The Canadian edition of one of television's most arduous reality TV show will have a local twist.
Mar Lyon, a Thunder Bay native turned-Toronto Argonauts cheerleader, is a contestant alongside her co-worker and close friend Leanne Larsen on the show’s sixth season.
Lyon, now 26, moved away from Thunder Bay nine years ago and has worked for the Argonauts for the last three years.
“I actually reached out to the Thunder Bay community to get me onto the [Argonauts cheerleading] team,” said Lyon who was selected by a public vote. “Thunder Bay was my support system… I’m really happy to represent my city.”
This season, the Amazing Race showcased contestants through the theme of a ‘heroes edition,’ with teams ranging from air force pilots, to cheerleaders, to cancer survivors.
Lyon considers herself a hero because of the work she does with children and bullying prevention. As part of the Argonauts organization, she is involved in the Huddle Up bullying prevention program, which reaches out to children in the Greater Toronto Area.
“I talk and lecture [the students], I tell them my experience about being bullied in Thunder Bay in elementary and high school,” she said. “I tell them how I was resilient and how I persevered through it.”
“Being able to open up and be vulnerable to these kids… they look up to you.”
Lyon also hoped her experience on the show helped disassemble some of the negative stereotypes associated with cheerleading.
“Cheerleading has changed so much over the last 30 years,” she said. “We do charity initiatives, we’re role models. I’m a university graduate, I’m athletic, I can do the same things a six-foot-four air force pilot can do and do it better… it’s really cool to show we’re more than just pom-poms and a pretty face.”
The season doesn't officially air until July 3, but Lyon has already gone through the tumultuously exciting process which started in April and lasted five weeks.
Although the reality TV show is rooted in competition, Lyon said the contestants became her family, saying the hardest part of the race was having to strategize against them.
“How do you U-Turn a hero?” Lyon said referring to an feature of the show where a team can force a different team to complete an additional challenge.
“How do you do that to teams that have done so much for their community? Every single team had their own positives, and were there for an amazing reason.”
Ultimately, Lyon’s performance on the show will be revealed as the episodes air. She is sworn to secrecy, even to her father who wasn’t allowed to contact her throughout the five weeks she was travelling the country.
“It’s going to be surreal,” her father Rob said on how he’ll feel to watch the season. “To see her on national TV, with millions of people watching… I don’t know, it’s going to be pretty cool.”
“I haven’t told anyone anything… it’s so much better for them to be surprised,” Lyon said.
The only spoiler she revealed was that she injured her ankle on the show's opening scene: a sprint to get the first clue.
"I wanted to beat the football guys!" she said. "That was the first 15 seconds of the show. So the amount of cuts and scrapes and bruises was ridiculous and I really hope they don't air all of them."
Episodes will air on CTV every Tuesday at 8 p.m. eastern time, with the season premiere on July 3.
