“I Honestly Thought That I Could Do These Things For a Million Dollars” – RealityNewsOnline’s Exclusive Interview with The Amazing Race 15's Mika & Canaan

RealityNewsOnline: Hi Mika & Canaan! Thanks for talking to RealityNewsOnline!

Canaan: Absolutely!

RNO: What made you decide to apply for The Amazing Race?

Canaan: It was an opportunity for the two of us, newly dating people, to get to know each other. It was an opportunity to see the world, something that – in retrospect – everyone should get to do.

RNO: Mika, have you seen The Amazing Race much before you went on it?

Mika: Yeah, I’ve watched – and, yeah, I knew that there were heights and water challenges! You know, before going on the race, Canaan had tried to teach me how to swim. So, we had practiced that, I guess. I honestly thought that being there in the moment, going for a million dollars, I could do these things for a million dollars.

But when it came down to it… It was like, “I guess I’m just myself. I am scared and I tried my best, but it just didn’t work out.

RNO: It was clear that you were very stressed out on top of the slide. How long were you up there?

Canaan: Oh, geez, we beat the Globetrotters there by 30 or 40 minutes. Yeah, it was a long battle.

RNO: Mika, what was going through your mind when you were up there?

Mika: Oh, I was like, “I am going to let myself and my partner down in this race.” I knew that I needed to go, but it was like my fear paralyzed me. I was just stuck there in that moment. It was one of the worst feelings I’ve ever had in my life.

RNO: Canaan, looking back on it and knowing that Mika wasn’t actually going to go down the slide, do you wish you had given her a little shove?

Canaan: Well, see, I did push on her. Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to do it – but I did push until I couldn’t anymore. Yeah, I tried my best to push her down – and that was the arrangement from the beginning. I told her going into it, “I’ll push you down or I’ll throw you over – whatever I have to do!”

RNO: How did you feel about that, Mika?

Mika: Oh, I don’t know what I thought! I was just like, “Oh, whatever.” I didn’t really think about it at the time. Then the time came and I was like, “Oh my God!”

RNO: What was it like when you saw the Globetrotters run up? Did you think that would be what you needed to get you down the slide?

Mika: When I saw the Globetrotters I knew it was the end. I knew that if I went down the slide anyways, right in front of them, by the time we got down the slide they would be right there behind us and it would be a footrace. Big Easy’s legs are about as long as I am tall! I was kind of like, “Well, we’re done now. This is it.”

RNO: Canaan, did it take you very long to forgive Mika for not being able to go down that slide?

Canaan: No, not at all. It’s one of those things… I’m really familiar with fear and what it does to people. I’ve been in relationships before where you just can’t help it. It’s something that’s irrational and makes no sense – except to the person that has it.

Yes, of course I was upset, and I was really pissed. I would have done anything to make her go down that slide, but I knew that at the bottom she was going to feel terrible about the whole thing. I didn’t want her to carry that around with her and make her think that we didn’t win this money because of her – something stupid like that. We did our best. Forgiveness is a good feeling. It feels better than resentment, for sure. So, that was pretty easy to overcome.

RNO: What did the race teach you about each other and your relationship?

Mika: We didn’t know each other that well, so I guess I got to see Canaan’s competitive side. I’ve learned that, no matter what, you have to care about each other. No matter what the circumstance is – just like with the slide. Canaan forgave me. It made us stronger as a couple and I’m very happy that we got to experience it.

Canaan: You’ve got to stand by each other, you know? I saw a lot of super-cool character qualities in Mika. I think she can say the same – that we both took away from this experience that we’re really compatible.

RNO: So, are you two still dating then?

Mika: We are! Happily dating.

RNO: What was the smartest thing you did on the race?

Canaan: I think it was the snowman competition. That was manmade snow, obviously. Manmade snow doesn’t pack worth a crap. It doesn’t pack like regular snow. So, when you’re trying to build a snowman you have a lot of difficulty at first. Most of the teams didn’t think of this, but we took a bunch of the snow from indoors and just dumped a huge pile and let it sit out in the sun for a few minutes before we started shaping ours. We let the sun melt it and it really helped us. We actually saved a lot of time because of that.

RNO: What most surprised you about the race?

Mika: It seemed like every time we ran a leg we would end up together on the same plane. The second you thought you were ahead of some groups… they would walk on the plane! It was such a letdown. It broke your heart.

It surprised me to because, going into it, we were like, “Oh, yeah, we’re going to be super-mean and not help anyone else.” But we just love people and everyone on the race was so great. We became friends with everyone! It was just awesome!

RNO: Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?

Canaan: If you’re trying out for the race and you haven’t made it yet – keep trying. It’s an experience like no other. It’s an opportunity you can’t have otherwise and it’s worth the struggle. Also, it’s a great way to learn life lessons. You learn how to become your own person.

One of the things that’s cool about it is that you wake up and you’re doing what 11 other teams are doing. You’re all doing the same exact thing, trying to get to the same place, which you have to figure out what works best for you. So, it’s a great way to mature and learn how to do things that you live with and that you’re comfortable doing, and stand by the decisions you make.

Mika: It was probably one of the craziest experiences I’ve ever had in my life! Even though I didn’t go down the water slide, I would do it again – in a heartbeat!

RNO: Thank you so much for talking to me today.

Canaan: Thank you for talking to us.

Mika: Thank you.

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