A Prince Albert native who was given the opportunity of a lifetime is encouraging the people back home to follow their dreams and not let anything hold them back.
Dustin Seidler was chosen as one of 24 adventurous Canadians to star in CBC’s newest competition series, Canada’s Ultimate Challenge. The show follows them as they embark on a journey that transforms the country into an epic obstacle course. Six teams, each led by celebrity coaches, compete in challenges that showcase the beauty and diversity of the Canadian landscape.
The coaches consist of notable Canadian high-performance athletes, including Olympians Donovan Bailey, Waneek Horn-Miller, Clara Hughes, Gilmore Junio and Jen Kish, and Super Bowl champion Luke Willson.
The 33-year-old realtor grew up in the West Flat of Prince Albert before moving to Rosthern at 18 to work as a paramedic. From there, Seidler lived in Saskatoon for several years before making the trip to Toronto where he currently resides.
Seidler said starring in a reality TV show has always been something he wanted to do. When a producer for Canada’s Ultimate Challenge reached out to him through Instagram, he knew he couldn’t let the chance pass him by.
“It’s really surreal, to be here in Toronto and to have this opportunity because it’s just not something that everybody gets to do,” said Seidler. “It’s been really exciting.”
One of the best parts of filming for Seidler was getting to meet such a wildly diverse cast of all different ages, races, and religions.
“Getting to know about people’s backgrounds and some of the things that this cast has done, it was extremely intimidating to be going up against some of these people that clearly just gave no mental f’s,” he said. “But it was a very cool experience to be able to share that with such an amazing group of people.”
Seidler said everything he has experienced in his life guided him through the competition, mentally and physically. From playing on the playground as a kid and the many sports he played growing up, to coming out as gay as a teenager and growing up in a lower income family.
“I’ve had to find ways to be creative and get through some of the biggest mental health struggles,” he recalled. “Those alone have prepared me mentally for the show, to be able to push past.”
Looking back to when he was a young teen who didn’t feel like he had a place where he belonged, stepping out of his comfort zone and not caring what people thought brought him to where he is today.
“Whether you’re part of the LGBTQ community, whether you come from a different race or whether there’s some type of oppression there, I encourage them to never give up on what they want to do,” said Seidler. “I think that sometimes oppression can cause such limiting factors for individuals. I just hope that one day, it inspires somebody to go out and live fiercely, freely and be themselves 100 per cent authentically.”
Premiering Thursday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. on CBC TV and CBC Gem, make sure to support Prince Albert’s Dustin Seidler as he competes for Team Green to win the ultimate prize, a chance to cheer on Team Canada at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
bailey.sutherland@paherald.sk.ca
