Broncos bus crash survivor wins Amazing Race Canada

A survivor of the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash and his girlfriend are this season’s winners of The Amazing Race Canada.

Tyler Smith, a public speaker and mental health advocate from Hinton, Alta., and his girlfriend Kat Kastner, a client success specialist from Leduc, Alta., won the ninth season of the reality show.

The season saw contestants travel more than 12,000 kilometres while visiting six provinces. The competition had contestants begin the race in Winnipeg, then travel through Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia, with the race concluding in Halifax.

Smith said the competition really challenged him physically.

“I would say the most I’ve been beaten up physically was after that day in Toronto …,” Smith told Gormley on Tuesday. “I’ve been through a lot already, but I think that was probably one of the most gruelling days of our lives.

“I think it was just a compilation of a lot of things, and as soon as the physical starts to go, then there comes the mental and emotional creeping in, so I don’t want to carry a backpack of that size for a long time.”

On April 6, 2018, Smith and his Broncos teammates were on their way to an SJHL playoff game in Nipawin when their bus collided with a semi at a rural intersection. Sixteen of the people on the bus died as a result of the crash and 13 others were hurt.

The driver of the semi, Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, later pleaded guilty to 16 counts of dangerous driving causing death and 13 counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm. He was sentenced to eight years in prison in March of 2019, and was granted parole last year.

Smith said he and Kastner are very proud of what they accomplished on The Amazing Race Canada and have learned a lot from the competition.

“I think we can really look back on it and think about how much we’ve overcome and think about how much we can be proud of ourselves,” he said.

“I think there was so much love, support and respect throughout all the teams, and I think as much as it is a competition as there is a lot going on, some of our fondest memories are just being with the other teams, and I think that’s something we will always hold on to.”

Former Humboldt Bronco Tyler Smith and his girlfriend, Kat Kastner, celebrate their win on The Amazing Race Canada reality show. (Tyler Smith/Submitted)

This season’s cast also included wrestlers Gail Kim and Gisele Shaw, Canada’s Drag Race contestants Jermaine Aranha and Justin Bird, and Paralympic snowboarder Tyler Turner, who with his girlfriend finished in second place.

Smith said he received a lot of support from families in Humboldt while taking part in the event.

“I think I’ve kind of made it a little bit of a vow to myself to make sure that obviously I want to make myself proud, but I also want to make a lot of people proud, and I think that includes the 16 families that I mentioned on the final mat,” he said, referring to the families who lost loved ones as a result of the crash.

“To receive messages from them is something that I will forever cherish, and I think to still have the love and support just gave us so much reassurance and validation that what we’re doing with the race was the right thing.”

The grand prize included a $250,000 cash payout, a trip for two around the world, and two Chevrolet Colorados. Kastner said that after winning the competition, the duo will take time to relax.

“We’re so blessed that we have a little bit of a foundation now to begin the rest of our lives together, and we’ll be travelling here, taking some time to unwind and celebrate with us two,” she said. “I think we’ll see what’s next in the fall and winter here, but we’re going to take some time to travel and celebrate right now.”

The final episode of Season 9 of The Amazing Race Canada aired on Sept. 19.