Miranda Brumwell“You are the last team to arrive.” The words no team on The Amazing Race Canada wants to hear. On the latest episode, those were just the words friends and co-workers Monica, and Zainab would hear, ending their run on the race across Canada.
The teams were required to pack and park a car, get on the road and travel from Stratford to Toronto, Ont., and then become latte artists.
“Apparently that’s a skill I didn’t know I have…add that to my resume,” joked Zainab. “There was a little wrist action, and I figured it out quickly. Thank God.”
Both Navy sailors said they were surprised to see their picture appear on the U-Turn board. They thought having been further behind in the race, and they would have the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ advantage. To no avail, the team had their date with Karma, after having U-Turning Anna and Todd causing their elimination from the race.
Zainab and Monica were in turn U-Turned by First-Responders and engaged couple, Adam and Courtney.
“I was very surprised, but I also knew that the team who U-Turned us knew that we were very competitive, and we were a threat at the same time, so I kind of understand where they’re coming from,” said Monica.
Zainab said overall, the race is a lot tougher than it looks on television and there’s a lot that gets cut out or doesn’t really shine through on camera. For example, how tired they are or how much sleep they’re lacking.
“Just getting from A to B is never as easy as it may look and that’s one thing I learned very quickly on the race,” she added. “No complaints, I had a great time. Super, super grateful for the experience.”
Despite the drama often portrayed in the show, both women agree they have grown closer having gone through the experience together. They spent every waking moment together, not just in challenges and on camera, but off camera as well.
“We got to know each other in ways that friends don’t get to know each other that often. It made me adore her even more,” said Monica. “She’s amazing!”
Zainab added, “We’re stronger than ever. We’re like sisters. I don’t have sisters, but she’s like my sister, and we had a great time.”
