A Race Across the World star has gone “back on a mission” to pay a Kobe beef bill in Japan a year after receiving the dish for free on the BBC One show.
The year’s series of the hit show, which sees competitors race to various checkpoints, saw 21-year-old best friends from Hertfordshire, Alfie Watts and Owen Wood, stop for a meal before completing the second leg of their journey.
Before continuing to South Korea, the pair decided to eat at a restaurant to try the famed Kobe beef but were concerned the £12 meal would cut into the tight budget they received ahead of embarking on the challenge.
For the 9,320-mile journey from Sapporo in Japan to Gili in Indonesia, they received a mere £1,390 per person (the equivalent of the air fare), forcing them to make difficult decisions about food and accommodation.
In the episode, which aired earlier this year, Owen was desperate to try the famous Kobe beef while Alfie was visibly concerned about their budget.
The pair were then overjoyed and said they felt “lucky” after the waiter covered the cost of their meal.
Alfie, who has amassed a following of more than 47k on TikTok since the fourth series aired, has now shared the moment he searched for the waiter who served him and Owen while they were in Kobe, while on a return trip to the city.
A video posted to the social media platform showed him eating at the restaurant again before explaining to workers he was “back on a mission” looking for the waiter who originally served him and his friend.
Staff identified the waiter in a clip and then took Alfie to their partner restaurant to meet and pay the waiter.
The former contestant said: “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for so long and the fact I’ve been able to do it is so exciting.
“A little after a year later, I finally paid for the Kobe beef, so just remember, always pay things forward.
“I do believe in paying your way,” he added.
Alfie appeared on the Race Across the World’s most recent regular series, before its celebrity spinoff aired in August.
He now regularly shares travel content on social media, documenting visits to countries such as America, Guatemala, and Iceland.
He and Owen were some of the youngest contestants ever to appear on the show but quickly became fan favourites as they bonded further, and opened up about their emotions, during their epic journey.
