'I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to win' Deep betrayal, epic battle as the race tightens in Saskatoon
Welcome to Saskatoon, the land of the living skies. But for one team, this will be their last stop.
What went down on Episode 4 of Canada's Ultimate Challenge, Season 3
First, an update. "Now, it's our time to shine," said Team Green's Steph, back and ready for action after her collapse in Episode 3.
The remaining three teams gathered at the Traffic Bridge in Saskatoon, where Brandon revealed the next challenge, The Ultimate Bridge Mindbender.
Two members from each team had to climb the 30-foot bridge and navigate a ring through 300 metres of tangled rope. Once the ring was navigated along both arches, a member on the ground had to untie another 50 twisted knots before ringing the buzzer.
The teams got to pick which members climbed to the top and which stayed on the ground. When Team Green captain Gabe told her she was going up, Veronica did not feel it. "I never climb bridges," she said, "Gabriel's a firefighter, okay? So this is perfect for him. Like this is his opportunity to shine."
When the horn rang, Keenan and Mark from Team Red secured a huge lead over the others. Moving that ring along the rope was harder than it looked and climbers had to communicate with their team on the ground!
Team Yellow's Steve and Kelly struggled at first, with Green and Blue fighting for 3rd and 4th place.
After navigating one arch, it was time to hand the ring off. Mark and Keenan (Team Red) passed it onto Santina and Mariam, while Steve and Kelly (Team Yellow) handed their ring over to Eddie and Ene.
Meanwhile, things got a little chaotic for Team Green. "Are you (bleep)ing kidding me? My brain is not computing what's happening right now," said Veronica as she struggled at the top of the bridge. "At this moment, I knew I made a mistake," remembered Gabe, "there's no chance that we can win this."
Eddie and Ene chipped away at Team Red's lead in a stunning upset and placed first. Of course, this meant they had to decide who would be going up against Team Green in the elimination challenge. It was a stressful evening for Team Blue and Team Red as both tried to convince Yellow to save them (more on this below).
When a new day dawned, Eddie, captain of Team Yellow revealed a shocking decision. They were putting up former allies, Team Red, into the elimination round.
That's when Keenan made a threat: "We're going to dominate this challenge. I'm going to win out the next region and we're going to send your ass packing."
Game ON.
At Saskatoon's Goodale Farm, teams got a chance to size up the challenge. Two players from each team had to hang off a huge tractor to pull up 30 heavy bales of hay. The two ground members had to transport those bales through water and mud to create a colossal hay staircase. The first team up the stairs to ring the bell won.
Both teams choose female members on the tractor leaving the boys to start hauling hay bales through the mud. "This is do or die. If we don't pull out the W today, we're going home," said Veronica.
Team Green got off to a shaky start when Steph fell off the tractor, which meant another trip around the track before they could grab more bales.
But with sheer grit and determination, Green battled it out in a neck-and-neck race to the bitter end. Teams Yellow and Blue cheered them from the sidelines. "If Team Red wins, there's no doubt that they're gonna want revenge against Team Yellow," said Kelly, "so I do want Green to win this." Double-crossing Team Red noticed that nobody was cheering for them as they eked out a victory that sent Green packing.
Moment that changed the game
Team Red's Keenan had been playing fast and loose with his deal-making, brokering alliances with Teams Yellow, Orange and Blue. It was bound to come out sooner or later (thanks, Gracia!).
In Saskatchewan, Keenan's treachery finally came back to haunt the team. Eddie asked, "Do you guys have any alliances with anyone else?" And Keenan told a bald-faced lie: "As far as aligning with people and saying, 'hey, we want to go to the end with you,' we never said that with anybody."
Surprising no one, Team Yellow put Red into the elimination challenge. "We all want Red to go. It's their punishment for lying to us and if you have a chance to get rid of one of the top teams, you're gonna do it," said Eddie.
It was a good strategy, except it didn't work.
Best line of the episode
A threat (and perhaps an award for surfacing one of the most classic reality show chestnuts): " Going forward, I have my own back. I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to win a (bleep)ing competition."
Santina said this when it became obvious that Team Red had no friends left in the game as the other teams cheered for Team Green during the elimination challenge.
Do these four powerhouse players have what it takes to bring a victory home on their own?
