DREAM TEAM
I was on Celeb Race Across The World – here’s who will win this series and why it’s so much harder than it looks
They also reveal what the show is really like behind-the-scenes.
CELEBRITY Race Across the World star Harry Judd has opened up about who he thinks will win the current series of the travel competition show.
The McFly drummer competed on the first series of Celeb Race Across the World with his mum Emma last year.
5
5
5
Following the same premise as Race Across the World, the celeb version follows teams of two as they race across an area of the world to become the fastest to reach a destination using any means of transportation other than air travel.
Last year, Harry and Emma competed against broadcaster Alex Beresford and his dad Noel and came in second place with a time just four minutes slower than theirs. Meanwhile, All Saints star Melanie Blatt and her mum Helene came in third.
Famous faces taking part in this series include radio DJ Scott Mills and husband Sam and model Kelly Brook and her husband Jeremy.
Also part of the line-up is Ted Lasso actor Kola Bokinni, accompanied by his cousin Mary Ellen, and presenter Jeff Brazier is taking part with his younger son Bobby.
MORE ON RACE ACROSS THE WORLD
Drawing from experience, Harry has weighed in on who he thinks has what it takes to win the race across South America this year.
Speaking to , Harry teased: “For me, Jeff and Freddie [Brazier] have the best chance of winning, or potentially Kelly [Brook] and Jeremy [Parisi] - they are the two pairs.
He continued, explaining his reasoning: “Jeremy looks very competitive, and I felt his pain because I am too. I could see him getting frustrated, but he’s willing to do what I was. He got excited over the 14-hour bus and was saying, ‘yes, brilliant, let’s get on the bus. Awesome, we’re going to make great headway.’ Whereas Kelly was like, ‘Oh my god, a 14-hour bus.’ I remember being really excited about that sort of route.
“Freddie and Jeff look like they will connect as father and son [during the show]. Freddie looks like a lovely character to go on a trip like that with. He’s very upbeat and quite determined.”
Most read in Reality
But while these two pairs have shown a lot of promise, Harry ruled out another duo.
“Kola [Bokinni] and Mary [Ellen] look like they are quite a way behind from the first episode, although I really liked them. They seem as if they aren’t quite getting it is a race just yet, it’s like they are on a gap year,” he said.
Celebrity Race Across The World fans accuse show star of using globetrotting series as a ‘free holiday’ 2
However, he also admitted the series is much harder than it looks behind the scenes, so contestants might end up struggling more than viewers expect.
“What you don’t get to see on the show is the hours on end of being sat on a bus, staring out the window, or just waiting for the train… the really mundane bits,” Harry explained.
He added that the non-stop travel can really put a strain on the contestants and cause unforeseen “challenges” for the pairs.
“It is long and tiring. You could have just been on a 14-hour bus overnight, having only slept five hours, not showering for a few days at a time, sweating and eating food that isn’t nutritious. But you still have to carry the bags and go do a job, and on top of all that you’ve got a camera on you asking questions.
Race Across The World - Winners so far
Since launching in 2019, BBC travel competition series Race Across The World has had four series to date. Let's take a look at back at the winners so far...
- Series one: Elaine and Tony Teasdale: This married couple, who are retired PE teachers, won the very first series of Race Across The World.
- Series two: Emon and Jamiul Choudhury: The uncle and nephew duo emerged victorious in the show's second outing.
- Series three: Tricia Sail and Cathie Rowe: These lifelong friends became the first non-familial pair to win a series.
- Series four: Alfie Watts and Owen Wood: Both aged 20, these friends bested four other pairs to win series four.
“It is legitimately exactly as described. There are no phones, no help, no one off camera telling you which way to go. You make every single decision yourselves,” he said.
Harry also noted that there are no creature comforts available when you’re competing.
“It’s not like any other show I’ve worked on where you have a bit of downtime, someone will get you a cup of tea, and you can put your feet up in a dressing room. It is non-stop challenges along the way,” he revealed.
5
5
Topics