Alumna’s experience on Amazing Race a dream come true

Alumna Shahla Kara had an exciting – albeit brief – run on The Amazing Race Canada.

Kara, who earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy in 2011, appeared in the premiere of the show’s second season, which aired July 8 on CTV.

Having been a fan of the show for years, Kara says it was a dream come true when she and best friend Nabeela Barday were selected as competitors.

The experience, however, didn’t last as long as the pair had hoped.

During the episode’s final challenge, which tasked competitors with stopping a damaged ship from filling with freezing water, Kara lost the feeling in her legs. Exhausted from the previous challenges, Kara’s body began to cramp up and she had to be carried out of the water.

The event caused the team to take a penalty, leaving them to finish in last place and be eliminated from the competition.

Still, Kara says the experience of being with one person in extreme situations brought her closer to Barday.

She also says that, while her Occupational Therapy studies didn’t exactly prepare her for the show’s challenges – which included jumping out of a plane and racing across a glacier – it did help her learn to think on her feet and use her creativity.

“I had to expect the unexpected, and be creative because during the race you have no idea what’s going to come up,” she says.

Kara recognizes that getting to cross the experience off her “bucket list” isn’t something many people get to do.

“It’s an experience of a lifetime,” she says.

A full recap of the first episode can be found here.