RULING POWERS
We went on Race Across the World – there are secret hotel stays and the BBC hides a strict money rule
The hit BBC programme has already reached the halfway point
RACE Across the World stars have spilt the beans on the show's secrets, including being kept completely isolated from the real world and the safety measures in place throughout the race.
Series four of the hit BBC show hit screens last month and saw five pairs of competitors travelling from Japan to Indonesia for a chance to win a whopping cash prize of £20K.
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Competing in the new season of Race Across the World are Stephen, 61, and his wife Viv, 65, Alfie, 20 and his best friend Owen, 20, mum and daughter duo Sharon, 52, and Brydie, 25, siblings Betty, 25, and James, 21, and mum and daughter Eugenie, 61, and 25-year-old Isabel.
As the show reaches halfway contestants Alfie and Viv have taken to the Race Across the World Facebook group and shared some intriguing behind-the-scenes secrets about the beloved show.
They exposed the safety measures put in place throughout the competition while they travelled and how the teams had no internet access and were "isolated" from the outside world.
Regarding whether racers could contact home or read the news, Alfie said: "Total isolation - I keep telling people we knew nothing about the Gaza attacks.
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“I managed to catch the football scores on billboards but other than that, it’s total silence!"
The 20-year-old also disclosed that due to "safety" reasons the contestants stayed at secret hotels at each checkpoint for between 36 to 48 hours.
He explained: "Between 36 and 48 [hours], it does change depending on finishing times to make sure nobody leaves at an utterly ridiculous time - mainly for safety."
Despite hating the competition, Alfie confessed that he would love to participate in the show again.
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The TV star said: "Yes I would, although not as resoundingly as you might think as there were some parts where I genuinely have never hated life more [laughing emoji].
“Would’ve loved to have done S2 route or travel through Western Africa. Tanzania, Madagascar, Mozambique, etc."
Race Across The World fans blast pair for using show as 'free holiday' as they 'haemorrhage' budget in first episode
Elsewhere, Viv revealed that the show was filmed between September and November.
She also shared that contestants had to hand over any money they had left from the race and explained that everyone's backpacks were "real" and very heavy.
Responding to a fan, she said: "They are real! Mine weighed 11.5kg, and Stephen's 12.5kg. That was as heavy as we could manage!"
So far on the show, as fans of Race Across the World enjoyed the teams competing against each other, they couldn’t help but have their heartstrings tugged by Alfie’s incredible story.
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During the latest instalment, Alfie was reduced to tears as he candidly opened up about losing his mum to cancer when he was just five years old.
As Alfie and his best pal Owen travelled through Hoi An in Vietnam and reached the Old Town and its floating lanterns, Alfie was taken aback by the beautiful scenes.
While taking in the picturesque scenery, Alfie asked the camera crew if he could take a minute to himself before sharing that his family has set off a lantern every year with a message attached since his mum sadly passed.
Series four has also seen permanent changes to the show’s format.
At the beginning of the current season, fans were delighted to see that show bosses had scrapped an element of the show that they ‘couldn’t stand’.
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Many viewers spotted in episode two that the inclusion of recaps or previews, which are usually shown at the start, had been ditched.
Taking to X(Twitter), a TV critic penned: “Interesting that #RaceAcrossTheWorld doesn’t have a preview or recap.
“Then again, with so many people watching this show on streaming and catchup, a lot of them will binge the ep and won’t need it anyway.”
Replying to the tweet, another viewer said: “I’ve never understood the need for a recap.
“Unless it’s to foreground something you might have forgotten about that will suddenly become important.
“Less of an issue on a short series with a simple premise.”
A third show fan agreed and expressed that they were glad that “they got straight into it.”
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Another person remarked that she ‘can’t stand the recaps and previews’ and usually skipped them altogether when they are included in episodes.
Race Across The World airs Wednesdays at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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