BANFF — Kelly Ripa and her soap star husband Mark Consuelos riffed on Canadian geography and learned a new Canuck word Monday as they brought the U.S. morning chat show Live! to this picturesque ski community.
The two hosts were escorted onstage by eight marching Mounties as they were greeted by a cheering audience at the 959-seat Eric Harvie Theatre at The Banff Centre arts school.
Consuelos said he never imagined he’d come to Banff, adding he was surprised to learn that the town was not spelled with a “ph.”
“But, Guelph is,” he added, to cheers from the studio audience.
Another Canadian city also seemed of interest to the pair.
“We can’t come to Canada without saying Regina,” quipped Ripa, repeating the name of the Saskatchewan capital several times throughout the opening segment.
Live! has previously made Canadian stops in Niagara Falls, Ont., and Prince Edward Island.
The show’s most recent visit was chock full of Canuck references.
The audience was told that the Canadian “word of the day” was “tuque.” Consuelos proudly boasted that he knew that it referred to a winter hat.
From there, the pair sat down with American Reunion actor Jason Biggs, showed a pre-taped segment in which Consuelos tried out dogsledding and chatted with the latest ousted American Idol contestant Heejun Han.
On Tuesday The Bachelor host Chris Harrison is expected to join Ripa while her co-host Wednesday is set to be Twilight star Peter Facinelli. The Canadian visit wraps Thursday when Ripa will share the stage with eTalk co-anchor Ben Mulroney.
Live! was co-hosted by Regis Philbin for many years until his retirement last year.