The seven remaining teams on The Amazing Race Canada were all united in one goal this week: get rid of Montreal couple Dave Leduc and Irina Terehova.
The married pair have emerged as this season’s villains, referring to other contestants as “peasants” and stealing a cab during the Race’s last leg in Yellowknife. But as the fifth episode of the competition hit Vancouver Island Tuesday night, the racers seemed resolute in wanting to send them home.
But despite well-laid plans, after record number of penalties were taken by multiple teams, it was Halifax twins Meaghan and Marie Wright who found themselves on the losing end after first being stymied by a clam-digging challenge on the Strait of Georgia and then a word puzzle inside the Horne Lake Caves.
Still, the 25-year-olds, who are running in honour of their mother, take comfort in having been able to run the Race and see a big chunk of Canada.
“Everything we do is for our mom,” Meaghan says. “She passed away when we were only 14 from cancer. We felt robbed and heartbroken, but as time passed, we began to use her death as fuel to live our lives to the fullest. She may not be physically present, but we felt her presence more than ever as we raced across the country in her memory.”
With the Race set to continue next week in Saskatoon, Meaghan and Marie spoke about penalties being used as a strategy by racers, this season’s villains and who they’re rooting for to win it all.
This week’s episode saw teams taking a record number of penalties. Which challenge was the hardest?
Meaghan: Butter clams — two words we never want to hear again. We were at the clam digging challenge for what seemed like days so it was no surprise that multiple teams took penalties.
It seems this year, the decision by some teams to take penalties is being used as a big tactical Race strategy. We spoke to Jon on the set and he didn’t seem thrilled by that manoeuvre. Looking back on it, what do you think about teams taking penalties vs. completing the task?
Marie: Taking a penalty is a much bigger risk than we thought and unfortunately we learned that the hard way. If you’re going to take a penalty you have to be strategic about it. Generally speaking, if you’re ahead of the pack and you’re not getting anywhere with a challenge, a penalty may be in your favour. But once you start to get to the end of the pack, it gets riskier and riskier.
Meaghan: At the end of the day, it is admirable that some teams stuck it out and never took penalties, but with cameras in your face, a time crunch, and all the pressures that come with being mentally and physically exhausted, it is easier said than done.
Dave and Irina are being painted as this season’s villains. We saw them steal a cab in Yellowknife. On the beach, they abandoned the clam digging almost instantaneously. They have been heard referring to the other teams as “peasants.” What’s your take on them?
Meaghan: As your stereotypical East Coasters, we got along with pretty much everyone. In the beginning of The Amazing Race Canada , we wanted to give Dave and Irina a shot so we played nice. As the Race went on, we realized these two were unlike any other team. They brought negative energy, but they also brought a lot of game.
Marie: We’ll leave it to the viewers to make what they want of Dave and Irina but I’m sure as the saying goes, “everyone loves a villain!”
What was the biggest thing that affected your gameplay on the Nanaimo leg?
Marie: We started the leg off in a cab race to get to the Cliff Bar Sign Up board and unfortunately we had bad luck with our driver and got there last. That left us two hours behind the first team to take off in a water plane to Nanaimo. When it comes to the Race , that’s a huge disadvantage and we really saw that throughout that leg.
When it started on day one back in April in Toronto, who did you think the toughest team might be?
Marie: Without even knowing the “Canada’s Choice” team, we knew going in that they had a huge advantage. We figured that whoever joined us on the starting line as Canada’s Choice were going to be our toughest competition because they’ve been on The Amazing Race Canada before.
Were you surprised then that Jet and Dave flamed out so early?
Marie: Jet and Dave were given a second chance so they had a huge advantage going into this season. When we found out they were the first team to get kicked off of the Race , we felt a mix of emotions; shock and pure joy mostly. It was also a realization for us that this Race was anyone’s game.
Which team are you picking to win it all?
Meaghan: We got along with all the teams, but we really vibe well with Sara and Sam. As Olympians, they are incredibly determined, resilient, and inspirational. Not only that, but they are genuine and considerate at their core. We also really love Anthony and James and what they represent in terms of being queer and Indigenous. They are hardworking and dedicated to everything they stand for and there’s no bulls—, which we really came to appreciate. We need more people like Anthony and James in this world and we think everyone can learn a lot from them.
The Amazing Race Canada airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019
