After 27 days at sea, Mary Magdalene has walked the plank. Famous as the woman who mistook Jesus for a gardener on the morning of his resurrection (and also famous on the Ark for her pet ferret, Houdini), Mary was voted off the Ark with 71 percent of the public vote.
Esther, who was nominated alongside Mary on Day 26, received only 29 percent of the vote and lives to fight another day.
We can now reveal that Mary Magdalene was played by Karen "Grizelda" Gagne, from Ottawa, Canada.
Karen was born in Ottawa, was raised in Ottawa, and still lives in Ottawa a quarter century later with her husband and four-month-old daughter. She grew up in the United Church of Canada and finally got around to getting confirmed and officially joining the church last fall.
She still doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up. She has a degree in psychology and has held many random and mostly unrelated jobs. Most recently, she's spent a year as a security guard, a year in the customer service department at IKEA, a month trying to learn to install flooring, and a year doing internet tech support.
Currently she is on maternity leave from her tech support job, and hopes to find something better to do before her benefits run out in November and she has to return to work.
When asked what she would remember best about the Ark, Karen said, "It's the only time I've ever had a chance to pet a unicorn. You guys take good care of Vernon, ok?"
Aside from naming Vernon the Unicorn, Maggie will also be remembered for her frequently-escaped ferret, Houdini, who performed a magnificent dance in the variety show on Day 25.