CASA calls out The Amazing Race Canada for agricultural stunt

An agriculture safety group is calling out reality show The Amazing Race Canada for putting its contestants a risky position while taking part in a farm-related task.

“We acknowledge that reality television aims to entertain, but it is crucial that such portrayals do not inadvertently glamorize or normalize serious risks,” said Andrea Lear, CASA’s Chief Executive Officer in a news release yesterday. “We urge media producers to consult with safety experts and consider the real-life consequences of their depicted tasks.”

In fifth episode of the show’s current season, contestants are made to climb into grain trailers that are anywhere from two-thirds to three-quarters of the way full of oats. They then had to dig through the grain to find a hidden object.

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Contestants were shown wading and digging through the grain for a prolonged period.

“It’s pretty deep,” a contestant said at one point.

CASA pointed out that wading in deep grain could lead to become partially or fully engulfed in grain, which can have deadly consequences. Between 2011 and 2020, 27 people died due to asphyxiation in grain or soil, the organization said.

In 2015, three children died while playing on a truck loaded with canola. According to a CBC article from the time, the girls fell into the back of the truck and suffocated after they became buried in the canola.

Since 2017, CASA has been working to raise awareness of the dangers of grain entrapment and has trained firefighters on how to rescue people trapped in grain.

In its first season, The Amazing Race Canada had contestants perform a similar task in which they searched through trailers full of lentils.