It sure didn’t take long for rumours to spread throughout town that The Amazing Race Canada was in Jasper, April 29.
With helicopters hovering over Jasper and a crew of 125 people, including 20 racers, the reality television series couldn’t keep Jasperites’ curiosity at bay.
Within hours social media was abuzz about the race and even a few pictures surfaced confirming people’s suspicions.
While it may have come as a surprise for some, for others, such as Tourism Jasper, the plan had been in the works since last fall.
To keep it all under wraps everyone involved had to sign a non-disclosure agreement, including the Fitzhugh, promising to keep the details about the reality show secret, until now.
The episode aired on June 28 and can be watched online at www.ctv.ca/ctvgo.
For several days before the racers arrived, the production and logistic teams could be seen around town preparing for the big day, which included several physical challenges, such as travelling underneath the Jasper Sky Tram some 250 feet above the earth with only a bungee cord attached for protection.
“As you may have noticed this morning we kicked it off with a bang here in Jasper with perhaps one of the most dramatic and frightening challenges we’ve ever done,” said John Brunton, an executive producer of the show.
To successfully complete the challenge one member from each team had to exit the tram through the roof, climb a ladder down the side of it, before using a rope ladder underneath the tram, similar to monkey bars. Once across, racers had to climb back up the other side of the tram to grab the next clue before climbing back into the tram.
Looking on as the racers attempted to complete the challenge were their team mates, many of whom could barely hold back their emotions as the cameras were rolling.
For many competitors the challenge was too much to handle as their fingers slipped off the rungs and they plunged 35 feet towards the earth with the bungee cord.
The teams that failed to complete the challenge had to go to the back of the line and wait until the other teams finished their first attempt before trying again; this time attached to a rope to help them get across.
“I was a little stressed because I’m kind of a heavy dude and I hate heights,” said Emmett Blois, who successfully completed the challenge on his first try.
Adding to the challenge was the cold, wet weather and the fact the bungee cord added another 50 pounds as he made his way underneath the tram.
Watching him do the challenge from a tram directly across from him was his ex-girlfriend and racer partner Jillian MacLaughlin.
“I was getting a headache I had so much anxiety,” said MacLaughlin, who is the season one winner of Big Brother Canada where she originally met Blois.
After completing the task the next clue told racers to head to the Athabasca River and navigate a raft down the river to Old Fort Point. Along the way each team had to stop to pick up another clue, which told them to head to Two Valley Canyon after they were done rafting.
Once there, MacLaughlin repelled into the canyon before heading down the river where she was met by a Parks Canada employee who showed her how to use an avalanche beacon to locate the next clue which was hidden in the forest.
“That was stressful because it was beeping randomly and I didn’t know if it was picking up the signal. But once I picked up the signal it was very easy to find it,” said MacLaughlin, adding it took her about 10 minutes to find the clue.
The final clue told the couple to make their way to Pyramid Lake to find the show’s host, Jon Montgomery, who was waiting on Pyramid Island.
“Our adrenaline was through the roof when we saw that so we jumped in the car and found it pretty easily and we were first to get there,” said MacLaughlin, who could barely contain her excitement.
As for the future of their relationship, both were quite adamant that they were just friends.
“We’ve been broken up for about six months now,” said MacLaughlin, explaining they had been dating for the past three years.
“The only reason Jill and I broke up is because we wanted different things and our futures were heading in different directions. Our relationship was great and honestly Jill is my best friend,” said Blois, explaining they applied to the Amazing Race after they broke up.
For Montgomery, who has hosted the show over the past four seasons, starting season four in Jasper was exhilarating.
“I’ve never seen anything like that in any season of any of the amazing races the world over,” said Montgomery, about the Sky Tram challenge.
“I think that will go down as probably one of the best, craziest stunts in Amazing Race history.”
Paul Clarke
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