It was a heartfelt goodbye for Mother/Son team Aaron and Deb in the Season 5 premiere of The Amazing Race Canada.
The wacky funeral directors were buried by the competition when they struggled with the Roadblock in Vancouver, B.C., where Deb had to walk a tight rope above the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. The Grand Forks-based duo became the first team eliminated at the Pit Stop at the Van Dusen Botanical Garden’s hedge-maze.
“It’s just heartbreaking to have to go out first, but there are no words to describe how excited I am to have actually been a part of this with my mom,” said Aaron (in a press release). Deb went on to say, “[Aaron] and I have this really special bond. Our bond is unbreakable.”
In the Season 5 premiere, 10 teams embarked on the country’s biggest summertime adventure, beginning in Newfoundland and Labrador. Starting in St. John’s, teams raced to Signal Hill National Historic Site where they had to translate a Morse code to determine their first clue. Once teams deciphered the audio message, “Vancouver Capilano Bridge,” they travelled 5,000 kilometers to Vancouver. At the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, teams looked for their next clue, which sent them on a search for “Gassy Jack” in Vancouver’s historical Gastown. Faced with their first Roadblock and the first Canada 150 Challenge of the season, one racer from each team had to walk a 130 foot tight rope 12 stories high above the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. While Deb struggled to get across, Ivana, Adam, and Bert made it across on their first attempts, while Aaron, Korey, Andrea, and Karen watched safely from street level.
Teams then proceeded to their first Detour – a choice between “Peddle” or “Paddle”. In the “Peddle” challenge, racers had to complete two bike polo training drills before receiving their next clue. For the “Paddle” challenge, teams joined a dragon boat team where one racer joined the paddlers, while the other steered the boat through a course. Once teams completed their Detour, they raced to the Pit Stop where they had to find Jon Montgomery in a hedge-maze at the Van Dusen Botanical Garden. Best friends Kenneth and Ryan arrived first, winning a trip for two to Barcelona, Spain.
After struggling to make up time and unable to catch up to Megan and Courtney, Mother/Son duo Aaron and Deb were the last team to arrive at the Pit Stop and the first team eliminated from Season 5 of The Amazing Race Canada.
Last night’s episode also featured the debut of The Amazing Race Canada’s new in-show game Race Play. The game integrates race action from the broadcast into in-show polls and trivia, prompting viewers in real-time to answer on their second screens during all original broadcasts across the country.
