Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod

{{Infobox person

| name = Hal Johnson

| image = Hal Johnson.jpg

| alt = Portrait headshot of Hal Johnson

| caption = Hal Johnson in 2011

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1956|06|14}}

| birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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}}

Johnson was born in the United States, and grew up in North York, Ontario, the child of Black and Irish parents. (Johnson has spoken on the racism they faced for their mixed marriage.) Johnson was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child; he would later memorize all the lines for BodyBreak.

The captain of his high school's hockey, baseball, basketball and football teams, Johnson attended the University of Colorado on a baseball scholarship, earning a business degree. An all-star first baseman, he represented Canada at the World Baseball Championship.{{cite web |author1=Hal Johnson |author2=Joanne McLeod |title=About BodyBreak |url=https://www.bodybreak.com/about/bb-story/ |website=BodyBreak |access-date=17 June 2020 |location=Oakville ON}}

For a 10 year period, Johnson lived in the United States, attending the University of Colorado, and living in Washington, D.C., Long Beach, San Francisco, Denver, and Boulder.

After his athletic career, Johnson was hired at TSN as a sports reporter. Network executives rescinded that offer the same day it was made, stating that they didn't want a second Black reporter.{{cite news |title=Johnson says popular 'Body Break' series was created to battle racism |url=https://www.cowichanvalleycitizen.com/sports/johnson-says-popular-body-break-series-was-created-to-battle-racism/ |access-date=18 June 2020 |work=The Cowichan Valley Citizen |agency=The Canadian Press |date=16 June 2020 |location=Duncan, British Columbia}} TSN later issued an apology.{{cite news |title='I just wanted it to be authentic,' Johnson weighs in on video about racism |url=https://www.cochranetoday.ca/lifestyle-news/i-just-wanted-it-to-be-authentic-johnson-weighs-in-on-video-about-racism-2443302 |access-date=17 June 2020 |work=Cochrane Today |agency=The Canadian Press |date=17 June 2020 |location=Cochrane AB |archive-date=18 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618010432/https://www.cochranetoday.ca/lifestyle-news/i-just-wanted-it-to-be-authentic-johnson-weighs-in-on-video-about-racism-2443302 |url-status=dead }} As an extra in an advertisement for Woodbine Racetrack, during the 1980s, Johnson was moved so that he wouldn't be sitting next to a white woman.{{cite video|title=Ontario Racing commercial (1988)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FiHbThbcXI |website=YouTube}} These experiences of racism, as well as the experiences of his parents, helped push Johnson to create BodyBreak as a countermeasure. The show deliberately sought inclusive casting. Johnson has commented that "the media has not only a tremendous responsibility, but a tremendous power" to influence public perception and acceptance. In 2020, the topic of racism became central, following the protests initiated by the murder of George Floyd. Johnson recorded an unscripted video titled "How We Battled Racism". The video received wide attention in Canada, and led to Johnson speaking on the subject on many media outlets.

Johnson appeared on Off the Record with Michael Landsberg over 100 times. He acted in various television series between 1988 and 1990, including day player roles in T. and T., Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and E.N.G.

Johnson is famous for his thick moustache, which he shaved at some point before his 2013 audition for The Amazing Race Canada.{{cite news |last1=McInnis |first1=Frances |title=Body Break duo Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod are competing on Amazing Race Canada! |url=https://torontolife.com/city/body-break-amazing-race/ |access-date=18 June 2020 |work=Toronto Life |publisher=St. Joseph Media |date=27 June 2013 |location=Toronto ON}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Joanne McLeod

| image = Joanne McLeod.jpg

| alt = Portrait headshot of Joanne McLeod

| caption = Joanne McLeod in 2011

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1958|09|18}}

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}}

McLeod is of German and Italian heritage, and grew up in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario with her adoptive family. McLeod's high school physical education teacher, who had competed at the 1968 Olympic Games, encouraged her to join a track club. She became a 4-time national and 7-time provincial hurdle champion. She represented Canada at events including the Pacific Conference Games, World Cup, Tri-Meet-Canada/PolandEngland, and the 1978 Commonwealth Games.

As of 2013, McLeod was reported to be still running marathons.

