Race Across the World 2024 part 2!

[OutOfTheHouse]

Second thread about the BBC Series.

I don’t think Isabel has said much other than she has a science background? I’m under the impression she has finished uni.

I don’t think privately educated. He spoke about how he worked in a supermarket stacking shelves at night from the age of 14 or 15.

Isobel hardley cracked a smile, she looks tense.

poor Betty, how devastating for her, and then James needing a hug

@Icehockeyflowers that was in the 1st season, but another couple who had finished went down and gave the the money. The men said "we have not begged and not going to start now" and the girls said to them "we have excepted the kindness of strangers so let us hep you". The 2nd season was fabulous my favourite

Thanks @scissy I get it now.

Sounds like I’ll be watching season 1 and 2 after this one.

Viv and the husband have grown on me. As have the boys. I think the boys will win.

Betty and James are great. That medical issue must be heartbreaking for her. I do think they will run out of money though.

The mum and daughter- oof the endless sniping.

Also agree 20 hours on a bus would be horrible.

Series 1. Another team who had already got there gave them the money so they could finish.

Are you confusing Isobel with Betty?

Isobel is travelling with her Mum, Eugenie, and I don't think we know anything about her brothers. Betty is travelling with her brother and I think it is him who stacked shelves.

So insightful when Betty finally tells her brother that "everything happens for a reason" is not always a great thing to hear when you've had a life changing medical diagnosis, and he finally gets that sometimes you just need to say "that's so shit, I'm sorry" rather than trying to make it better.

I’m sure either Isobel or Eugenie have mentioned there being brothers. In fact I’m pretty certain Eugenie said she had the boys and they were 'easy' children, then along came Isobel and bam! (or words to that effect)

No I just skipped the most important part - the nane! I meant the two boys - it was Alfie - the one who lost his mum - who spoke about stacking shelves from when he was a young teen. He seems to have had a tough life. Somebody asked if the boys were privately educated (after Isabel said she had been). I said I doubt it given Alfie said he stacked supermarket shelves at night from the age of fourteen or fifteen. He works as a football referee.

Janes Betty’s brother) was the one who thought he’d be a professional cricket player and was told he wasn’t good enough.

Not sure about Eoin (Alfie’s friend). He’s training as a pilot I think. Maybe he had a private education. I don’t know.

'The boys' was a reference to Isobel's brothers, not Alfie and Owen!

Completely agree! Sometimes bad things happen to good people and there's absolutely no rhyme or reason to to it. I think Betty expressed this really well.

Yes and remember how indignant Eugenie was a few episodes back when James fibbed to her about where the bus was going. I mean, it was such an obvious lie that it was unlikely they would be taken in by it, and you could argue why should he just pass on the information he had found out when she could go and ask for herself.

But stealing a taxi was much more underhand than that.

My heart really went out to Betty and to James last night.

I found it more of a hard watch, all those horrendously long bus journeys, travelling in the wrong direction and some of the overnight accommodation. It looked so tough. At this stage their energy reserves must be so depleted, let alone their emotions.

Didn't like the taxi stealing, although from the look of it, I wasn't totally sure whether it was S and V's taxi or whether Stephen was doing a good job of talking the driver into believing it was for them. The driver wouldn't have cared, he just looked like he'd been told to turn up for passengers.

I was aghast as well seeing the boys say if anyone had made up 12 hours they'd be shocked and then I and E only 12 minutes behind, was a real shocker too.

I found it more of a hard watch, all those horrendously long bus journeys, travelling in the wrong direction

When you are young, it is all an adventure. I travelled like that in my early 20s and honestly can’t remember thinking they were awful. I stayed in some awful hostels but it’s only ever a night or two and again it gives you something to chat about later on. I don’t think I’d like it now though and Viv particularly looks very over it. I think it is good they have the nice hotels at the check ins. That must be a huge boost for them.

Tad ironic that the taxi stealers then talked about their Christian faith or mum did ay any rate. Maybe just clever editing.

In bits watching Betty & James. It was so obvious there was something with Betty - looking for her place in the world and seeming lost. Their parents must be in pieces watching this - what wonderful siblings they have raised.

The taxi thing was awful on Eugenie’s part - she should have shared it. Really, really mean. Unpalatably so. I was forgiving of her for most of the show but this has turned me.

Is it against the rules for them to share a taxi? They’d save money and both were just going to the bus station?

In the past they’ve been on the same train or ferry, so I guess sharing a taxi would be the same.

However, in this situation, the taxis were few and far between, so they knew by grabbing one, they’d be at an advantage.

Yes, brothers have been mentioned but not shelf stacking as far as I recall.

I do get that, but when you’re a young traveller you don’t have the added stresses of being in a race and being filmed when you’re at a particularly low ebb. I just thought a lot of last night’s was particularly tough.

you don’t have the added stresses of being in a race and being filmed when you’re at a particularly low ebb.

Absolutely but only a certain type of person would sign up to be filmed for 50 days to appear on a tv show too. It isn’t something I would do in a million years!

The taxi stealing was especially galling because Viv asked Stephen were they all going in it and he said yes, then it drove off leaving them.

That’s very true. We watched something the other day and commented on the contestants before concluding you can only work with what you have. Still, it’s easy to either overestimate your own resilience until it’s tested, or underestimate the tasks to come. Apparently there are still celebrities who expect different food and comfort levels in the jungle and come out shocked that for the most part, what we see is what they get.

I’ve always wanted to go to Sumatra, now after last night’s episode I don’t know if I’ve got it in me (maybe if my constant lies to myself about becoming mega fit actually materialize!)

I’ve been all over the rest of Asia backpacking with no phone back in the day, and more recently a bit more luxuriously, including other parts of Indonesia, but the sheer lack of transportation and the chaos I think would break me. Say in Thailand, even 20 plus years ago the bus station was easy to find, buses were clean and roads half decent and most people spoke enough English to get from A to B. Sumatra now seems like even with a smart phone you’d struggle.

Eugenie nicking that cab was outrageous. When she said she’d found God I made some sort of noise, which my kids all pounced on and said it’s not fair to criticize someone’s religion…. and I was like well ok but she’s a hypocrite. I give Isobel a bit more leeway because she was at least mortified and was saying they shouldn’t.

Do the teams themselves know how much they’ve got left compared to one another? Because S&V have got loads comparatively and could probably afford at this stage to get a private car all the way through Java. I don’t see why S is still insistent on penny pinching when they’ve lost their momentum and have probably double what the others have left? They need to start just whizzing at this rate. Also people need to buy or get maps even if it costs money to actually get clear where they’re going. The going the wrong way situations have been nuts!

I'm so glad the boys went surfing, and B&J are getting a new found sibling relationship out of this trip. As one of the Masterchef finalists parent’s said “they’re already a winner” and the siblings really have gained something beautiful out of this whole thing. They’ve won in that sense already 🥹