Interview ‘The Amazing Race Canada’ finalist contestants EB & Blake
EB & Blake, one of the four finalist teams from “The Amazing Race Canada,” shared their reflections on their journey during an interview with “The Extra Mile”
TEM (The Extra Mile): Whose idea was it to go on to Amazing Race Canada?
Blake: So EB and I have both been watching the show our whole lives. Amazing Race and Survivor were our two, like, main family shows that we would watch together. So I feel like it was an unspoken reality that we’d always end up doing it eventually. And after season nine, I just remember just shooting him a text and just being like, hey man, let’s apply. Like, I saw it on the TV that they had it open and we just applied and the rest is history.
TEM: And you didn’t need much convincing, EB?
EB: Nah, man. This is, I’m down all the way. I’m down for the cause. Let’s get it.
TEM: How do you guys feel being in the top four?
Blake: It feels unreal, man. Honestly, being able to check off all the milestones of being on the show has been huge for us. Like, watching it since we were young and seeing stuff like U-turns and passports in real life is, like, just visceral for us. So for us to be able to survive a U-turn, win multiple legs, be instrumental in passport strategy, like, just all these things that we’ve seen in the show since we were young is just, like, such an unreal feeling for us.And to make it all the way to the end and to get to say that we experienced all 10 legs and never got to hear those words from John that, sorry to tell you, you’re eliminated, is just amazing.
TEM: Being this far in the competition, do you guys feel like now that it’s more about strategy or more about survival? Or do you feel like it’s, like, a little bit of both?
EB: Uh, yeah. As it gets later into the race, there’s definitely less risks you can take, less chances. Because just one mistake can send you home. Every racer who’s racing right now who made it into the finale is really good at this race. So you really can’t be making any mistakes.I’d definitely say survival becomes more and more important as each leg goes on. But strategy will always be a part of me and Blake’s game no matter what. What you guys see on TV is only just one fraction of all the different strategies that we’ve been implementing.So, yeah, even I’d say that, like, strategic gameplay is definitely interlaced to, like, the core of our whole kind of dynamic and flow on this race so far. So, yeah, me and Blake are definitely strategic players. And every decision we make comes from, like, a strategic kind of standpoint.
Blake: Yeah, like, to give you some more color on that, like, since me and EB watched the show so intensely, we created protocols based on the mistakes of past racers. So in our little race books, we had maybe, like, we would add them throughout the game, but we ended with maybe 20 protocols of things to either always do or never do, just kind of tenets to play the game with to not make similar mistakes that we’ve seen past racers make and maybe go home because of. So literally every decision we made on that entire race was in line with all of those protocols, which I guess shows that, yeah, we’re quite strategic players.
TEM: You guys, like, obviously spend a lot of your lives together. Is there anything that you feel like you’ve learned from just being on the show that you didn’t know previously competing together?
Blake: I would say, like, the biggest thing I learned about EB is just how truly capable he is. I know that he’s exceptional, and I know that we were raised in the same condition, so I expect him to be amazing, like how I know I’m amazing.But just seeing the degree of what he’s able to do out there is just absolutely unbelievable, right? Like, I could just take off the reins and just let him rock. Even in the Arctic episode, the first episode we won, he did the roadblock. He was instrumental in the eating challenge. Like, there were so many things that I couldn’t have done without him on this race and that he literally did better than me on this race. So that would be the biggest learning and takeaway is that you don’t always need to be the big brother when your little brother is so capable.
EB: Biggest thing that I learned about Blake is that, well, I mean, maybe I didn’t learn it. It’s more of just like reinforcing. It’s cool because I know that social situations are kind of both of our bread and butters just in life, but we’ve never really had the chance to play a social kind of game together. And I know the Amazing Race isn’t really a game per se, and there’s a lot more elements to success other than social, but that was one of the most fun parts about the race experience was actually having a hand in the votes and the social kind of dynamics between the other racers with my brother. It was cool because all of those things I could have done alone, but it was nice to see how powerful me and Blake became when it was the two of us kind of putting ourselves out there. And yeah, it was just one thing I learned was just that this guy, when the pressure is on, he can definitely deliver. And it’s cool because he will always be the same, whether it’s a low-pressure situation or a high-pressure. I’ve seen Blake during this race put just as much passion and importance on the smallest conversations in the airport with another team because you never know what kind of information you’re going to get that will enhance both of our games.
