Well, that’s that. After weeks of gruelling travel, arguments, moments of sheer euphoria and crushing lows, Race Across the World is over once more.
This latest series — the celeb edition — saw Kelly Brooks, Scott Mills, Jeff Brazier and Kola Bokinni and their chosen race mates pit their wits against a continent spanning journey from Belém in Brazil to Frutillar in Chile.
But celebs or not, this remains one of the most-watched TV programmes on right now, and for good reason.
Execs must have known they were onto a good thing from the moment it began in 2019. It was a travel show with a twist: instead of watching an immaculately-dressed celebrity taking us to visit luxury hotels in Marrakesh, we got to see people muddling their way through the train timetables in Istanbul station.
What’s not to love about watching five hapless pairs of Brits (most of them unseasoned travellers) try to negotiate things like the language barrier, or indulging in cultural activities like sweet making and chicken killing on a farm in the middle of the rainforest. It felt unvarnished, and crucially, authentic, appealing both to parents in need of a little light relief and youngsters looking for backpacking travel inspiration.
The second season launched right at the start of the pandemic — right when many of us were yearning to indulge in a bit of old-fashioned escapism from the comfort of our own homes. And it delivered: that Mexico to Argentina route served up gorgeous vistas, drama — and crucially — a sense of freedom. Who hasn’t wanted to pack their bags and leave their normal lives behind for a few months, without either a credit card or mobile phone to their name?
Viewership soared. And kept soaring. The show spawned its own celebrity spin-off, which is just as popular. Last night’s finale has drawn in 3.8m viewers so far, and in an era dominated by streamers and social media, that’s an impressive figure by anybody’s metrics.
We can’t seem to get enough. But why? Maybe because, like all the best reality shows, Race Across the World is an expert at conjuring warm and fuzzy feelings in its viewership.
There aren’t really villains and heroes, though of course watching the couples bicker and (in some instances) fall apart spectacularly always makes for good viewing. Who could forget season two’s Shuntelle and Michael? Their journey came to a shuddering halt somewhere in South America due to a lack of funds and communication — and they later broke up.
But by far the most heart-warming bit of the show is getting to know the contestants, who are pushed to their absolute limits over the course of filming and whose relationships can be seen developing in real time. It’s like watching all the best and worst moments of travelling, distilled into bite-sized chunks.
We met estranged father and daughter duo Claudia and Kevin in season three, who took part in a traditional tobacco ceremony that also functioned as an epiphany for Kevin: “I think I’m now understanding that Claudia really wants a dad rather than just a mate,” he said afterwards.
And there was Cathie, also in season three, who signed onto the show as a favour to friend Tricia, but quickly realised she needed a break too. Watching her talk about the stress of keeping her staff safe during the Covid pandemic, on the verge of tears, was another tear-jerking bit of TV — made all the sweeter by the moment the pair won.
This being a reality TV show, much of the enjoyment also comes from watching people puzzle over maps and the language barrier, all the while secretly thinking, “I could do that better.” Or, indeed, getting to see places that rarely make it onto television — such as much of middle Asia, which was the focus of season three — and the local people that live in them.
Where else could you watch people work as farm hands in the middle of an Uzbek desert, or go out on the sea with fishermen in Peru? And seeing the kindness of strangers, such as when brother/sister pair James and Betty lost their passports and money (one of several occasions where this happened), only for the bus driver to return them safe and sound.
And when those pairs make the check points after weeks of gruelling travelling (often involving sitting on a bus for fourteen hours straight) it’s impossible not to share in the sheer joy and relief on their faces, or feel a twinge of envy that we’re watching it all unfold from our sofas, rather than by their sides. One day the show will run out of places to go. But fortunately, that’s not the case yet.
