Pharmacy's Franca Brodett competes on The Amazing Race Canada

Franca, left, and her sister, Nella, are Team Franella! Courtesy of CTV

Franca Brodett, '12 BCom, assistant dean of development for the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, recently had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a contestant on The Amazing Race Canada. She and her sister Nella competed as Team Franella, taking part in challenges across Canada for season eight. We spoke to Franca about her adventure, her approach to challenges and her dream Pandas team.

Franca, were people surprised when they found out that you were going to be on The Amazing Race Canada? Did you have to keep it a secret?

When it was announced that we were on the show, a lot of our friends and family were really surprised and really excited for us.

You don’t have to keep it a secret that you’ve applied, but if you're selected you definitely have to keep it hush hush. My sister Nella and I had applied in 2016 for season five, but we didn't make it through. In 2019 I said, “You know what?, Let's just apply one last time. I think it would be really fun for us to go on this adventure together.’ We applied again, and were chosen. And then we had to keep the secret for almost three years because of COVID-19!

When you found out you were accepted, did you have a moment of, “Oh no, what have we done?”

I was pretty calm, even on the plane, but my sister was very nervous and had a little bit of anxiety. It's funny, because I think that would have been the opposite for us, because I'm a planner. I need to know what's happening and what's going on. 

But to go into this not knowing what challenges you're going to do, and then having to immediately say “Yes” to these challenges without a lot of direction, you’re really using problem-solving skills. So I wasn’t nervous; I was more excited and happy to do whatever came our way and really learn from that, like we did when we were doing things together as kids. Living in the present moment is really key to being in this race.

How would you say your role at the university is similar to your role as a teammate on The Amazing Race Canada?

At the university I build relationships with people on a daily basis, facilitating conversations with donors, alumni and friends of the university to make their dreams come true. It's really like making a friend and building trust, and that really helped me throughout this race. 

Nella and I are both such “people people” that we were able to gain trust from people and build relationships during this race, and it really helped us build our relationship as a team. Even though Nella and I were already very close, we became even closer. 

What skills have you learned from The Amazing Race Canada that you will use in your role as the assistant dean of advancement for the Faculty?   

Focusing on believing that you can do anything, and putting that belief towards not just work, but also your personal life, is so important. It's pretty amazing what happens when you put your mind to something and you have no distractions. 

I learned more about myself and what I can accomplish. I think we both learned a lot about ourselves personally, and really gained a better understanding of each other. We're sisters. We see each other every day so it wasn't hard for us to see each other 24/7 for five weeks straight on this race. Nella will always be my number one cheerleader, but we really built a stronger relationship as a team. 

What skills from your role at the U of A did you use in The Amazing Race Canada?

The people skills for sure; the social aspect of everything. The main skill is being able to read people and their body language. Actively listening and problem-solving are the things that I do at work on a daily basis and I was able to bring that to the table. 

Pretend the U of A Panda's coaching team sees you on The Amazing Race Canada and are very impressed, so they invite you to join the team of your choice. Which team do you choose and why?

I choose golf! I love golf! Nella and I are avid golfers. 

It's a game that tests your patience and your ability to mentally focus on every shot and move forward and not look at the past. And you're always improving. We both played team sports before, but we're both really into golf even though it’s more of an individual sport. 

We would also like to see more people that look like us on the golf course, so we’re advocating for more accessibility. 

So golf is the team I would choose. And I hope they invite me to be on the team!  Although I don't think I qualify; those ladies are pros!

You can watch Season 8 of The Amazing Race Canada Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.  Learn more about giving to the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.