The game has begun. Canada's Ultimate Challenge goes into overdrive in Tofino, B.C.
CBC Gem | Posted: March 7, 2025 2:21 PM | Last Updated: March 7
We recap the best moments from Episode 1 of Canada’s Ultimate Challenge Season 3
And we're back with another race from coast to coast as we turn Canada into a giant obstacle course. We've got 20 brand-new and buff Canadians ready to face challenges that demand physical power, mental sharpness and the ability to navigate fiery team dynamics.
The competition kicked off in Tofino, B.C. where we met the beautiful new cast. It didn't take long for the game to go into overdrive. Here's what went down.
What went down on Episode 1 of Canada's Ultimate Challenge, Season 3
Uniting the teams has never been so demanding! Twenty new players took stock of the competition as they arrived on speedboats for the first challenge. But first, each player had to dive into the icy Pacific waters from a barge and swim to the beach where they dug furiously in the sand to find a T-shirt revealing their team colour.
Once the teams were finally together, they had to assemble a 13-piece banner atop a 40-foot structure as part of The Ultimate Surf and Turf Takeover. Working on a narrow wooden plank in the offshore breeze was more challenging than it looked and in a dramatic moment, Veronica from Team Green tumbled off her platform. Team Red and Team Yellow, who were the last to start the challenge (because their team members were the last to dig up their team T-shirts), came from behind to win the top two spots.
And of course, these two powerhouse teams were also the first to strike an alliance brokered by master social strategizer, Team Red's Keenan Wong.
The next stop was Ucelet to pick team captains for the region and tee up the next challenge, The Ultimate Tethered Trek. Teams had to haul over a thousand pounds of sand hidden in 25 bags scattered along a 600-metre maze-like trail. Inside these bags were three randomly hidden call numbers that formed a code to turn on the lighthouse beacon. The twist? All four teammates were tethered together with a short rope.
It didn't take long for cracks to form. We're looking at you, Team Blue, whose captain Aaron bickered over strategy with teammate Mariam until Aaron threw down the C-card. To add to the tension, Mariam had been right.
Team Red rumbled into first place like a well-oiled machine, winning back-to-back challenges in the first episode. Will they be able to keep their commanding lead in Episode 2?
Best line of the episode?
This harsh assessment: "I already see weakness, I smell the fear, I can see it in their eyes. They are not ready for this challenge. I just hope they're not on my team," said Team Green's Steve about his competitors as the speedboats pulled up to the barge to kick off the first challenge.
A glorious combination of confident and cocky, 40-year-old dad and correctional officer Steve might regret putting those words into the universe. Team Green finished dead last in the first challenge and fourth on the second, putting them at the bottom of the leaderboard at the end of Episode 1. Sorry, Steve, better luck next week!
The moment that changed the game
Powerhouse Team Red has a social schemer in their midst. Fresh off a pair of victories, Keenan Wong, a personal trainer from B.C., is the first to broker alliances with Team Yellow and Team Orange. "As much as this is a physical game, I came here to play the social game too," he says. "If I can solidify myself with each one of these squads, everybody's going to love Team Red."
Can they make alliances with two teams at once? Yes, they can, and they did.
But fellow teammate Mark is not on board. "Keenan's making alliances with everybody. This is the stuff that gets me pissed because I'm the best player in this field. Get Ws baby. I'm the alpha male here," he says.
What's next for Team Red? And can they keep up their social game?
Most valuable player of the episode: Team Orange Captain Ayjay
A tumbling coach from Halifax, Ayjay is small in stature but big on strength. "I'm not only dragging sandbags, but I'm also dragging my teammate who's double my size." Deymien, a content creator from Quebec was gassed, suffering from leg cramps and holding his team back during the tethered trek.
"I wanted a challenge, and baby I got a challenge that's for sure," says Ayjay. Ever calm and cool-headed, he leads his team and a struggling Deymien to second place.
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Where to watch Canada's Ultimate Challenge
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