Amazing Race fans live among us

HUNTSVILLE–LAKE OF BAYS – The wait is over for Canadians who have longed to compete in the television series The Amazing Race.
Huntsville resident Debi Davis, 58, executive director for the Huntsville District Memorial Hospital Foundation, and her brother, Tom Gough, 52, have been waiting 22 seasons for the chance to compete in the globe-trotting, adventure seeking reality television show.
And, with the unveiling of The Amazing Race Canada set to air in summer 2013, they were finally able to throw their names in the hat. Unfortunately, the show announced on Monday that it has chosen its competitors and the siblings didn’t make the cut, but their enthusiasm has not lessened.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Davis. “We’ve always been sad that, ever since The Amazing Race started, it only took Americans.”
The pair have posted a Facebook comment that they are already filming their audition video for season two.
Davis and Gough, along with thousands of others from across the country, submitted video entries to the Canadian version of the show. Each team of two was hoping to be one of the 12 teams chosen to compete.
Teams chosen to be on the show will race to different locations across Canada. Once there, they will have to complete tasks that are often mentally challenging, gut wrenching, physically exhausting and sometimes death defying.
Davis and Gough were already eagerly strategizing soon after submitting their entry.
“I gave him permission, if we’re standing on the Capilano (Suspension) Bridge in North Vancouver and we had to bungee jump into the gorge there, to push me,” said Davis. “No matter how scared I was, no matter how the tears were flowing down my face, he had permission to push me.”
The bridge hangs 230 feet above Capilano River.
“I promised you I would do everything but one thing,” Davis said to Gough. “And don’t even say it out loud because if The Amazing Race hears about it and they decide to do it, then I’m screwed.”
But Gough was deft to his sister’s pleas.
“There is no weasel clause,” he said with a smirk. “If we have to do that one thing, I’ll find a way to make her do it.”
The pair has five other siblings. The family has travelled around the world, both together and by themselves. They tell tales of winding through complex Parisian back alleys and finding their way back to hotels after a night of boisterous celebration at German asparagus festivals.
Davis and Gough are hopeful that they will get to explore Canada a little more if chosen for the competition in future.
“The opportunity to race around this country and see bizarre places and great things would be unbelievable,” said Davis.
“Even if we race within 100 miles of where we are right now, we’d never run out of stuff to do,” said Gough.
The pair then started thinking about what the show producers would make contestants do if they decided to film in Huntsville or Lake of Bays. Tubing down the Big East River was one thought. Racing up and down the Dorset fire tower was another.
“That’s a really good idea,” laughed Gough.
“Don’t tell anybody about that,” replied Davis.
The hilarious back and forth between the sister and brother is often punctuated with serious discussion about game play and strategy. But if they do appear on the show in a future season, winning will not be forefront in their minds.
“We are at a point in our lives where having fun with our family members is a priority,” said Davis. “We love to do things that are just fun. When I said to Tom that I wanted to go into The Amazing Race Canada and asked him to come with me, he didn’t hesitate.”
“It would just be a blast,” said Gough.
And they are not the only ones from the area who jumped at the opportunity.
Tracie Parrott, 49, owner of Algonquin Highlands Trail Riding in Dwight, said she and her daughter, Charisse Reid, 27, have dreamt of being part of The Amazing Race since its inception.
“Canadians have always been denied entry to the competition in the American version. So we were pretty excited,” said Parrott.
She said the pair was so enthusiastic about being part of the show that they applied to the American version in the past, though they knew they would likely be rejected.
Their dedication shone through again when applying for the Canadian version. It took more than five hours for the pair to upload their submission video for the competition because Parrott still has a dial-up Internet connection and they had to use a smartphone instead.
“It’s not just a throw in the hat. It’s a life-long dream,” said Parrott.
Even before the show producers had contacted the chosen teams, Parrott and Reid changed their diets and started cardio training. The cardio training included cross-country skiing through the Muskoka and Algonquin wilderness.
And the region holds a special place for the duo beyond training for the competition.
Parrott said her family has a long history in the area, especially in Algonquin Park, and, if she and her daughter get the chance to compete on television, it will also be a way for them to promote the region on international airwaves.
The mother-daughter team also refreshed themselves on Canadian trivia while re-watching every episode of The Amazing Race to date. And the pair brushed up on their French and Inuktitut, the eastern Canadian Inuit language.
Parrott said she and her daughter not only have their familial relationship, but also have worked together and even become best friends.
“If you can deal with that kind of stress as a mother and daughter, and as friends, then it’s advantageous,” she said. “We can communicate without talking because we’re mother and daughter with a 27-year history. And we work as a boss and employee, which we’ve worked all the kinks out of after five years.”
Parrott said the adrenaline and challenge of the show is what draws her to it.
“Philosophically, it’s what my life has drawn me to do. I’ve had such a diverse background as a female, from driving tractors with 65-foot harrows behind them to running a daycare centre in my home. That’s a wide step,” she said.
She is also hoping for the chance to set some records.
“There has never been a winner in my age group,” she said. “And there have only been one or two female groups win in the American version. That would be another motivation. I think we have the ability to be that female team.”
Parrott added that if they weren’t chosen for the 2012 season, they would keep applying.

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