Toronto Sun – Catching up with Bodybreakers!

With The Amazing Race Canada debuting Monday on CTV, we recently caught up with two of the teams sure to make an impact: Married couple Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod, known across the country for their Bodybreak fitness program, and self-nicknamed “gay cowboys” Pierre Cadieux and Jamie Cumberland.

HAL and JOANNE

Q: Why don’t you ever age?

Hal: “Well, just watch the show and you’ll see us age. From episode to episode, leg to leg, you get to see Hal and Jo at age 94.”

Q: Did you think you had an advantage entering the competition?

Hal: “We had targets on our backs, and we knew that. We are very competitive, but we didn’t want our opponents to know how competitive we are. Everyone who auditions for this show says they’re competitive, but I don’t think they really know what that means. Joanne was at the starting blocks for Canada running track and field. I played baseball for Team Canada. We have an understanding of what competition really is. We don’t necessarily show that on Bodybreak.”

Q: What surprised you the most?

Joanne: “Going in, we didn’t have a sense of how much you’re under stress. You can just totally blank out.”

Hal: “The Amazing Race was family viewing. We watched every episode since it started. But within 30 seconds we were space cadets. ‘Oh my God, how do I drive a car? Where’s the airport?’ There definitely were moments where you go, ‘I hope they don’t show that.’ ”

Q: With the show now about to air, are you nervous?

Joanne: “I’m most interested to see how it all unfolds with not having any hair product to fix my hair. When you’re 24, you can get away without any hair product. When you’re 54, almost 55, not so much.”

bill.harris@sunmedia.ca