MONTREAL – Over the past two years, Paralympians Frédérique Turgeon and Tyler Turner have shown there are no limitations for people with a disability to millions of Canadians on two of the country’s most popular TV shows. Late last week, it was announced that Turgeon would return to Noovo TV’s Big Brother Célébrités, a Quebec version of the two-decade Hollywood hit, now in its fifth season.
This year’s edition will field 16 newcomers and former players including Turgeon, a 2018 and 2022 Paralympian in Para alpine skiing. She was a top-five finisher in last season’s Big Brother Célébrités. ‘’It’s just a great opportunity to put Paralympic sport to the forefront,’’ said Turgeon last month at the Paralympic Foundation of Canada’s ParaTough Cup event in Montreal, before she knew she was to appear for a second season.
‘’It was great visibility to show what people with a handicap can accomplish. I came out of it a little rattled, but I would definitely return if I had that chance (which she will).” Similar in format to the American, American celebrity, and Canadian English versions of the program, the show features a group of public figures from Quebec, known as housemates, living in a custom-built house under constant surveillance, with cameras and microphones to track their every word and action.
They are cut off from the outside world, with no communication through internet or phones. The housemates compete in weekly challenges for power and safety before voting each other out of the house. The last person standing wins a cash prize, a donation to a charity of their choice, along with additional prizes from the show’s sponsors.
The fifth season gets underway on January 12 at 6:30 pm on Noovo. On last year’s show Turgeon’s nickname was “Fredski” because of her natural sport abilities. She was born with a congenital femoral deficiency in her right leg, which is 50 per cent shorter than the left.
‘’The people on the street recognized me for my strength in the challenges even with my handicap and they told me how motivating I was for them. ‘’To change someone’s perception like that is really a powerful moment.” Para snowboard Paralympic champion Turner also experienced reality TV as a contestant on the Amazing Race Canada with his then girlfriend, now wife, Kayleen in season nine in 2023.
They nearly won the competition, finishing as runners-up. The show follows teams of two as they race across Canada and around the world. Each season is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, compete in challenges, and navigate themselves in foreign areas.
‘’That was quite an experience,’’ said Turner, from Campbell River, B.C., who lost both legs following a parachuting accident in 2017. ‘’It was weird to get recognized on the street and definitely something I wasn’t used to. I found it really cool.”
Source: https://paralympic.ca/news/