MVP(s) of Episode 3: Eddie (and Ene) from Team Yellow
On the bridge, Eddie and Ene were facing Team Red who already had a substantial lead on them. But Eddie was determined to win the region: "Growing up, me and my friends were little hooligans. So, I've done a lot of things on bridges."
Calm under pressure, watching Eddie and Ene work together was a master class in communication. "I'm not going to let Team Red beat us in another race," said Ene. Neck and neck with Team Red, it was an all-out battle. Team Yellow won.
Most caption-worthy photo
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Catch all the action on Canada's Ultimate Challenge, now streaming free on CBC Gem.
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Winnipeg Free Press
03-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Happy to make a spectacle of himself, it's pub staffer's daily duty to don a unique pair of sunglasses
The future's so bright, they've gotta wear shades. Vancouver resident Lori-Ann Keenan always dreamed of having her name appear among the Guinness World Records, the British publication that since 1955 has been charting an array of remarkable human accomplishments, such as the fastest-run marathon by a person dressed as an elf (2:58:16), the longest standup comedy routine (40 hours and eight minutes) and the most baked beans eaten in under 60 seconds using chopsticks (59). At first, Keenan, an author and entrepreneur, wasn't sure what sort of record she should set her sights on. However, after reading about an 87-year-old Hawaiian woman who in 2015 was recognized by Guinness adjudicators for possessing the world's largest collection of sunglasses — 1,506 individual pairs — she had her answer. 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'I've already told all my buddies that when I'm finally done with sunglasses, I'll host a big party where everybody can come over and pick out a pair to take home. I mean, if there's any here you have your eye on, by all means, be my guest.' David Sanderson Dave Sanderson was born in Regina but please, don't hold that against him. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
18-04-2025
- CBC
'I wanted to represent the average Joe' says garbageman from Canada's Ultimate Challenge winning team
We've finally crossed Canada, from the beaches of B.C. through the country's heartland and arrived for the finale on the Atlantic coast. After 12 punishing challenges, only three teams remain. It all comes down to this. What went down on Episode 7 of Canada's Ultimate Challenge, Season 3 Team Red, Team Yellow and Team Wildcard arrived in Halifax ready for battle! "The big dogs are here and we're ready to eat, baby. Let's go!" said Keenan at Halifax Harbour. Team Red won the very first challenge of the season, and although they've suffered some losses, they've remained the team to beat. The first challenge of the finale was intense, requiring each player to confront a potential weakness: from height to logistics, from swimming to rope climbing. The three final teams gathered alongside the Silva for the Tall Ships Relay. Each team member climbed to the top of the mast, untangled 50 knots to unlock a key and made a harrowing 25-foot free fall into the frigid water below. They swam 150 metres to the dock and completed a gruelling rope climb to unlock one of the three locks on their team's chest. The first team to unlock their chest and raise the victory flag won. Steve, Mark and Aaron set off on the first leg. Mark breezed through the challenge, giving Team Red an early lead, with Aaron close behind. Meanwhile, Steve wrestled with the knots. Santina and Mariam had already set out on the second leg before he hit the water with his key. Then he struggled on the rope climb. "What is he doing?" asked teammate Kelly from the sidelines. "Anxiety is starting to hit. You're going to do anything to get on top of this dock," recalled Steve as he fell off the rope and into the water again and again, losing precious time for Team Yellow. "Steve, stop giving up," shouted Eddie who was anxious to begin his leg of the race. He wasn't the only one to have trouble with the rope climb. Santina also struggled to get on top of the dock; several times she climbed part way only to fall back into the water, evaporating Team Red's impressive lead. "I'm a strong (bleep)ing woman!" she said once she finally reached the top. Team Yellow, meanwhile, was making an impressive comeback as Kelly handily scrambled up the rope. Ultimately, it was neck and neck between Teams Yellow and Red, with Keenan securing the win. Team Red would go straight to the finale while Team Yellow and Team Wildcard would face each other in the elimination round. MVP of Episode 7: Eddie Kelly voiced her frustration: "Steve just did not deliver for the team. And it's super frustrating. Just do your (bleep)ing job!" But Eddie was more compassionate: "He tried his hardest and didn't get it." Eddie has consistently