SASKATOON — With the 11th season of The Amazing Race Canada about to start next week, Michael Linklater recalled the experience he had competing with his son, Amari, on the country’s summer cross-country adventure series last season.
The Linklaters, who became the second team from Saskatchewan to be featured on the show, finished sixth in Season 10. Regina sisters Lauren and Joanne Lavoie were the first pair from the province to compete, advancing to the finals and finishing in third place.
The father-and-son duo — Michael, a former professional basketball player — utilized their physical abilities to complete the challenges, typically finishing each leg in a position no lower than sixth. They are Nehiyaw from Thunderchild First Nation.
Despite being the sixth team to be eliminated, Michael told Â鶹´«Ã½AV they have no regrets about joining the race, using the competition that brought them across the country as a way to further strengthen their bond.
“I saw the show and thought it would be a wonderful experience to do with my son. The experience was both fun and exciting. Amari and I were very close before we got on the show, and I think that’s something that helped us,” said Michael.
A wrong detour in the sixth leg led to their elimination, after first choosing to do the Gird Your Loins challenge, where teams had to learn how to fold a 15-foot tartan cloth into kilts, then search the fairgrounds for the person wearing the same tartan to get their next clue.
“That [Gird Your Loins] challenge stumped us with the folding of the kilts. If we could have done something different, we probably would have stuck with that one. I don’t have any regrets about the decisions we made,” said Michael.
They later switched to Spend Come Coins, where teams had to convert coins to buy haggis, after failing several times at folding the kilts. Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish made with sheep’s heart, liver and lungs, cased in the sheep’s stomach.
With 11 new teams competing in the cross-country adventure race in the upcoming season, Michael offered some advice, especially for the Rebeccas, featuring Merasty from Meadow Lake, Sask., and Watt from Wrigley, N.W.T.
“They should just enjoy the moment. It can be daunting and stressful at times, but it goes by quickly, so be sure to take each of those moments,” said Michael, who will be recognized by the Saskatchewan Rattlers on Saturday, July 5, for leading the franchise to the 2019 CEBL title.
The Rebeccas is one of the three Indigenous teams competing in Season 11. The other two Indigenous teams to compete are siblings Grace Dove and Joe Syme of Prince George, B.C., and couple Skylene Gladue and Blair Gladue of Edmonton, Alta. They are representing their respective communities.
Season 11 begins in Edmonton — the city where Alberta duo Taylor McPherson and Katie Mulkay won Season 10.
This season offers two 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS vehicles, a trip around the world, and $250,000 cash as prizes for the winners.
