
Reality show players battle exhaustion, pain and betrayal on the toughest challenge yet at Mont-Tremblant
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Welcome to Mont-Tremblant, Quebec! Tensions are high because one team will be eliminated, while the rest move on to the finale. Who will be cut?
What went down on Episode 6 of Canada's Ultimate Challenge, Season 3
Players arrived at the historic Circuit Mont-Tremblant, the second-oldest racetrack in the country, for what looks like the most gruelling challenge of the series, The Ultimate Pit Crew Push.
Each team had to steer a rickety four-wheeled cart around a 4.3-kilometre track three times — that's over 12 kilometres! Along the way, they had to load the cart up with tires — 16 in total — weighing over 400 pounds. And the final twist? This track followed the natural topography of the land, which was hilly.
At the start of the race, Team Red was on top with rivals Team Yellow at the bottom. The stacks were high. Said Eddie, "I've never even run 12 kilometres. But we're gonna push as hard as we can go until we get to that finish line."
And they are off, Team Red and Team Yellow neck and neck around the track, with Wildcard and Blue behind.
All teams discovered they needed to stack their tires carefully because if they rolled down the hills too fast, they would pop right off the cart, losing precious time to reload.
Eddie found an ingenious way to stack them by placing the smaller ones inside the larger ones to make a more solid formation, which the other teams instantly copied. But there was a lot of frustration on the track.
"This challenge sucks," said Aaron who looked like he might not finish. "First lap and I'm exhausted. I'm gonna puke." Steve is feeling it, too: "I need to stop. My leg is starting to cramp. I'm just hobbling."
And Team Blue was way, way behind.
MVP of Episode 3: Tulio (and all of Team Blue)
"Pain is temporary, G [Gracia]. Let's keep pushing. We'll rest when we're dead," said Tulio as he rallied the team. Things looked grim but they kept with it. "Going up this hill, the pain is unbearable," said Gracia. "What the [bleep] am I doing here?"
In a neck-and-neck race, Team Yellow pulled out the W. "This is absolutely amazing. I am beyond proud of Kelly and I am beyond proud of Steve!" said Eddie.
Despite the impressive win, it wasn't enough to keep second-place Team Red from winning the region. They'd be safe from elimination and choose whether Yellow or Wildcard would face Team Blue in the elimination round.
In last place, and after more than three hours on the track, Team Blue finally crossed the finish line. No hard feelings, though; they were all just happy to finish. "This was honestly the hardest thing that I've ever done in my entire life. Tulio, you were just my rock through this whole thing. And so I just kind of want Tulio to be cap[tain] for the remaining of the region," said Gracia.
Agreed, Tulio is a rock and the whole team were champs for persevering!
Now Team Red faced a tough decision: Who would get a free ticket to the finale, Team Yellow or Team Wildcard?
Moment that changed the game
Santina and Keenan were ready to throw Team Yellow in retaliation. But Team Blue, struggling to survive in the game, made some interesting revelations. "Aaron is the kind of player that slides his way into the top. He doesn't deserve to go to the finale," said Gracia. "Wildcard, I want to beat them." By this point in the game, there was no love for Aaron, especially from his former Team Blue.
It was Aaron's double-dealing that had sealed his fate, back in Episode 2. When he was Team Blue's captain, he decided to put Team Yellow into the elimination round at BC Place (remember the friendship bracelet incident?) McKiya revealed that Aaron told his team that Red wanted Yellow in the elimination round and that they made threats to come after Team Blue. This wasn't quite the truth. "I felt cornered," said Aaron in his defence. "Why is this being brought up now, I didn't mean it that way."
"Yellow, they put you in [last week] because they believe all those lies, so they're also victims of the truest villain, which is Aaron," said Gracia (who by this point, would say anything to give her team a fighting chance).
Aaron was finally revealed. But he was also lucky.
Best line of the episode
A (strategic) truth: "Last region, Yellow decided to throw us in. We forgive, but we don't forget. It's the way she goes, baby," said Team Red's Mark.
Team Red decided to throw Team Yellow into the elimination round regardless.
Aaron and Team Wildcard would make it to the finale.
Next up, the shores of Lac Tremblant for the High Rollers Elimination Showdown. Both teams would take a spot at opposite ends of a giant log suspended over the water. Whichever player was the last one standing won the round for their team. The first team that won three rounds would make it to the finale in Halifax.
"The thing about this challenge is it's about balance, stamina, focus. All our strengths. We're okay, Blue," said Tulio optimistically.
But in three nail-biting rounds, Yellow squeaked out the W. Bye-bye, Team Blue! "We gave it everything we had. I wouldn't want to have done it with anybody else. Love you, guys," said Tulio (again, showing great leadership!) McKiya added, "We gave it all we had. I'm so proud of us. There's no other way I'd rather go out than with those two people."
