YouTubeBeware, bears—Kelly Ripa is in town.
As the LIVE co-host recalled to Seth Meyers during an appearance on Late Night Tuesday, she and her husband Mark Consuelos were on a camp trip with their three children when they came face to face with a large, furry friend...or foe.
From the moment they touched down, Ripa had a feeling they were a touch out of their element. "We took the kids camping at a place on Vancouver Island where the first thing you do is you arrive by seaplane," she told Meyers. Because Consuelos had mentioned there would be a jacuzzi, Ripa packed two pairs of shorts, a bikini—and a ballgown. You know, just in case!
"I'm going to the wilderness in snowcapped mountains with two bikinis and a pair of shorts," she quipped. Upon landing, the camp's workers asked if the family had any food on them. "I am a mom of three kids. I have a seven-course dinner in my backpack," Ripa retorted.
So, they were asked to hand all of their goodies over and were told they would get the food back upon check-out. When Ripa asked why this was the case, she was told it would prevent the bears from coming to their tent. When the star showed her surprise, the guides told her, "You're in the Ursus Mountains. 'Ursus' means bears."
While it was a lot to take in within the first five minutes of their family getaway, the Ripa-Consuelos clan forged ahead first with a bike ride to skeet shooting. Low and behold, it was a bumpy ride. As they cruised on their bikes, all of a sudden, a bear got up along the path. Fortunately, according to the guides that were with them, the bear was known to the property and they expected him to just walk away.
Still, Ripa took precautions. According to a book that she read, in order to defend against a bear, you have to make yourself as big as possible, so Ripa got off of her bike and put her arms up in the air.
"And then [the bear] was like, 'That's the best you got?'" Meyers quipped.
Fortunately, everything worked out and the entire family got away without a scratch.