Johnson and McLeod met in a gym, and started to date. They married in 1999.{{cite news |last1=Ryan |first1=Andrew |title=How Body Break duo were eliminated from The Amazing Race Canada |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/how-body-break-duo-were-eliminated-from-the-amazing-race-canada/article13729829/ |access-date=18 June 2020 |work=The Globe and Mail |date=13 August 2013 |location=Toronto ON}} Together they tour the country doing speaking engagements related to health and teamwork. After living for a time in Mississauga,{{cite book |author1=Randall Stewart |author2=Cindy Stewart |title=Success Is a Four-Letter Word: Learn How to Bring More Abundance |date=2006 |publisher=Trafford |isbn=1412099986 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FJhMoKLyku0C&dq=Hal+Johnson+Joanne+McLeod+%22mississauga%22&pg=PA87}} the couple has lived in Oakville, Ontario since 2000.

Over 300 90-second episodes of BodyBreak have been produced, with the first 128 segments created between 1988 and 1994.{{cite news |last1=Bendall |first1=Lisa |title=Keep Fit and Have Fun! |url=https://www.abilities.ca/arts/keep-fit-and-have-fun/ |access-date=15 May 2020 |work=Abilities Magazine |archive-date=15 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515145411/https://www.abilities.ca/arts/keep-fit-and-have-fun/ |url-status=dead }} The show focuses on how exercise can be incorporated into daily life. The program was conceived by McLeod and Johnson after meeting in a gym. The show was designed to be different than other fitness shows of the era: friendly, representing the sexes equally, and showing racial and physical diversity, a result of Johnson's experiences. Collectively, they financed the show's pilot with their last $2000. Johnson worked on the series, while McLeod worked at Canada Life insurance to pay their bills. Three two-minute segments were filmed in July 1988, in Toronto's Sherwood Park, as a pilot.

More than 40 TV stations, ad agencies, and other corporations turned the pitch down. More than one was concerned with the image of people of different ethnic backgrounds interacting as equals. One was open to airing the program, but only if Joanne McLeod was joined by a white man; at least one report lists that broadcaster as TSN.{{cite news |author1=Corey Atad |author2=Katie Colley |title=Hal Johnson Reacts To TSN's Apology: 'I Hold No Bitterness' |url=https://etcanada.com/news/657308/hal-johnson-reveals-he-started-body-break-to-battle-racism-at-tsn-receives-apology/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618012207/https://etcanada.com/news/657308/hal-johnson-reveals-he-started-body-break-to-battle-racism-at-tsn-receives-apology/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 18, 2020 |access-date=17 June 2020 |work=ET Canada |publisher=Corus Media |date=17 June 2020 |location=Toronto ON}} Johnson decided to seek funding for the project from ParticipACTION, a federal government program. The organization commissioned five segments, with an additional order placed in January 1989, before the first airing. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation was the first network to air the spots.

ParticipACTION dropped the hosts in 1991, after they had completed 65 segments, despite being the agency's most popular spots. They found different funding, and were able to continue production in 1992. They produced segments with Canada's Vitality project from 1993 to 1995. The segments were broadcast during commercial breaks as public service announcements on many Canadian television channels, but the most frequent broadcaster of the program was TSN.

In 1995, Life Network commissioned a 13 half-hour episode series based on the popular segments, which it aired in primetime.{{cite news |last1=Vale |first1=Allison |title=New incarnation for Life Network |url=https://playbackonline.ca/1995/07/31/4533-19950731/ |access-date=15 May 2020 |work=Playback |date=31 July 1995 |location=Toronto ON}} Most of the episodes included people with disabilities.

Johnson has stated that the duo has "no business plan," so that they don't close themselves off from unexpected opportunities.

In 2020, Johnson commented that "as many successes that we've had, we've had a hundred failures. I expect that. I expect to fail... I'll find another way around it."{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S-vT31kyt8 |title=Hal Johnson On How 'Body Break' Was Created To Combat Racism, Reacts To TSN Apology (Extended) |website=Youtube.com |publisher=ET Canada |access-date=June 23, 2020}}

The BodyBreak brand has been used on a treadmill, Ab Master Workout,{{cite book |title=Abdominal workout programme

|oclc=319878499 }} Step Workout,{{cite web |author1=Hal Johnson |author2=Joanne McLeod |title=DVD |url=https://www.bodybreak.com/product-category/dvd/ |website=BodyBreak |access-date=18 June 2020 |location=Oakville ON |date=2013}} and other products. Hal and Joanne have also endorsed products without the trademark, including BackJoy.{{cite news |author1=Hal Johnson |author2=Joanne McLeod |title=Body Break: Sitting -- It's Dangerous |url=https://onthego.to/body-break-sitting-dangerous/ |access-date=18 June 2020 |work=ON the GO Toronto |date=2018 |location=Toronto ON |archive-date=18 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618003258/https://onthego.to/body-break-sitting-dangerous/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite journal |last1=Bell |first1=Sonya |title=Amazing Race Canada: Hal and Joanne are happy—save for one edit |journal=Maclean's |date=14 September 2013 |url=https://www.macleans.ca/culture/lose-the-race-win-the-marathon/ |access-date=18 June 2020 |publisher=Rogers Communications |location=Toronto ON}}

