Ontario man living the dream hosting World Cup in Qatar
Most of the action at the World Cup is on the field, but for those in the stadium seats there's another show – this one features a Canadian talent.
"My job is to inject as much fun as possible and to leave them with a lasting experience. Whether they win or lose, my job is to make sure they can go home saying 'wow that was a great show.'"
He goes by Dancin' Wayne. The Oshawa, Ont. native has been working as an in-stadium host for the 2022 World Cup games. From dancing, to fan-interviews, Wayne does almost anything he can to entertain the fans at the games.
"It's been a marathon," he told CTV News, "I think I've had three days rest and that's just because of the grind of so many games."
The journey from the GTA to Qatar involved a move to British Columbia, and a decision to make a big life change.
"I quit my job," he said. "I felt like I wasn't, I shouldn't be sitting at a desk eight hours a day. I went full time on an app called TikTok, ended up becoming pretty popular on that app. A couple of companies slid into my DMs…one of them was FIFA."
After hosting a couple of trial events, Wayne was chosen to be one of the hosts for the World Cup.
His epiphany also followed a serious motor vehicle collision that he was involved in last year.
"A drunk driver ran me off the road and almost left me with very long lasting injuries where I couldn't even walk properly. And I went from that to where I'm at now because I didn't want to live the same life I was living."
Dancin' Wayne is seen at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Wayne says he spent three hours a day in the gym, every day during the 18 weeks leading up to the tournament to get himself into shape for his stadium performances.
"They're not small stadiums right? These are 50 thousand seat stadiums so to get from one end to the other end to see some fans you've gotta move, you've gotta hustle."
With the World Cup wrapping up in Qatar, Wayne has been having the time of his life. And he hopes others will be encouraged by his story to stop sitting on the sidelines of life and get in the game.
"My best message to people right now is find your best version of happiness. I was hosting and dancing and doing all this stuff as a kid in high school even up through college and even then I loved doing it,” he said.
“It wasn't about the money, it was just about what I wanted to do. And I did the millennial thing and got a corporate job and paid off debt which was great but it wasn't me so I had to go back and realize I wanted that version of happiness again."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.