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!

I'm at the stage where I don't give a flying fuck about the family home, or why Elizabeth was in Italy, or why Letitia became withdrawn.

Like others have said, the drip feeding in this series has just been ridiculous.

Even with Brian and Melvyn, I thought Oh god, we're not going to hear this AGAIN are we? I feel sympathy for them, think they're pretty awesome the way they've come on the show and have mended their relationship. Can we now just see them have the same sorts of crazy happenings as the awful room in episode 1, Brian on the zip wire, and Melvyn's chair collapsing. PLEASE!!!

And it's also annoying that Caroline has not mentioned once that she took up eventing (perhaps to try and be someone outside of the home) as it's both interesting and ties in really well with her realising she needed and wanted something much bigger!

I wonder how the girls parents feel about all this being aired as none of it shows them in a good light really ( especially as we don’t know what actually did happen )
Better to know the whole story , but the producer obviously doesn’t think like that !

Elizabeth is 33, Letitia 26, so quite a big gap.

They are two siblings of four, and as Elizabeth said last night they're the middle two.

Letitia didn't seem happy with this description and said Elizabeth was the second sibling and that she, Letitia, was the middle sibling. Which seemed a bit of a weird and pedantic way of describing their places in the family.

A brother was mentioned.

Are they even full siblings I wonder? Going by the drip feeding in this series, it wouldn't surprise me if they weren't, but it was only revealed in the last half hour of the last episode.

I'm at the stage where I don't give a flying fuck about the family home, or why Elizabeth was in Italy, or why Letitia became withdrawn.

I agree .

Caroline might well have mentioned this but it could have been edited out as it doesn't fit the narrative.

I do think earlier series focused better on the challenges of the journey and travel- not this constant drip feed of the contestants' relationships. Like others, I don't care at all about Elizabeth and Letitia's supposed communication difficulties.

The backstories are dragging the series down. It's become Fix Your Relationship instead of Race Across the World.

There was a perfect opportunity in last night's programme for Caroline to mention the eventing .. maybe it was edited.

Also was Tom an only child and at boarding school? Blimey she could have done loads of other stuff, even if she didn't work.

Exactly! I kept waiting for her to mention it...and waiting! When she was picking up the elephant poo she even said that this was what she was used to!

I thought Tom was an only child but could well be wrong. Maybe he's her youngest as she had him when she was about 40 I think.

We only started watching this series, so simultaneously watched series 1. There was a bit of back story but nowhere near as much, and it was better for it. There is no need for it. Its not x factor!

@Ellephanting yes sorry, I did not mean to imply that introversion and neurodivergence are synonymous. I meant that I think they are both introverted in nature, but I also suspect they may be neurodivergent on top of that. Agree to disagree on that one!

I bet Caroline did mention eventing and it was removed from the edit as it didn't suit the narrative.
Previous contestants have said "they don't show the 20 people you ask who blank you" - I wonder if some of the OTT on backstories this series has partly been refusal to film? They have to get permission from anyone who appears on the programme IIRC.

Came here to whinge about the very same issue - I want to see the race, where they sleep, bathe, interact, the places they visit. For me, it isn't about the back stories at all.

On Sioned, I really felt for her. I have visited India twice and felt exactly as she did on both occasions. Hot and tired, chaos, smells and noise everywhere and so many people pawing and wanting something from you, it's just way too much. I am not ND and not even very introverted but India overwhelmed me.

But she must have known it would be like that when she agreed to go.
I also found her annoying. I wouldn't ever apply because I know I couldn't cope if she is as sensitive as she appeared then I wonder why she applied and even more surprised she got through the selection process.

It’s interesting to know more about the contestants but they are really stretching the back stories.

I was annoyed at Caroline saying that she hasn’t done anything for herself when she is a champion eventer. Nothing wrong with being an at home parents, no judgement on that at all, but don’t make out you done nothing other than push a vacuum cleaner for the last 20 years.

I think he is the only one because at one point she said something about her whole life being about supporting thomas and her husband. She didn't mention any other children

I wonder if the contestants watch it back ( or see it before it goes out) and are a bit ‘ hmm’ 🤔
I can imagine so much is edited out / left out.

Yep same. I didn’t speak for a few days.
And I’m first gen

I think the show is really missing Yin and Gaz. However the producers would still really have milked her grief story.

I'm glad Sioned and Fin had a great meal with that mother and daughter. The food looked delicious!

I think Tom is quite sweet now.

Sioned looked really rested and somehow reset after the home stay. I'm glad they had that experience, the food looked lovely.

I hope the brothers win, Caroline is very competitive which bits with horse riding it annoys me that this is either cut out of the edit or she doesn't say it, especially when she talks about having grown up on the farm.

I also wonder about the budgets they seem quite healthy this year we haven't even had that many charts of how much money they have had left.

I'd also like something about those roads they look absolutely terrifying and how do they sleep on those buses do they get any sleep, they look much more rested than other previous contestants and able to keep going day after day with bus sleeps.

I do think it's well cast though, and people are interesting but I will be furious if we get to the end of the series and all the drip feeds don't turn into anything..

It said at the beginning the budget was lower than usual this year.

When it's all over I expect all the contestants will be giving interviews and we'll find out more if we want to.

I'm glad Fin stepped up because I'd been wondering why she was with him. I'm suprised the producers haven't made more of his diabetes. Like how does he access more insulin or make sure his diet is OK when things are going wrong and they are stuck somewhere?

I think they haven't mentioned Caroline's eventing because there's a risk then people will just view her as a rich sahm horsey person and lose sympathy. It's not a relatable past time for most people, with the outfits and cost. She'd go from being an unfulfilled mum to someone who could afford not to work, had a horse and was good at a hobby and is still moaning they didn't make the most of life. Not my view I must add, I'm just speculating!

I don't know what to make of the sisters but I'm so over all that! What sort of deep heart to hearts are they needing? I dunno as many siblings could spend 5 weeks like that together and still be talking to each other, let alone deep and meaningfuls.

If that was the plan re Caroline I think it's backfired. I don't find her relatable at all.

I wonder if part of Sioned’s overwhelm was also being very young, female and blond so attracting a lot of curiosity in those busy cities.

I’m pretty robust and I would have been as overdone as Sioned in India. It looks completely overstimulating. I don’t like mountain roads with drops and hairpin bends either, so the choices of city hopping or mountain routes were both unappealing. One of the things I like about RATW is the try before you buy aspect. I have no plans to visit India.

The series that went through central and south America was a completely different story. I liked the look of several countries and would love to visit.

I'm tiring of the back stories being repeated continually. Totally fed up with the sisters' side eye glances at each other. I don't dislike Tom and his mum but if he was an only child at boarding school, what did she spend her time doing?
Poor Finn - no mention made of his diabetes as he's too busy soothing Sioned. It must be a nightmare controlling T1 in that heat and adjusting insulin for meals.