Find speakers by:
Request more info

Body Break’s Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod on The Amazing Race Canada

Body Break’s Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod on <I>The Amazing Race Canada</I>

What’s the best way to keep fit and  have fun? Competing on The Amazing Race Canada, obviously! Which is why famed “Body Break” couple Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod are competing in the highly anticipated series, hosted by Olympian Jon Montgomery and debuting on CTV this July 15.

But don’t expect fitness lessons in the midst of competition. As the duo told CTV, viewers will see a side of the couple they probably haven’t before: tired, and capable of making mistakes.

“It’s funny with social media because there’s been so many people tweeting and putting on Facebook and that sort of thing: ‘Are Hal and Jo going to fight? I don’t want to see them fight!'” said Johnson. “You know, I think the biggest thing is we respect one another first.”

He went on: “So what you see in ‘Body Break’ is certainly a part of us. It’s not all of us. You’re going to see us tired. You’re going to see us in different situations that we’ve never done before. But I don’t perceive that we would fly off the handle — because I just never do that.”

And while 57-year-old Johnson and 54-year-old McLeod know that competing against younger contestants may be a challenge, they believe their positivity sets them up for an angst-free experience.

“We know it’s a mind game, so it’s a matter of being patient,” Johnson said. “If I have to put together a piece of Ikea furniture at home, I know I will never do it the first time. So when I mess up, I go, ‘Oh.’ I do it in reverse. I take it all apart and put it back together. And I never get mad. I expect to screw up. Whereas some of the younger competitors might get impatient, and start yelling.”

That makes sense, considering “Body Break” has been based around both fitness and positivity since its inception 25 years ago. And as fixtures of Canadian media (we all know the theme song and slogan, so let’s stop fooling ourselves right now), McLeod and Johnson have established themselves as people — and now, contestants — with longevity and determination. Maybe that’s why “Amazing Race Canada” executive producer John Brunton called them “special” and “unique.”

Perhaps through Johnson and McLeod’s example, the other “Amazing Race Canada” contestants can chill out and focus not so much on winning, but instead on keeping fit and having fun. In our dreams, anyway.

Watch Hal and Joanne’s “amazing” audition reel for the show above.

By Anne T. Donahue/Yahoo.com