Interview ‘The Amazing Race Canada’ finalist contestants Nipîy & Magoo

Jesse & Jonathon, 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): How are you guys feeling going into the top four? 

Nipîy:   So excited. You know, this has been such a fun journey to watch, to see what makes the screen,  but to enjoy it with our friends and family.  We were gone filming this for a month and nobody had any clue where we are. And we’ve just been so tight-lipped. So being able to show them what we were up to, it’s just been such a blessing.  

TEM:  So at this point in the race, would you guys say it’s definitely more of a strategy or a survival game?

Nipîy: I think both. It’s a juggling act, you know?  You need to have that strategy. You need to have that belief in yourself. You need to have that little bit of magic in there. But yeah, it’s a juggling act for sure. 

TEM: What got you guys initially wanting to try out for the Amazing Race Canada, and whose idea was it? 

Nipîy: Actually, the Amazing Race Canada approached me four years running, asking me to apply, and it never aligned.  I was always with Bear Grease on tour. Blair was always with the Magoo Crew on tour.  So this year, when we got asked, we were like, okay, well, what are the filming dates? They told us, and we had it off, and we’re like, you know what? Let’s do this.  Let’s apply. So right before a show, like in between shows,  I just had a little half an hour break.  Me and Blair recorded a video, and just were our real selves. I was just in there twerking, even, and just goofy. And we sent it in, and he said, who knows? You know, you never know. And then they called us back, and we just couldn’t believe it, and off we went. 

TEM:  Blair, did you need a lot of convincing, or were you just like,  kind of like, let’s do this? 

Nipîy: No, we’re very adventurous, I think. Like, at least for myself, as soon as the opportunity came, I thought, you know what?  This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Let’s just do it. What about you?

Magoo: Yeah, it was like, oh, Amazing Race Canada. But at the same time, I looked at the schedule,  and I’m like, okay, the Magoo crew is free, but superfan Magoo will miss two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs , if we do this. So I thought about it, and I’m like, okay, let’s do it. The Oilers are going to make it through, man, because if they don’t, it’s going to be on me when I’m gone.  So let’s go. 

TEM: What was your guys, each of you, what was your favourite challenge and your least favourite? 

Magoo: I’d say the favourite challenge was doing the bike, the bike around the track.  That was crazy. Like, I wouldn’t experience, never experienced something like that before. Adrenaline was just going. I’m like, oh, man, and she said I was like almost at the top there. I had no idea, man, but if you fell there, man,  you probably would have got hurt. The least was watching my wife 56 stories up,  600 feet in the air, while my legs are shaking down at the bottom there, man, and so worried for her. That was the least. What an experience. 

Nipîy: So the Maryland buildings, the Absolute Towers,  was probably my least favourite. That was just absolutely terrifying and just a test to my faith,  to my strength, to us as a team. Like, wow. But my favourite challenge, even though I’m so afraid of heights,  I think was that helicopter, the last, the last leg, because, like, you know, we got to train. We’re some of the only civilians to have ever have done that. So it was just a great honour. And to actually see what those heroes do on a daily basis  was just such a blessing. Like, they are true, true heroes.  And humble. Like, I was trying to call them heroes, like after I was seeing how much work they put into this, this search and rescue, and they’re all like, oh, no, it’s just a, it’s just an everyday job.  Like, this is nothing. And we’re just like, this is everything. Like, you guys are heroes. Like, wow. So I think being able to experience that was just one of my favourite parts because, wow, we’re in some good hands. 

TEM: What would winning Amazing Race Canada mean to you guys? 

Magoo: Man, that would mean the world. Like, you know, just going together on a trip all around the world  and winning that amount of money. There’s so much you can do with that. 

Nipîy: Life changing. 

TEM: How do you each of you guys go the extra mile? 

Nipîy:  Well, you know, with this race, I think we went the extra mile for our youth. It wasn’t just about us. We were doing this for our people, our Indigenous people. We were doing this for our Oilers fans.  And we were doing this for Edmonton and Alberta. But most importantly, we were doing this for our youth. (6:46) You know, growing up, we didn’t get to see representation,  you know, Indigenous representation on TV. And now we’re it. And we’re authentically it, you know, showing our resi side.  We’re not holding back. Like, what you see is what you get from us on TV. And so we’ll always go that extra mile for our people and our youth, for sure.

TEM:  Is there anything else you want to add in, Magoo?

Magoo: I want to say, you know, what a life changing experience this was and getting to spend it with my best friend meant the world to me.

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