The couple competed in season 1 of The Amazing Race Canada. The duo spent months preparing for the competition, including studying prime ministers and Air Canada routes, as well as practising driving stick shift Chevrolet (one of the show's sponsor) cars at the dealership. They finished in sixth place. They felt they were portrayed in the series as "very vanilla," until the final episode, in which McLeod accidentally swore.{{cite news |title=BodyBreak duo Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod say 'Amazing Race Canada' helped 'revitalize' their brand |url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/television/bodybreak-duo-hal-johnson-and-joanne-mcleod-say-amazing-race-canada-helped-revitalize-their-brand |access-date=17 June 2020 |work=National Post |agency=The Canadian Press |publisher=Postmedia Network Inc. |date=14 August 2013 |location=Toronto ON}}

In the months following The Amazing Race, they were the grand marshals of the 2013 Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest Parade, and guest "anchors" on news comedy program This Hour Has 22 Minutes.{{cite news |title=BodyBreak stars make comedy debut on This Hour Has 22 Minutes |url=https://www.macleans.ca/general/bodybreak-stars-make-comedy-debut-on-22-minutes/ |access-date=17 June 2020 |work=Maclean's |publisher=Rogers Communications |date=9 October 2013 |location=Toronto ON}} Johnson and McLeod appeared in the music video for Sam Weber's "Anybodys'", chasing an anthropomorphized version of Johnson's mustache.{{cite news |last1=Muzyka |first1=Kyle |title=How the Body Break duo turned a passion project into a 30-year career |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/body-break-hal-johnson-joanne-mcleod-1.4517999 |access-date=17 June 2020 |work=CBC News Edmonton |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=2 February 2018 |location=Edmonton AB}} They self-parodied in a promotion for Netflix zombie series Santa Clarita Diet; BuzzFeed deemed them "the cutest cannibals."{{cite news |last1=Strapagiel |first1=Lauren |title=Hal And Joanne From "Body Break" Are The Cutest Cannibals |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/laurenstrapagiel/body-break-santa-clarita |access-date=17 June 2020 |work=BuzzFeed |date=7 February 2017}} They created a COVID-19 physical distancing segment for Vancouver International Airport.{{cite news |last1=Mangione |first1=Kendra |title=The 'Body Break' duo just released a new segment on physical distancing |url=https://bc.ctvnews.ca/the-body-break-duo-just-released-a-new-segment-on-physical-distancing-1.4874455 |access-date=18 June 2020 |work=CTV News Vancouver |date=30 March 2020 |location=Vancouver BC}}{{cite news |title=Vancouver is Awesome |url=https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/vancouver-news/canada-body-breaks-duo-physical-distancing-video-2211795 |access-date=18 June 2020 |date=30 March 2020 |location=Vancouver BC}}{{cite web |author1=Vancouver International Airport (YVR) |title=The Prime Minister has implored and the movie stars have all weighed in but to truly get the message out about social distancing we needed the help of two Canadian icons to spread the safety message. @BodyBreak |url=https://twitter.com/yvrairport/status/1244631024274788352 |website=Twitter |access-date=19 June 2020 |location=Vancouver BC}}

Maclean's magazine has mused that "Trying to explain the cultural significance that “Hal and Joanne” have taken on since then is like trying to explain the cultural significance of Tim Hortons."

• {{official website|http://www.bodybreak.com/}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/19981202035914/http://www.bodybreak.com/B06.html Athletic Resume] for Hal and Joanne, via Wayback Machine
• [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0425193/ Hal Johnson] and [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5825588/ Joanne McLeod] on IMDb

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Hal and Joanne McLeod}}

Category:Black Canadian baseball players

Category:Canadian baseball players

Category:Canadian exercise instructors

Category:Canadian female hurdlers

Category:Canadian sportspeople of Irish descent

Category:Married couples

Category:Sportspeople from North York

Category:Sportspeople from Mississauga

Category:Sportspeople from Oakville, Ontario

Category:Sportspeople from Scarborough, Ontario

Category:Track and field athletes from Toronto

Category:Baseball players from Philadelphia

Category:Track and field athletes from Philadelphia

Category:The Amazing Race contestants