Race Across the World

[Liquorandvinegar]

New series starting next week - really looking forward to it. The teams are travelling in Asia, but I can't find information about the couples yet. Wednesday nights sorted!

The lobbies of these hotels are always empty, aren't they!!!

Don’t agree, I really like the couples, though I am finding it hard to warm to Fin, and loved the China leg which showed such a different side to China than we usually see. Although I think the heavy hand of the state was still very obvious in the heavily managed Tourist villages and towns. Still fascinating though.

The checkpoint hotels always seem quite nice. Probably a massive relief after all that slog.

That's just mean showing them a picture

That was an intense episode and I will always stand by my original post that I do like them all, but like more than some. It's a long way to go.

I'm starting to wonder if they will actually finish. I do feel for the poor girl.

I am assuming that the checkpoint hotel if free with lovely hot baths, clean towels, comfy beds and laundry facilities. Must make it hard to leave. 🙂

They did oin earlier series but have avoided that kind of thing altogether except where the brothers stayed in episode 1.

Apparently the production crew sort out your laundry while you stay.

Yes, wish they’d lay off the emotional stories. Would love to see more of how they deal with the food and interactions. Can anyone link this thread to the programme makers?

So was mine. He loved India and the people.

The checkpoint hotels look like 5 star or luxury places. I bet they can’t wait to get there on this leg, Sioned in particular. Toms mum has taken to India like a duck to water. It’s hard to be a female tourist as there is a lot of curiosity and she is blonde too so will get a lot of stares and attention.

I thought the choice to have McLeod Ganj where the Dalai Lama lives as a checkpoint was really interesting considering the very curated China part of the trip.

I think the next named Dalai Lama "disappeared" in the mid nineties.

I'm glad they've mentioned Tibet and that a lot of Tibetan exiles are in the town.

Ah quite emotional tonight with the brothers talking about their families and the begging children and the abused elephants 😭.
Im watching it with my teenage son who is desperate to travel and loves all the footage of different places. India does look amazing but I get sensory overload in a busy supermarket let alone there!
Brothers still definitely my favourite but Caroline and Tom are growing on me.

Letitia and her lack of warmth and connection with her sister is starting to grate on me. Elizabeth keeps trying to engage but is met with a blank wall in return. It's getting a bit tiring.

On the other hand the growing bond between the brothers is a joy to watch.

It really is! I was sad that Melvyn didn't want children because of what had happened to him and Brian. But happy that Brian did have a family and broke the cycle of abuse.

Yes, that was sad. I bet he will be a top uncle now they have bonded more.

I also think that Brian being sent to boarding school meant that Melvyn got even more of the lack of love and the abuse, hence not having kids, whereas Brian didn't experience all of it.

That's a good point, although Boarding School seems to have been awful in other ways, it provided something of a buffer.

I don't mind the back stories And although this isn't my favourite series -the South American one was -I still think it's one of the better things on TV.

Delighted for Caroline and Tom coming first with Melvyn and Brian next. Definitely the best of the lot.
Sioned is a nightmare and just makes me want to give her a shake. Fin has the patience of a saint.
The sisters are still on my not sure list.

I’m ok with SOME backstory/emotional journey though I do think it’s a shame as someone mentioned that it now seems unlikely anyone would now get in to do it if they don’t have some hugely emotional backstory… I did see an interview with Yin and Gaz where Yin said she’d applied on a whim and got a call from the producers within half an hour or something. Thought that was very telling because I bet they don’t call everyone who applies within half a hour! Obviously jumped at the chance to have her on the show.

I agree I’d like the focus to be more on the actual journey/race/budget chat etc. And they definitely don’t need to keep going over the same stories again and again without any new details at the expense of showing us more footage of the actual journey. Especially when it’s seemingly what should be a relatively minor backstory like with the sisters, unless there is a huge drip feed there. The producers need to take a step back and look at earlier series which were more interesting and better paced, it can drag a bit at times nowdays though I do still like the show. I also agree it felt a bit manipulative to suddenly spring the fact that Thomas has cerebral palsy on us halfway through, as it does make a lot more sense of him and his mum’s backstory.

I also wish they’d show us a bit more of what they get up to over the few days they’re at the checkpoints, or do that as a special episode or something. Although I do appreciate a tightly edited show generally I feel like they must have so much more interesting footage that just ends up on the cutting room floor which is a shame. I’d like to see more of it basically!

Though maybe the contestants basically just sleep and eat the whole time at checkpoint, it’s probably what I’d do in their shoes 🤣 And I guess the people filming need a break too.

I like Sioned! I think she’s just introverted/possibly neurodiverse with sensory sensitivities? She’s been doing amazingly well for someone with her age and background in this situation I think. I think the same thing about Letitia being introverted/possibly neurodiverse (and although I like her sister too I think she really just doesn’t understand Letitia’s personality at all). As someone else said the show does seem to paint a very negative picture of introverted personalities.

But the brothers are now my favourite as Yin and Gaz have gone 😭

Like others I'm so fed up of the back stories. I just don't care! They seem to drag them out and take up so much of the valuable airtime. Show us the race, the places, the food, the culture etc.