rallied Team Yellow and remained optimistic throughout the competition. "I just want to say sorry for letting the team down," said Steve. "I'm sorry that I showed the emotions of being frustrated," replied Kelly, "I believe in you. You're a fighter." "Don't fret about it," agreed Eddie, "it wasn't our day today, but tomorrow is different." At the new Queen's Mark facing Halifax Harbour, Yellow and Wildcard faced off for the Ultimate Rum Barrel Blitz. Both teams raced into the chilly water to retrieve 12 rum barrels, weighing over 300 pounds each. They had to haul the barrels up the steps and onto 12 separate platforms. But wait! This was a puzzle. The 12 barrels had clues representing the 12 previous challenges and they had to be placed in the exact order the challenges happened. "This could be a tricky challenge," said Aaron. "Thank God I've been journaling." "The pressure is on," said Kelly as both teams scrambled into the water to collect their barrels. Moment that changed the game Determined to reach the end, Aaron had a strategy. He wanted to carabiner the rum barrels together to make fewer trips. "Work smarter, not harder," he said. Once on shore, they would solve the puzzle together. "Right now, we're cooked," said Eddie as his team raced into the water to gather their barrels separately, "we're going home." But while Team Yellow worked as a cohesive group, Team Wildcard fell apart. Mariam sprinted ahead to place the barrels on the steps in the order she recalled. "My memory is very strong," she said, "and we're wasting time right now." "Why is she off doing her own thing?" asked Aaron. The teams were just seconds apart when host Brandon Gonez was called over to check the puzzle. Mariam had made an error and it cost Wildcard the win. "I'm really frustrated right now," said Aaron to Mariam, "you can't stick to a goddamn plan." And of course Eddie, always the sportsman, "Mariam don't worry. Don't feel bad!" Goodbye, Team Wildcard. The season's final challenge will be an epic showdown between the two dominant teams: Team Yellow and Team Red. Best line of the episode Santina arrived at Halifax Citadel in a fighting mood: "You know what I like to do? I like to put mustard on my hamburger and eat it like I'm gonna eat Yellow." Game on. It was time for the Ultimate Cannonball Gauntlet. The teams had to overcome three military-style obstacles to gather 15 cannonballs. A team member would balance these cannonballs on a board, with the final cannonball located atop a 40-foot tower. The first team to successfully balance all 15 cannonballs and hit the button would be declared the winner of Canada's Ultimate Challenge. "I want to end this rivalry," said Steve, "Team Red is going down today." If collecting the cannonballs was tough, it was even more difficult to balance them on a narrow board on a windy day. "If the cannonball falls, then it's dead. They have to complete an obstacle again to replace it," explained Brandon. Both teams raced off. Keenan from Team Red had trouble with the rope climb: "My ego is hurting. I haven't felt this much of a struggle in the competition ever!" Santina had little compassion as she watched him slip: "Keenan, pull it together, man." As cannonballs tumbled from the board and to the ground, both teams dug in hard. Most caption-worthy photo By the time they each collected — and balanced — 14 cannonballs, Red and Yellow were neck and neck again. Santina raced off and up the tower with Eddie close behind. He climbed furiously to make up lost ground and the fight to the finish was on. With Eddie mere seconds behind, Santina balanced the last cannonball on the board and reached for the buzzer. They won! "It definitely sucks not to be on top," said Kelly, "but that's sports for you!" Congrats to the winners: Team Red "When I came into this competition, I wanted to represent the average Joe, and that's it. I didn't care about making alliances or the social game. I wanted to push myself right to the bitter end", said Mark. "WE ARE SEASON 3 CHAMPIONS! This honestly makes me feel so good." Right from the beginning, Keenan was in it to win it. "I never go into any competition or situation in my life expecting to lose, so coming out on top was what I envisioned and it felt completely natural." Team Red never lost faith and were strong communicators all season, said Mark. "I really believe Team Red had success because we talked about everything. It was everyone working together to come up with the best possible solution to every challenge. Everyone knew their role." "It was clear not everyone was a fan of Team Red," said Santina, "but honestly, it just reminded me that when you're strong, united, and performing well not everyone is going to cheer for you — and that's okay." "At the end of the day, it will always come down to who wants it more?" explains Keenan. "Who's willing to push a little bit harder? Go a little bit further? 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