always happens how it’s supposed to.

Chyana: And we just in the moment, it’s like you can’t risk it like because it’s us and Dwayne and Maestro and if Dwayne gets it on his first shot, we’re last. And historically speaking, the first leg is always an elimination. So that wasn’t even in our head that it was safe. So it’s either like we use this now and we get out of here or we risk going home on the first leg.

TEM:  there any challenge that you guys kind of didn’t get to do that you prepare for it or something, a type of challenge that you wish you got to do?

Chayla : We did a lot of math preparation, and I don’t think there was a single ounce of math on there, so I’m like, come on, I was feeling really good about my multiplication and division. We could have threw something in there. Yeah.

Chyana: And same with, like, archery. Like, I was literally going to, like, the archery ring all the time and, like, shooting bows and arrows, and I was like, none of that in this season. Guess that’s a skill I’ll just keep in my back pocket.

TEM: What would you guys say each of your favorite challenge was and least? And maybe not the face-offs

Chayla : That’s the easy least favorite, is the face-off. I think my favorite, personally, would have been the Moro Slabs or the Slackline, just because the view was… So, definitely the Moro Slabs or the Slackline, because the view was absolutely gorgeous surrounding me.

Chyana: Yeah, and I think my favorite was, oh, I mean, there’s a lot of, there’s a lot of favorite moments, but I think, honestly, the sailing from the first challenge was so fun, because it’s like, here’s a person, they take two minutes, they’re like, blah, blah, blah, blah, okay, here you go, away you go, and we went out there, we were just crew, we were just sailing the boat, no problem, and I was like, and you look up, and you’re in beautiful, like, Squamish territory, and I was just like, this is like, I never thought that I would just sail a boat one day, so I’m like, this is really cool. It’s cool to be doing that. Yeah.

TEM: And was there anything that you guys learned about each other that maybe, you know, I mean, obviously you guys kind of grew up together, but anything that maybe the challenges brought out ?

Chayla: If anything, I think it brought out how connected and similar we are, you know, as young girls, we didn’t spend a ton of time together, so, you know, we never got to learn each other in these ways, and being together 24-7. Being in this high-pressure cooker environment, it was really nice to kind of have a partner by my side, that support system. It felt really good to see, like, to feel, and just that sister love and bond. So, yeah, anything I learned about my sister was all good, and that I just, I love her till the end of the earth.

Chyana: Yeah, and I think, like, similarly for me, it’s like, I always knew Chayla was, like, really resilient and, like, capable. Like, there’s just, like, a thing called competence for, like, basic life skills, and it amazes me how not everyone has that. Like, you give some people a piece of Ikea furniture and they crumble. They crumble like a little dry cookie, you know what I mean? And I’m just like, I can give anything to Chayla and she can get it done, and the same goes for me.And, you know, that comes from having had childhoods where, you know, we didn’t have a father in our life.Like, we never had, we were doing our own laundry, our own cooking, our own cleaning since the moment we could reach the stove, reach… That washing machine, like, really kind of doing it all, and I think, like, I mean, the race and being together 24-7, like Shay said, it’s like we were so different, but we’re so similar. Like, the way that we think and how we tackle adversity and challenges and how we don’t back away from any obstacle that’s put in front of us, it was really, really cool to see.And so many teams on The Amazing Race, like, all of them, like, bicker and fight, and, you know, we never, ever did that. It was like, all we did was, like, laugh, even in, you know, like, moments of, like, when you’re waiting for the next leg, all we did was laugh, like, and when we were separated, even from, like, going to the bathroom, it’s like, where are you going? Like, come back.

TEM: Is there anything that you’d like to tell any future contestants or like one thing that you’d like to tell?

Chayla:  Yeah. I mean, if future contestants, yeah, just go all in a hundred percent, have patience with your partner, communicate well, and don’t be afraid to be a little competitive. Don’t be afraid to make the shots because you might not get that opportunity again.

Chyana: Play the game. That’s what we’re here for. And I’ll add on that to pick your partner wisely. Like your best partner is going to be a sibling, someone who knows all sides of you, the good, the bad, the ugly, doesn’t take things personally. And yeah, so choosing your teammate, don’t do it with a new friend. Don’t do it with like a new partner. Like, I mean, even if you’re married, I would say. Still don’t do it with your sibling if you have a sibling or a parent like I think that those moments are are really special and yeah yeah just go for it because it changed our lives for a better in such a deep meaningful way that neither one of us could have ever prepared for so do it have fun with it don’t forget to laugh don’t forget to look up and take a moment to think wow. like I’m in this place doing this thing that no one else will ever be able to do and enjoy that

TEM:  how do you guys go the extra mile or what does that mean to you

Chyana: oh man I feel like I go the extra mile every day every day of my life like thank you Just right now, for example, I’m in Edinburgh, Scotland by myself, and I was just in Barcelona before this by myself.And I think the way that I kind of like go the extra mile is I’ve never let life and the obstacles that life throws at me dictate what my future is and what my present is. So no matter the challenge, I always believe that I’m capable of overcoming it. And this I have this irrevocable belief in myself that anything I want in this life, I can achieve it. And I’ve done it, you know, I’ve I’ve given myself the life that I’ve always dreamed of, even though I was just a little girl, you know, going through so much. And I never let that stop me.

Chayla : Yeah, I think like going the extra mile, it truly doesn’t matter where you’re at. So I know for me, all throughout my life, I would continue to find moments, big, small, all in between, to go the extra mile, to pick myself up, to continue to take that first step in front of me and continue each step, each step, each step. Going the extra mile, and eventually, you’re Zooming, baby.

Catch a new episode of The Amazing Race Canada Season 12 on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and streams next day on Crave