Celebrity Race Across the World

[Aslockton]

Starts Wed 13th September on BBC1. Saw the trailer for it this morning!

Cast: https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/celebrity-race-across-the-world-2023-cast-line-up/

Rucksacks ready....!

If I'd been Mel, I wouldn't have got on the train without my mum, especially as she had both the bags. It all seemed to be a bit odd especially when Helene said "somebody" told her to stand in a different place.
I'm glad Billy and Bonnie won the stage. I hope they win the whole thing, They seem to have the right balance of working and sightseeing and seem to be genuinely nice kids too.

I'm glad Billy and Bonnie won the stage. I hope they win the whole thing, They seem to have the right balance of working and sightseeing and seem to be genuinely nice kids too.
I remember when Billy had his accident and obviously it was horrific and I heard a bit about his recovery and thought he has be a very brave young man but I sort of assumed that much as I admired him that I probably wouldn't 'like' him.
To have reached the level that he had before his accident requires a mass of self belief and determination that can often tip over into arrogance and disregard for others so I watched the documentary about his recovery and was amazed by not only his bravery but level headedness and likeablity. I have loved him and Bonnie in the series they are both coming across so well. I hope they win but even if they don't I hope they had a great time.

It looks like both Helene and Mel, in a busy environment, made decisions based on misunderstandings, possibly due to communication from the production team, who also perhaps misunderstood what was going on. (I'm thinking one camera with one of them, one with the other, and camera teams saying where people are and where they'd meet, while Mel and Helene also said where each is, and where they'd meet, and everyone chivvying everyone else as the train pulled in.)

But what was striking was Helene's level of worry about Mel, and Mel's insistence that she'd proved she was ok. I think she's had a hard time since leaving the limelight and her mum is feeling protective towards her. Her lack of belief in herself has made me catch my breath quite often. I mean, she is a talented intelligent woman worth listening to. But she doesn't see that.

Aye, even the bickering over the duvet cover thing suggests something about their relationship. Helene doesn't trust Mel to do much herself and Mel is desperate to show herself as capable (while not entirely believing herself to be). It's the dynamics of a much younger daughter's relationship with her mother.

I want B&B to win but tbh I've loved this series and am sad it's soon going to end!

Some places they've stayed in are definitely on my to do list now, esp Budapest and Berlin

I wonder this too.
I wonder if the people with Mel told her to get off at next stop and Helene would be there.
I mean to be honest Mel didn't seem panicky enough to me for it to be genuine. I think she must have been told Helene was coming and was waiting for her

They appeared to find each other outside the station - if I was Mel I'd have been waiting on the platform so I could try to spot Helene on the next train. It wouldn't occur to me to look outside of the station platform yes, ticket hall area yes, random street outside no.

Exactly.
I reckon she was told

I love Harry and Emma cross stitching together.

I also find the tourist sightseeing a bit odd. I can see why you want to but it is at odds with the race. Earning money i get . What is the best strategy to win at the end? Without knowing what the last leg is they cant really plan how much time they can take or money they need. I am enjoying everyone but would like B &B to win. The repetition of all the back stories have got a bit samey for them all but that's in the editing.

I am fascinated by the jobs and how that works with leglisation. You aren't just allowed to employ random people from abroad on tourist visas and pay them cash in hand for a days work.

So how does that work? I read the behind the scenes article but that didn't really explain how the jobs get past employment leglisation.

Interesting question about the legalities. Maybe that's why some jobs pay cash and some pay with room and board or a tourist trip.

I’d assumed they weren’t real jobs and they weren’t really being paid by the people they’re “working” for, but by the production company increasing their budget by however much the job is worth.

And they often get accommodation, meals and experiences like the spa rather than £

They shouldn't be on tourist visas anyway should they? They're working for the BBC/Studio Lambert.

Assuming they are travelling on UK passports they don't need visas for the countries they are visiting. At least not yet....

Now going down a rabbit hole wondering about the interaction between minimum wage legislation and gameshow competitors. I assume there must be some sort of exemption, but what does it say?

True, I was thinking about previous series.

They couldnt have done many hours in that pub for 68 eiros between them.

Without knowing what the last leg is they cant really plan how much time they can take or money they need

But they do all know the last leg don't they because they were told up front they were going to Tromso. I wonder if the production crew do anything to stop them doing some sneaky advance planning and research at the last stopover

But they do all know the last leg don't they because they were told up front they were going to Tromso

But at the beginning, they don't know where they will be going to Tromso from (obviously they do now, but they aren't given the entire route at the start).

German minimum wage if they were doing it for real is 12 Euros

Did they get food/drink as well as a cash payment? Some jobs seem 'better' than others in terms of the time commitment to reward so some times you seem to give over a whole day and get a handful of euros, other times they seem to rock up mid afternoon work a few hours and get bed, board and a lift for several 100's of miles the next day. Some roles its 10 minutes of instruction then they are on their own clean loos, packing boxes or serving food but others must actually cost the farmer etc because they are with the the whole time showing them sixteen different jobs that it would be quicker and easier to just do themselves. No-one ever 'picks' the same job so they must have unique lists or some kind of input from producers to ensure two pairs don't arrive at the same village expecting to swap a few hours collecting eggs for a room for the night and this must in turn impact on the routes they choose. If they are for example crossing France and couple A have a job opportunity in Calias and couple B have one in Lyon it's going to put them on very different paths.

I also assumed the jobs are just made up for the purpose of the programme. I can't imagine many genuine employers will let you just turn up (or not) and work a few hours then leave again. And they are given a list of jobs in a little book, with no phone to call and arrange/confirm it, so the jobs must be held open only for the celebrities.

I assumed the money for doing the jobs just came from the producers