Luke and Julie at The Amazing Race finish line
TV

Luke McGregor reveals how “brutal” it was waiting at The Amazing Race finish line

"It was really awkward."

TV
WRITTEN BY Danica Baker / Edited BY Danica Baker
10 September 2024 , 3 minutes to read

Luke McGregor and his Julie McGregor were the first team eliminated on The Amazing Race Australia 2024 after they accepted a time penalty when they couldn’t complete a Detour challenge.

When they reached the detour, all of the racers were given the option to choose between a National Dance or National Sandwich challenge. The former involved a sensual dance between the teammates, which Luke and his mum only discovered after they’d chosen the challenge.

The two challenges. Image: Ten.

After giving the dance a good crack, Luke and Julie decided that they’d accept a thirty minute time penalty to avoid having to complete it.

However, once they arrived at the finish line, the time penalty meant that they had to wait for thirty minutes, and all the other The Amazing Race cast passed them, meaning they were eliminated.

“We took that time penalty, and then it was really awkward sitting there waiting for everyone else to cross the line,” Luke told Chattr in a post-elimination interview.

“We were on the finish line, watching people go past us and it was brutal, because if we’d just taken the time penalty quicker, or we did the other challenge, we could have got across the line earlier,” he added.

The Amazing Race’s Luke McGregor and Julie McGregor waiting at the finish line. Image: Ten.

Why did Luke and Julie choose the dance challenge?

According to Luke, when he heard that the sandwiches were called Choripán (which is an Argentinian dish with a grilled chorizo sausage in a crusty bun), he wasn’t familiar with the food and was worried it would be some sort of insect.

“I didn’t know what they were were!” Luke said. “I thought it would be one of those gross food challenges. So we thought, ‘let’s do the dancing instead’, but ended up being delicious snacks.”

Luke said that while he and Julie enjoyed their short time on The Amazing Race Australia 2024, he was dissapointed that they were the first team eliminated.

The Amazing Race’s Luke McGregor and Julie trying the dancing challenge. Image: Ten.

“When Mum had a cry it made me feel horrible,” he said. “It was one of those things where I didn’t think it would hit me as much.

“But then once we met everyone, and there’s so much time you spend prepping and getting ready to do it and then we were just still gone. So, it was sad, really sad to leave,” he said.

Being eliminated first and not even scoring a chorizo sandwich? We certainly understand the dissapointment.

The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition airs on Monday and Tuesdays at 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.

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