The Amazing Race Canada Exit-Elimination Interview Ika & Demetres

Big Brother alumni Ika and Demetres reflect on their Amazing Race Canada journey from a mock trial run in Niagara Falls to real challenges that strengthened their bond to sharing lessons in teamwork, personal growth, and pushing past limits to go the extra mile.

TEM (The Extra Mile): Whose idea was it to do Amazing Race Canada?

Demetres: You know what I just I was like you know if we have the opportunity to do the race. How can you not do it right? Like this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity It’s truly a ticket that money can’t buy.  Like there’s only one way to run you know this experience and it’s to get on the show. So you know we got the opportunity to do it. I was like maybe we got to go for it.  

TEM: And did you did you need to do a lot of convincing?

Demetres :  There was a bit of convincing for sure.  I think she saw like how much I wanted to do it and she jumped on board pretty quick.

TEM: How did you guys prepare for the show? Did you watch like the previous seasons or did you like prep for it or anything?

Ika: Yeah we did watch the previous seasons but it literally doesn’t prepare you for the actual show.But watching previous seasons helped.Like it helped to kind of just like give us comfort in a way.Like a comfort you know like oh we’re watching these people who did what we’re gonna do. But we definitely like I don’t run or work out at all. And before the show I you know I started running. I started in Pilates. So we definitely built up as much strength as I could.

Demetres : We actually tried to recreate the first episode of last season, the season before us in Niagara Falls since we’re in Toronto very close.So we actually broke the episode down and like went to each challengesand like went there on foot to try to like get a feel for like okay what does a day on the race actually look like. And we actually ran that leg as like a mock race. Yeah it didn’t compare.Obviously you don’t have the pressure. We did a little bit more walking than we probably would have on the race. But you know it was a good little prep.

TEM: What was your most favorite challenge and least favorite challenge throughout the whole season? 

Ika: Most favorite one. 

Demetres :I feel like I should have a very quick answer for that. Has to be something in the Arctic.

Ika: I mean the dog sledding was super cool for sure. The dog sleddin Like watching Dimitri do the dance challenges was so funny.It was just so funny.So I like watching you do the dance challenge.

Demetres :Yeah I think I like watching Ika in the in the dog sled one.A because it was a very very cool challenge.But B like it was the first moment where she really had to like overcome something. And I think like that was the beginning of her really starting to build a lot of confidence.So it was that was a special one.

TEM: Did you guys have like a particular moment in this show or the season where like anything kind of really tested your relationship?

Ika: I wouldn’t I wouldn’t say tested. I would say definitely the last leg.I would say our communication wasn’t as good that leg. But I feel like it really does show you that. Like if you’re not working in sync and working together that could probably slow you down more than anything they throw at you in the race.

Demetres :Yeah I think that we actually like work together. I don’t want to speak the generally.  But I think we actually work together better than everybody on the race.Like we work together very well.We stay very calm. I think the last leg where we got eliminated.It might have just been like a little bit of fatigue.Like we were just like it’s long you know.And then you’re doing this day in day out grinding.And I think we just we just didn’t have our best that day.But I don’t think nothing that came close to testing.

IKA: I mean we met on Big Brother Canada.There’s not much that could really test. I wouldn’t say test. But it definitely did make us realize that working together well gets you furtherthan like working together not getting along if that makes sense.

TEM: I mean obviously this is you know very different from Big Brother. Is there anything that you feel like you kind of learned from one another on Amazing Race Canada that you didn’t know?

Demetres : No I don’t think anything that we didn’t know. But I think it reassured us of a lot of things that we did know.And like you know like like we’re talking like we’re kind of birthed in this pressurecooker that was Big Brother.And that was eight years ago right. And then it was like you know we get into this pressure cooker. And it was just like right back where we have each other’s backs.We’re working together for a common goal. And we just crush it as a team. And I think it just more reinforced that like hey yeah you know we still have that solid foundation that we like built and and met on.

Ika:Yeah I think I think for me it what it did teach me a little bit was like in our real lives like everyday life Demetres takes on a lot more of like I would say like the more challenging task you know like like he takes on a lot more for the both of us. A lot more of the stressors. The stressors I would say in terms of like bills and like oh my gosh like you know like in terms of that. So when we got on the Amazing Race I was like oh my gosh like I’m actually pulling my weightwhere I felt like you know everything wasn’t all on Demetres shoulders. So that felt really nice.

TEM: Is there anything that you guys would tell any future contestants that want to try outfor the show?Any like last words that you want to say?

Ika: I was telling them to go for it. Like it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.You’re gonna have so much fun.You’re gonna do things that you’ll never like when will you ever have the chance to run around Canada with a camera crew and do these crazy challenges that they set up for you that they spend so much time and effort doing. When will that ever happen in your life ever again? So I would say go for it. Do it and like have fun.Have fun.

Demetres : And train hard because I promise you it’s probably harder than you think it is.

TEM: So what does the extra mile mean to you guys?Or how do you go the extra mile? Would that be in your personal life or what that means to you?

Demetres : I think like we go the extra mile like we’re always putting ourselves out there.You know we’re not afraid to take on new things and in front of a lot of people you know as you see on this show. So I think for us it’s just like always pushing exploring new opportunities and not being scared to try new things.

 Ika: Yeah I would definitely say that you know whatever like limit that you think you haveit’s like literally in your mind. It’s literally in your mind and like going the extra mile for yourself is not it’s definitely just not putting limitations on yourself and saying I can’t do something or I’m too scaredof doing something. I would say definitely not limiting yourself and going the extra mile for yourself as well.

Catch the Amazing Race Canada on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, and streams next day on Crave