Animate or Aviate

Animate or Aviate?

Fanshawe welcomes eight teams during a pivotal episode of The Amazing Race Canada

It’s called the adventure of a lifetime.

After a two year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CTV’s hit reality show, The Amazing Race Canada, returned to our screens. Hosted by Olympic champion Jon Montgomery, the show sees 10 teams embark on a race across Canada, all vying for a grand prize at the finish line.

Photo courtesy of CTV

In an episode entitled “Racing for our Lives,” eight teams had to choose between two challenges at Fanshawe: Animate or Aviate.

Photo courtesy of CTV

At the Norton Wolf School of Aviation and Aerospace Technology, teams were challenged to assemble a propeller onto a Cessna 150. At the School of Digital and Performing Arts, one team member put on a motion capture suit while the other took on the role of director. The performer had to attempt the exact moves of an animated movie featuring Jon Montgomery and could not communicate with the director once the motion capture began.

The Amazing Race Canada staff were incredibly impressed with our production assistants, who received their training right here at Fanshawe.

Michelle Shipley, a film professor at Fanshawe’s School of Contemporary Media, was hired by the show’s production company to help pull the locations and challenges together.

“Back in January 2020, I began scouting locations with senior producer Ann Camilleri,” Michelle says. “I knew Fanshawe’s animation and aviation programs were unique to the College and would be something our viewers would be interested in seeing.”

The Fanshawe connection didn’t end there. Michelle was able to hire a team of production assistants, made up of Fanshawe graduates and current students.

“Nearly 50 of our grads and students worked on the episode,” says Michelle. “ The Amazing Race Canada staff were incredibly impressed with our production assistants, who received their training right here at Fanshawe.”