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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Nia Dalton

Race Across the World's Monique and Ladi share true story behind viral grizzly bear moment

BBC One's hit show Race Across the World is back for season three and if you're a keen viewer, it's likely you have fallen in love with father-daughter duo, Monique and Ladi.

The pair have captured the hearts of the nation as they race 16,000km across the Canadian wilderness to beat fellow contestants in the wholesome, but at times, nail-biting, programme.

Ahead of episode five tonight, the Mirror sat down with Monique and Ladi to chat about all the moments we don't see on-screen - including their less-than-tasty staple snack and how they got on with the camera crew.

Race Across the World Series 3 follows pairs darting across Canada (BBC/Studio Lambert)

Travelling to Canada

Previous series have seen competitors race to Singapore and Argentina, and now the third has them exploring Canada.

But when do contestants find out their destination and do they have time to prepare?

According to Monique, there is zero time for a quick Google search, as they're quite literally told before take-off.

"We were at the hotel in London when we found out. They took our phones away from us and then told us it was Canada just before we flew," Monique explained.

"I was relieved because I knew they speak English and that's the only language I speak - but little did we know the journey ahead of us.

"Canada was never on my bucket list, so I'm glad I got to visit a country that I probably wouldn't have ever thought about travelling to."

They didn't know the destination until they were about to get on the plane (BBC/Studio Lambert)

Taking a small part of home

Travelling approximately 5,000 miles away from home is bound to make you homesick, so Monique and Ladi both took little reminders of their loved ones.

"I packed pictures of my two best friends, my fiancé and my mum," Monique said, while Ladi took a bracelet that his partner gifted to him.

The duo also took an MP3 and old iPod to listen to music while they were on long journeys - and the playlist was Ladi's old-school music.

Managing the budget

Contestants are given a lump sum at the beginning, equating to the cost of airfare, which viewers track as a percentage on-screen.

But how do contestants know what they've spent and do they really keep track of it all?

"I was the budgeting person. I had a little notebook for everything we spent, even if it was $1. At the checkpoint, we'd tally it up," Monique said.

Ladi revealed the pair's strategy was to plan a percentage for each leg and leave enough to ensure they had extra for any eventualities - like the elimination round.

A team of five camera crew members filmed their every move (BBC/Studio Lambert)

Adapting to the cameras

It's very rare for viewers to clock the camera crew on-screen, but of course, contestants have a camera and mic in their face the entire time.

Monique revealed the pair had approximately five people following them at all times.

"We did have to factor that into travel sometimes, as you always need one person filming with you. It was quite difficult, but we got the hang of it," she explained.

"They became part of our family. We knew they were there but they weren't ever intrusive," Ladi added.

Surviving on very little

Food and drink factors into the budget, so it's unlikely that contestants will choose to tuck into luxurious meals on the road.

"Our lowest point was definitely the mustard sandwiches. We bought bread from the supermarket and got sachets of ketchup and mustard on the ferry," Monique said.

"We ate instant noodles a lot as it was the cheapest thing. But at the checkpoints or buffet breakfasts, we'd stuff our faces. I wore combats to fill my pockets."

Mustard and ketchup sandwiches was the duo's lowest food moment (BBC/Studio Lambert)

Escaping the grizzly bear

It's clear the duo are the fans' favourite on social media, with viewers agreeing they'd "take a bullet" for Ladi (it's easy to see why).

But the moment they really trended on Twitter was that time they secretly escaped the grizzly bear off-camera. So what really happened?

"The park was completely locked down and we couldn't stay near the baby bear. The van we were in was our emergency response team, so they got us to a safe zone," Monique explained.

Though Ladi added: "We didn't even get taken outside of the National Park - it was just the visitors centre. We managed to catch a lift from there."

After waiting hours for another ride at the service station, Monique resulted in dancing to get people's attention - and it worked.

Learning about each other

The contestants spend 24 hours together every single day for 50 consecutive days - so if they weren't close before, they sure are after.

"We have a close relationship anyway but I was glad to see Monique's resilience and adaptability," Ladi explained.

"I'm confident now that she'll be able to look after herself if I'm not around."

Monique replied: "I'm still always going to be his little girl - I don't think that will ever change. I learnt a resilience in myself but I know that my dad's always going to be there for me."

Monique and Ladi got an emergency lift to the safe zone away from the bear (BBC/Studio Lambert)

Future plans for travel

Monique and Ladi might've spent a long seven weeks in Canada but they're already planning to go back.

"We want to go back to Banff for a ski season together," Monique revealed.

Ladi is keen to see the whole of South America, including Brazil, Colombia and Nicaragua, as well as Africa, while Monique is off to Zanzibar soon.

Ladi added: "The world is a massive place and we've only just scratched the surface. Travelling anywhere is a privilege.

"Wherever we go now, we'll look at it with a different eye because of what we've been exposed to. I'm more inclined to go off-the-beaten-track, explore and speak to locals."

Race Across the World will air tonight at 8pm on BBC One.

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