We'll miss you at the finale in Halifax!
Most caption-worthy photo
Where to watch Canada's Ultimate Challenge
Catch all the action on Canada's Ultimate Challenge, now streaming free on CBC Gem.
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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? We just wanted it more and that's exactly why we won the whole thing in such a dominant fashion throughout the entire season!" Congrats Mark, Keenan and Santina! Where to watch Canada's Ultimate Challenge Catch all the action on Canada's Ultimate Challenge, now streaming free on CBC Gem.


CBC
11-04-2025
- CBC
Reality show players battle exhaustion, pain and betrayal on the toughest challenge yet at Mont-Tremblant
Social Sharing Welcome to Mont-Tremblant, Quebec! Tensions are high because one team will be eliminated, while the rest move on to the finale. Who will be cut? What went down on Episode 6 of Canada's Ultimate Challenge, Season 3 Players arrived at the historic Circuit Mont-Tremblant, the second-oldest racetrack in the country, for what looks like the most gruelling challenge of the series, The Ultimate Pit Crew Push. Each team had to steer a rickety four-wheeled cart around a 4.3-kilometre track three times — that's over 12 kilometres! Along the way, they had to load the cart up with tires — 16 in total — weighing over 400 pounds. And the final twist? This track followed the natural topography of the land, which was hilly. At the start of the race, Team Red was on top with rivals Team Yellow at the bottom. The stacks were high. Said Eddie, "I've never even run 12 kilometres. But we're gonna push as hard as we can go until we get to that finish line." And they are off, Team Red and Team Yellow neck and neck around the track, with Wildcard and Blue behind. All teams discovered they needed to stack their tires carefully because if they rolled down the hills too fast, they would pop right off the cart, losing precious time to reload. Eddie found an ingenious way to stack them by placing the smaller ones inside the larger ones to make a more solid formation, which the other teams instantly copied. But there was a lot of frustration on the track. "This challenge sucks," said Aaron who looked like he might not finish. "First lap and I'm exhausted. I'm gonna puke." Steve is feeling it, too: "I need to stop. My leg is starting to cramp. I'm just hobbling." And Team Blue was way, way behind. MVP of Episode 3: Tulio (and all of Team Blue) "Pain is temporary, G [Gracia]. Let's keep pushing. We'll rest when we're dead," said Tulio as he rallied the team. Things looked grim but they kept with it. "Going up this hill, the pain is unbearable," said Gracia. "What the [bleep] am I doing here?" In a neck-and-neck race, Team Yellow pulled out the W. "This is absolutely amazing. I am beyond proud of Kelly and I am beyond proud of Steve!" said Eddie. Despite the impressive win, it wasn't enough to keep second-place Team Red from winning the region. They'd be safe from elimination and choose whether Yellow or Wildcard would face Team Blue in the elimination round. In last place, and after more than three hours on the track, Team Blue finally crossed the finish line. No hard feelings, though; they were all just happy to finish. "This was honestly the hardest thing that I've ever done in my entire life. Tulio, you were just my rock through this whole thing. And so I just kind of want Tulio to be cap[tain] for the remaining of the region," said Gracia. Agreed, Tulio is a rock and the whole team were champs for persevering! Now Team Red faced a tough decision: Who would get a free ticket to the finale, Team Yellow or Team Wildcard? Moment that changed the game Santina and Keenan were ready to throw Team Yellow in retaliation. But Team Blue, struggling to survive in the game, made some interesting revelations. "Aaron is the kind of player that slides his way into the top. He doesn't deserve to go to the finale," said Gracia. "Wildcard, I want to beat them." By this point in the game, there was no love for Aaron, especially from his former Team Blue. It was Aaron's double-dealing that had sealed his fate, back in Episode 2. When he was Team Blue's captain, he decided to put Team Yellow into the elimination round at BC Place (remember the friendship bracelet incident?) McKiya revealed that Aaron told his team that Red wanted Yellow in the elimination round and that they made threats to come after Team Blue. This wasn't quite the truth. "I felt cornered," said Aaron in his defence. "Why is this being brought up now, I didn't mean it that way." "Yellow, they put you in [last week] because they believe all those lies, so they're also victims of the truest villain, which is Aaron," said Gracia (who by this point, would say anything to give her team a fighting chance). Aaron was finally revealed. But he was also lucky. Best line of the episode A (strategic) truth: "Last region, Yellow decided to throw us in. We forgive, but we don't forget. It's the way she goes, baby," said Team Red's Mark. Team Red decided to throw Team Yellow into the elimination round regardless. Aaron and Team Wildcard would make it to the finale. Next up, the shores of Lac Tremblant for the High Rollers Elimination Showdown. Both teams would take a spot at opposite ends of a giant log suspended over the water. Whichever player was the last one standing won the round for their team. The first team that won three rounds would make it to the finale in Halifax. "The thing about this challenge is it's about balance, stamina, focus. All our strengths. We're okay, Blue," said Tulio optimistically. But in three nail-biting rounds, Yellow squeaked out the W. Bye-bye, Team Blue! "We gave it everything we had. I wouldn't want to have done it with anybody else. Love you, guys," said Tulio (again, showing great leadership!) McKiya added, "We gave it all we had. I'm so proud of us. There's no other way I'd rather go out than with those two people." We'll miss you at the finale in Halifax! Most caption-worthy photo Where to watch Canada's Ultimate Challenge Catch all the action on Canada's Ultimate Challenge, now streaming free on CBC Gem. CBC Gem is available for free as an App for iOS, tvOS, Fire TV, Android TV, Android phones and tablets, LG and Samsung Smart TVs, Roku, and Xbox One/S/X.


