Mother-Son Duo Storm The Small Screen
Story Michael Seguin
Photography Courtesy of CTV
Imagine jumping out of an airplane on national television. Now imagine jumping out of an airplane on national television with your mom.
Ameen and Surria Fadel are perhaps Windsor’s most iconic mother-son duo. The two first launched Cedar Valley in 2015, whose products have since gone on to become a staple in countless grocery stores across Canada. The two even appeared on an episode of Dragon’s Den in 2023.
That said, when the producers of the Amazing Race Canada first reached out to the two, they were somewhat skeptical.
“The Amazing Race was never really on our radar,” Ameen admits. “Competing was never really a Bucket List item. We have a decent social media presence for our business. We try to make fun, creative, exciting videos. We had a few that went semi-viral.”
One of such videos caught the attention of the Amazing Race’s team, who then encouraged Ameen and Surria to apply.
“They thought we’d be a fun pair,” Ameen recalls. “This would have been in December of last year. At first, we thought it was a crazy idea. We weren’t sure we could leave our business alone for the prolonged shooting schedule.”
Despite this, Ameen and Surria submitted a video to the team anyway, not thinking they’d make it far in the application process. But throughout the next three months, they kept advancing through the ranks.
This all culminated with a phone call in March 2026 telling them they’d been accepted for the show’s twelfth season.
“We were actually at a trade show in California on business,” Surria states. “They had said they would call whether we were accepted or not, just to let us know. When Ameen’s phone rang, I assumed we were being rejected. I told him I would cry if they said we didn’t make it and SCREAM if they said we did. When we were told yes, I was ecstatic. I ran around the trade show cheering.”
However, despite their enthusiasm, Surria had some reservations about the show.
“Initially, I wasn’t familiar with the show,” Surria admits. “When I first saw a few episodes, I said, ‘Absolutely not. Heck no! I’m not jumping out of an airplane or rappelling down some skyscraper.’ I’m a bit scared of heights. I didn’t feel capable of attempting those challenges.”
But then Ameen and her daughter Muna subjected her to every mother’s worst nightmare: They repeated her own life lessons back at her.
“They reminded me of what I’d always told them,” Surria explains. “That they could do anything they set their minds to.”
Defeated, Surria relented and decided to participate in the show.
This, too, presented them with considerable challenges. The two have successfully co-managed a successful business together for over a decade. However, their staff and crew were tremendously supportive, encouraging them to take advantage of this opportunity.
“We knew it would be a ton of work for our staff if we weren’t there,” Ameen states. “We had to do everything in our power to make sure the business could run seamlessly while we were away.”
“Some of them are superfans.” Surria laughs. “They gave us such a hard time for even thinking about saying no. They said we had to go.”
With all preparations made, Ameen and Surria were off.
The two arrived on set with a simple goal: not coming in last place.
“We didn’t want to get sent home in the first episode.” Ameen laughs. “We decided that if we did, we’d run home in shame and never tell anyone that we’d even competed.”
The first few challenges were stressful. But the two performed exceptionally well, as expected of both family and business partners.
“We made plenty of mistakes along the way,” Ameen admits. “But whenever we did, we’d just dust ourselves off and try to improve in the next leg.”
For their performance, the fanbase nicknamed them the Wholesome Hustlers.
Some of their highlights includes when they reached first place during the seventh leg of the race. Or when Surria was able to complete a run up Whistler Mountain with a torn meniscus.
After a few incredible feats, the two achieved fifth place overall, making it all the way to the season’s eighth episode.
“There was a surprise double elimination,” Surria states. “That was our first time coming in second-to-last place. It was heartbreaking. It all came down to a second. But we made history along the way. We’re the only mother-son duo who made it that far in the competition.”
Now that the dust has settled, Ameen and Surria take a moment to reflect on how the experience has only bolstered their relationship.
“We’ve always had a strong relationship, considering that we’ve built an entire business together,” Surria explains.
“We used that synergy to help us through the race. We have so much respect for each other as business partners, family members and friends. We knew that nothing would get in the way of that. If anything, we came out of the competition even stronger.”
Ameen and Surria also remark on how participating on the show only reaffirmed their own personal and professional philosophies.
“You have to be willing to take a risk,” Surria states. “You can’t worry about failing or all the ‘what ifs’. Most people are so terrified that something might not work out that they never even consider what will happen if it does. Obviously, we went in hoping to win the whole season, but we wouldn’t change anything about what happened. If you live in the ‘Can’t World’, you never get to experience all these wonderful opportunities.”
“Just put yourself out there,” Ameen adds. “You don’t have to be the loudest or the smartest or the fanciest. Just believe in what you’re doing—and yourself. Showcase what you’re proud of, whatever it is. Ask questions. Take those chances. Go interact with new people. Most of all: don’t be afraid to be you.”
The Amazing Race Canada is currently streaming on Crave.
Published in the Anniversary 2026 Edition.
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