Race Across the World cast were "genuinely scared" by nearby bears
The furry creatures made a guest appearance during the 2023 cast's journey across Canada.
The third season of Race Across the World lands on BBC One tomorrow night (Wednesday 22nd March) with five new pairs of adventurers setting off on a Canadian journey – however, it wasn't just the travel costs and cryptic maps that the contestants had to be afraid of.
The BBC show's line producer has revealed that bears were a real threat in the Canadian wilderness and that the cast were "genuinely scared" by the prospect of a bear attack.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press at a screening of Race Across the World season 3, Maria Kennedy revealed that cast and crew had to carry essentials in case of any bear encounters.
"Obviously, a cheaper way of overnighting is camping but with that, when there are bears around, it's tricky," she said.
"So each team as well as having their crew with them, they had to carry bear fences. They would go into a campsite at night and we'd have to put their electric fence up around their camp so if any bears came strolling around, they'd hopefully be safe."
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When asked whether the cast were actually worried about the animals, she said: "[The bears] are not that scared of cameras. They would have taken them out so yeah, the cast are genuinely scared and they should be. But they did have bear spray and obviously we would have intervened."
BBC commissioner Michael Jochnowitz added that those wanting a sighting of the furry creatures should keep their eyes peeled for "a great scene" in episode 5.
"[The cast are] staying at the a hotel, and it’s 4am, and a bear is just roaming outside the front of the hotel. Even as a viewer you think actually it’s that close, it’s that real."
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The new season kicks off tomorrow, with the pairs attempting to travel from Vancouver to Newfoundland in the hopes of winning £20,000.
And that won't be the only dose of Race Across the World we get this year, with its celebrity edition due to arrive later in 2023.
Race Across the World season 3 will start on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Wednesday 22nd March at 9pm.
Previous season are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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