On Monday night, eleven teams of celebrities and their loved ones embarked on the adventure of a lifetime as The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition kicked off in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Unfortunately, almost as quickly as the race began, we had to farewell one of the teams and it was comedian Luke McGregor and his mum, Julie, who were the last team to check in.
“We were really sad that we got knocked out when we did,” Luke told 10 Play. “Even though you’re racing against each other it’s really fun hanging out, there’s a camaraderie that builds.
“It was disappointing that we got out so quickly and that Mum’s arch nemesis Ian Thorpe got through because she’s always wanted to beat him. Can’t beat him in the pool so she was hoping to beat him in the Amazing Race,” he joked.
As teams made their way through challenges and around iconic Argentinian landmarks, a sensual detour proved difficult for the teams of family members in the race. With a choice between two challenges, the teams could either cook 24 choripán sandwiches or learn the steps to and perform a tango in front of a judge.
Luke and his Mum chose the tango and almost instantly regretted it after seeing the instructors perform the dance celebrating an intimate embrace.
“I don’t think we’ll be bringing it up at Christmas,” Luke said, adding, “We’ll probably pretend it never happened”.
“We thought the dance would be easier because we thought we’d have partners and it would be about learning the dance, dancing with professionals,” he explained. “We didn’t realise we’d be dancing with each other.”
The pair also thought the “National Sandwich” challenge could have also been a more unconventional food. “But it turned out to be quite a nice snack, so we were disappointed after we made that call,” Luke added.
After attempting to learn the tango, Luke and Julie weren’t just put off by how close and intimate the dance was, but also by the physical demands of the challenge and instead chose to take a 30-minute time penalty rather than completing it.
“It’s hard because you want to give it a good crack,” Luke explained, “but I think we would have been better off taking the time penalty straight away rather than being like, ‘No this looks fun, we can make a sexy dance work!’”
Likening the show to a video game, travelling the globe, and solving puzzles, Luke said it reminded him of the classic Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego? “Except I’m Carmen Sandiego, and I’m with my mum and a camera crew,” he laughed.
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve done on TV I think, it reminded me more of doing cross country as a kid.”
Without knowing where the other teams were in the running order, or how many challenges were left before they’d be racing to a pit stop, Luke said the whole experience reminded him of the perils of social media.
“It’s like Instagram, where you look at Instagram and assume everyone’s doing better than you and you feel sad. That was my attitude in the race; anyone I didn’t see, I thought they were probably killing it. It’s not a healthy attitude, but that was my attitude,” he said, laughing.
But as they made their way through more challenges, the time penalty still hung overhead, and reaching the first pit stop mat in eighth place, Luke and Julie had to sit and serve out the half-hour, watching other teams checking in.
“That sucked, just having to sit there was so awkward, it was a long time to have to sit there and small talk with your Mum while you watch people beat you.”
With just a few minutes remaining on their penalty, the final team arrived, knocking Luke and Julie out of the race. “I felt really bad that we didn’t get to do more because [Mum] had made such a sacrifice to get over there. It hit us harder than I thought it would,” Luke admitted.
Luke and Julie’s time in the race was for a great cause, competing on behalf of Mudgin-Gal, “A drop-in centre for Indigenous women and vulnerable families,” Luke explained.
“It’s an Indigenous-run organisation and they do amazing work in Sydney, it’s one of those places that can provide a safe place as well as resources for people.’
You can find out more about Mudgin-Gal, as well as all the charities our celebs are competing for here.
The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition continues Tuesday, September 10 at 7.30 and then Sundays at 7 and Mondays at 7.30 on 10 and 10 Play.
