ERIN – Erin native John Ferguson has no intention of watching The Amazing Race Canada when its milestone 10th season premieres on July 2.
He doesn’t need to; he already knows how it turns out.
Ferguson, who grew up in Erin but now lives in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the stars of the show.
He and a former roommate from his time at McMaster University, Connor Carroll, make up one of the 11 teams that vied this season for the $250,000 cash prize.
“I plan on not watching any of the episodes,” Ferguson said emphatically, speaking to the Advertiser via a Zoom call.
“It happened, I’m so grateful for it, but I don’t need to relive it.”
The 26-year-old says he loves the show, but doesn’t necessarily love watching himself. It’s a bit of irony for someone who makes is living making and starring in videos.
Born with achondroplasia, a genetic bone growth disorder, and dwarfism, Ferguson embraces his uniqueness, using it to spread joy.
Though he studied finance at university, his life took a somewhat different turn after a video he made with Carroll amassed more than 20 million views on former video app Vine.
When someone who saw the video reached out, offering to fly Ferguson to Ohio so they could make videos together, he began to rethink his plans to work in banking.
“I was like, ‘Wow, maybe this is the career I want, rather than the finance career I had planned,’” Ferguson said.
He now lists his career as “content creator,” and can boast hundreds of thousands of followers across several social media platforms.
He set his sights on The Amazing Race looking for a fresh challenge.
“I always want to do the things I don’t truly believe I can do,” Ferguson said.
CONNOR CARROLL AND JOHN FERGUSON (Submitted photo)
“I knew The Amazing Race would bring a lot of challenges physically and mentally.”
He was also hoping to use the show as an opportunity to break down stereotypes.
“I thought there would be no greater platform … to showcase the physical and mental capabilities of the little people community,” Ferguson said.
When it came to choosing a partner, he said one option might have been to choose someone else with dwarfism, but he decided against it, favouring Carroll’s complementary attributes.
Their team motto is “when he goes high, I go low!”
“Connor’s the most handsome friend I have; he’s charming, he’s quite smart,” said Ferguson, listing some of his friend’s better qualities.
Ferguson said he never doubted the pair would be selected for the show.
“Our audition was the most authentic, true to ourselves,” he said. “They’re not looking for that over-scripted crap.”
Though they are barred from talking about specifics of the show before it airs, both Ferguson and Carroll spoke about the experience in general terms as a life-changing one.
“It changed the way I look at life,” Ferguson said, noting that being disconnected from family while filming this past spring reminded him of how important his family is to him.
“It was completely incredible and life-changing,” Carroll said, adding the experience brought the two friends closer together.
“We’re practically brothers at this point,” he said.
Carroll, who lives in Pickering, said he will be planning a couple of viewing parties, and plans on “forcing John to join in.”
Ferguson did not completely shoot down the idea of attending, but said he might need a few drinks to get through the experience.
He does hope family and friends will tune in.
Though he was allowed to share the outcome of the show with family if they agreed not to leak the details, Ferguson has not told anyone who wins the race.
“I want them to enjoy the show,” he said. “I want them to watch the show, and I don’t want them to know what will happen.”
The first episode airs on July 2 at 9pm on CTV.
The broadcaster has shared that the starting line for this season will be at the Oaks Garden Theatre, overlooking the Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls – the same location for the first season kick-off in 2013.
The winning team receives two 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV RS vehicles, a round-the-world trip, and a $250,000 cash prize.
For more information visit ctv.ca/shows/The-Amazing-Race-Canada.
