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Man proposes with elaborate The Amazing Race stunt

Elina Cheung and Matthew Lam embrace after their engagement. Elina Cheung

TORONTO – A post that has gone viral on social media tells the story of an elaborate The Amazing Race themed proposal that surprised everyone with the amount of work that went into the planning and execution.

In a post on the image hosting site Imgur titled “I made it on The Amazing Race!!!!!” Cheung describes how she and best friend Mary Chan had applied to be contestants on The Amazing Race Canada.

“Mary had been asking me for a long time and I didn’t want to do it at all,” said Cheung. “I didn’t think we’d get picked so I didn’t even want to even try.”

But after much convincing from her friend and support from her boyfriend Matthew Lam, Cheung agreed to submit an audition tape.

To her surprise, the adventure reality show had selected the female duo in their advance casting. The next step was to do a trial race through Toronto to move onto the next round.

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After signing all the legal documents, picking up their gear from a mystery locker and several emails and texts with the show’s producers, the pair trekked through the city on one of the coldest days in February.

Five hours and five stops later, Cheung and Chan arrived at their last stop, High Park where they found a Road Block which read: Who is ready for a romantic ending?

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“This was no Amazing Race trial,” she wrote. “We never made it past that audition video, but none of that matters, because the most AMAZING thing was about happen.”

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Out of nowhere, Cheung says she saw Lam appear while her brother serenaded them on the guitar. Lam got down on one knee and ask for her hand in marriage.

The couple from Richmond Hill, Ont., grew up just minutes away from each but only met years later at the University of Toronto. They were introduced through mutual friends, but it took them two more years after the initial “hello” before their romance began.

“What attracted us to each other was that we’re both really silly and make each other laugh,” said Cheung. “He’s really supportive and great.”

Lam had been planning the proposal since October and recruited 14 friends and family members to ensure that the event went off without a hitch.

“No one said anything to me for months! The funny thing is, I would tell my friends I made it on The Amazing Race and they all had to fake their reactions,” said Cheung.

According to Cheung, Lam asked Cheung’s graphic designer brother to recreate the clues in the show and wrote a convincing looking non-disclosure agreement so as to not raise Cheung’s suspicions.

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In her viral post Cheung wrote, “I am the luckiest woman in the world! I cannot believe the amount of planning, time, commitment, and effort he put into this proposal! Every girl imagines an amazing proposal, but this was beyond anything I could have ever imagined.”

Cheung said “yes” and says they are planning the wedding for next May, on the day of their nine year anniversary.

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