CBC
08-04-2025
- CBC
'Disrespected': Women watch from the sidelines as men hold them back from the competition
Social Sharing "I look at the other teams, and the women are just benched," said Mariam after the Ultimate Canal Crossover Challenge on Episode 5 of Canada's Ultimate Challenge, Season 3. "It makes my heart sad because women are continuously told that they're not good enough, or they're not strong enough." Oh boy(s). How did we get here? Three remaining teams plus the newly formed Team Wild Card gathered at the Sault Ste. Marie Canal Historic Site for a difficult challenge. After racing down the canal in a canoe, they had to climb and cross the canal on a slackline — as many times as they could for two hours — with a fierce wind threatening to throw them off balance. One fall, at any time, and the team's count would fall back to zero. Team Red's Captain Mark, who had some experience on the slackline, realized how hard this challenge would be. "There's wind, the slacklines are going back and forth, it's nuts. It's extremely hard in the middle." Kelly, who had just stepped up as the captain of Team Yellow knew that she had never slacklined before and offered to go across first and support the team members who felt more confident. But as the race wore on, both Eddie and Steve were gassed and Kelly wanted in, "I'm ready to go, like, put me in. It only makes sense." (Remember, Kelly was the captain AND a professional hockey player.) Around the same time, Santina on Team Red said, "Let me go one more time," and Mark replied, "OK, Tee, I have to pull captain rank here." Santina was ultimately okay with the call. "Although I was capable of doing it, Mark knew he could get it done quicker. The more you practised, the more comfortable and efficient you become, and he already had that experience," said Santina afterwards, "I knew that stepping back was exactly what my team needed in that moment." "Everyone was completely able to do this challenge, whether you're a female or male, it doesn't matter," said McKiya. "This may not have been my strong suit as far as balance wise so I was OK that my teammates took over [but] I wish I did more passes." Kelly and Miriam, however, did not feel the same. Team Yellow ignores the one pro athlete on their team Kelly grew increasingly livid: "Being a professional athlete on the sidelines, I was annoyed at my teammates for not seeing the talent they had in front of them and felt I was not seen because I am a woman." "I can do it," she offered a gassed-looking Steve. "Not with this, Kelly. You know what I mean, you don't want to risk… if you don't mind just chilling here." said Steve. When Eddie returned to the position, she told him, "I wanna go." "You do?" asked Eddie, who insisted he was warmed up and ignored his captain. "I am an elite athlete. They're not even thinking twice about that? I'm disappointed," said Kelly. Shortly after Kelly was sidelined, teammate Steve fell off the slackline and tumbled into the canal, resetting their crossing count back to zero. With less than 30 minutes left in the challenge, there was no way to catch up to the other teams. After Steve's fall, Kelly finally joined in. The team made 15 crossings in less than 30 minutes compared to 21 they made in the 90 minutes prior. Many hands (and feet, in this case) clearly make light work. "When I finally got out there," remembered Kelly, "I was the only team member to go back and forth without stopping, proving them wrong." There were some serious talks about the challenge afterwards. "I discussed it with our team but also with Team Yellow and Team Blue," said Mariam. "It's deeply engraved in society that women will slow us down and that they can't perform." Later in the car, Kelly was able to vent her disappointment in her teammates. "If I was a dude, you'd be one hundred per cent 'you got this, you got this.'" She reminded them how quickly she competed in the challenge once she got to go in. Their response? They weren't thinking, they had "tunnel vision." "Disrespected," is how Kelly says she felt at the time. "If I were in this situation again, I would have the courage to speak up, believe and fight for myself." It's a lesson for us all — even in 2025.