AMAZING RACE CANADA INTRODUCES THREE TEAMS.
Which team will you be cheering for on the second season of The Amazing Race Canada? This week, Postmedia’s Ruth Myles assesses the duos with dazzling potential (on paper, at least) while pointing out the couples who might go kaput. CTV is announcing the teams through Friday in advance the season premiere July 8.
TEAM: Natalie Spooner, 23, Scarborough, Ont., and Meaghan Mikkelson, 28, Calgary.
BIO: Chances are you already know these two, seeing as they were part of Canada’s gold-medal-winning women’s Olympic hockey team. (Meaghan has two golds, thanks very much: one each from 2010 and 2014.) The two have been friends since meeting at a training camp in 2008.
POSSIBLE NICKNAMES: The Golden Girls, Team Canada, The Olympians.
(PAPER) TIGERS OR DOLLS?: I considered adding a dragon category for these two, because that’s how much they tower over the rest of the field. They’re elite athletes coming off an Olympic Games, so will be in tip-top shape. They’ve dedicated their lives to performing, nay excelling, under pressure. What might trip them up? Committing 100 per cent to the wrong decision. and Audrey Tousignant-Maurice, 31; St-Hubert, Que.
BIO: Alain and Audrey read high voltage: he’s an actor and stuntman with credits in such productions as Pompeii and she’s a realtor with a real type-A personality. The couple have been together for two years, but bought a house together after only six months, so they’re not afraid of making big decisions.
POSSIBLE NICKNAMES: The Terrible Two, The Terrific Two, That Couple That Fights All the Time. (PAPER) TIGERS OR DOLLS?: Ones to watch. The bilingual pair has travelled extensively and the girl likes her adrenalin: Audrey has bungee jumped and skydived. The downside? They “delight in pushing each other’s buttons,” which makes for good television, but bickering could hurt their chances on the race.
TEAM: Shahla Kara, 29, Markham, Ont., and Nabeela Barday, 29, Toronto.
BIO: The longtime friends both grew up in traditional Muslim households. Their bio says they are “constantly trying to find the
balance between upholding their religions and cultural background while staying true to themselves.” One of their reasons for being on the Race? Demonstrating that faith comes in many forms.
POSSIBLE NICKNAMES: You’ve Gotta Have Faith, Team Toronto, The T.O. Two. (PAPER) TIGERS OR DOLLS?: The multilingual pair is used to swimming against the tide, so that’s a tick in their tiger column (as is their penchant for travel and packing a Burkini for any water-based challenges). But the depth of the sheer physical talent — hell-oo Olympians! — in the second season of The Amazing Race Canada might leave these two treading water.