The upcoming season of The Amazing Race Canada has two teams competing from s single, relatively small B.C. community.
The national TV show putting contestants through a series of travel-related challenges has tapped two teams from the Comox Valley for Season 9 who will compete $250,000, along with two 2023 trucks and a round-the-world trip.
Black Press Media spoke with each team:
Allie and Eddie: Personal trainers and entrepreneurs
Allison Seller, 48, is a business mentor with a background in nutrition and relationship coaching. Her teammate is Eddie Parinas, 52, a personal trainer and entrepreneur.
“How can you not be ready for the race when you’re from the Comox Valley?” Parinas told the Record. He and his wife Seller stay healthy using the perks of Island life, he said, such as outdoor hiking spots and water features.
“It’s Vancouver Island, you can’t help but be active!”
The couple moved to Comox Valley in 2022 after being “continual visitors that never wanted to leave,” according to Seller. They are building a home in Courtenay on property they’ve owned for the past 10 years.
The husband and wife are ready to race, they said, because they live life “constantly active” and are on top of their nutrition and wellness.
Tyler and Kayleen: Athlete and scuba diver
Tyler Turner, 35, is a professional athlete. He won two medals — gold and bronze — at the Paralympic winter games in 2022. His teammate Kayleen VanderRee, 31, is a commercial scuba diver and a blogger of travel and sailing. The dating couple is mobile, but base themselves in the Comox Valley.
VanderRee told the Record she and Turner lift each other up through pursuing dreams.
“We do our best when we chase after our goals together,” she said. “And when we have the most fun.”
The scuba diver hopes she can find an edge on the Valley competition by using her problem-solving skills.
“The Comox Valley attracts adventurous, fit people, so Eddie and Allie should make for good competition. However, The Amazing Race Canada is equally a mental game, so we will see how it plays out!”
While the two teams competed for prizes of more than a quarter million dollars, they still keep a friendly attitude.
“I was so excited to experience it with them,” said Seller.
“You can’t say… that we’re not going to have a relationship moving forward.”
The two Comox Valley couples will compete against each other and eight other teams in season nine of The Amazing Race Canada. The TV series premieres on July 4.
ALSO: 2 Comox Valley residents complete the treacherous Road to Alaska Race
connor.mcdowell@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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