TEM: What was your guys’ favorite challenge and your least favorite?
Blake: There’s so many. It’s got to be like one thing that you really have fun doing. Pretty much all the cool ones EB got to do. Like dog sledding, EB did. Going between the buildings, EB did. You know what I mean? So I can’t really like answer one of those ones.
EB: I would say, yeah, dog sledding is definitely up there for one of the coolest things. I’ve spent all my bucket list my whole life to actually do it in the Arctic is crazy. And also, just the whole element of having a challenge associated with it too was way more fun than just dog sledding for leisure. You know, I was dog sledding on purpose. So that was lit. But I really enjoyed the challenges that me and Blake got to collaborate on. In retrospect, even like some of the simpler challenges, in the moment, it was really frustrating on the first leg, the canyon, the challenge where you have to do the time going down, the track, the one kilometer track, and you have to say your accurate time within two seconds. In the moment, that challenge seemed really difficult. And it was really difficult, but it was also the very first leg. So it was cool to be able to collaborate with Blake in that first leg, started off, and we were one of the first teams out of there.So it felt really good to smash a challenge that everyone else was having a tough time on to start off the race. It set us off on a good path for sure.
Blake: I have so many favorites. Honestly, it was just like such an unreal experience. One that I really liked was finding the tokens in Fort Henry. I think that EB and I both used our physical ability, being able to run around and our searching ability from setting the race, as well as our social ability with kind of being a big part of that negotiation at the end. So that was fun. The face-off with Jesse and Jonathan in Quebec was really fun because we really wanted the opportunity to get to go one-on-one against them. And we were able to do that and beat them there, which was fun. Yeah, honestly, every single challenge in this race has just been such a blessing and such an amazing experience. And the ones that you’re able to do by yourself, you get to challenge yourself, which is so valuable. And then the ones that you get to do as a team, you get to strengthen your relationship. So every single challenge that we’ve done in this race has been a huge part of contributing to who I am today, and I’m grateful for all of them.
TEM: So how do you guys go the extra mile? Or what does that mean to you?
Blake: I think EB and I go the extra mile by just being entirely authentically ourselves. That’s something that you’ll definitely see from us on that show. EB and I operated as if there was no camera there the entire time. I genuinely promise you the way that we acted, the way that we interacted with each other, the way that we did challenges, the way that we interacted with other teams was all entirely authentic and just a complete representation of who we are. We didn’t try to come off in some particular way for TV or try to interact with the other teams in a way that would be perceived well for us. We didn’t care.We went there to race. We understand how intense the show can get, and we went in there with intensity and to be our authentic selves. So I would saythat we definitely went the extra mile by not relinquishing that authenticity and going on screen, being who me and EB are, who we were raised to be. And, yeah, just not letting ourselves get caught away and trying to be perceived in a particular way. We’re just Blake and EB, man.
TEM: EB, is there anything else you want to add on?
EB: Yeah, for sure. In regards to the race, the extra mile, I think me and Blake definitely were going the extra mile from day one. Before the race even began, we were asking everyone we could, what’s one piece of advice you can give us? You know, anyone that had some sort of value that they could offer, we would take it and implement it into our own game. Going the extra mile, also just by trying to take advantage of all the beautiful places that we were in. You know, you’re racing, and you’re spending all day running around, getting super tired, but when the leg ends, you’re now in a beautiful place, and it’s easy to just close your eyes and wake up for the next leg, or you can try and go the extra mile and really take advantage of that. I mentioned me and Blake, when we were in Lake Louise, we got the chance to jump in that frozen lake and do the polar bear plunge. Anytime that we were in beautiful scenery, we would try and just stand outside when we could and just have a moment to take it all in. So I think that definitely is going the extra mile because you’ll blink and the race is over, you know what I’m saying? So unless you really are trying to be intentional with the things you’re doing at every moment, then you’re not going to remember it as well. So I think that we definitely did that extra mile.
Blake: Yeah, the Amazing Race Canada is not an average experience, and it’s not an experience that you should treat in an average way. If you’re not going the extra mile and soaking it all in to the best of your ability, you are shakening.
The final episode of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA airs at a new time next week!! Find out who the winner is on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, and streams next day on Crave