Race Across The World Series 5 Thread 2

[TwentyKittens]

With only five posts left on the old thread, thought I'd start this so we can link between the two.

This thread carries on from the first:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/5314933-race-across-the-world?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

She was so upset when she didn't get it, she wanted a new kitchen, good on her for trying though

Yes, I mentioned it in a previous post where I said the ratings were high so they wouldn't change it.

If it had started off like this I wouldn't have got past series 1, episode 1.

It's changed to suit a different demographic. Those of us from the old demographic are mourning the loss of a better (to us) show.

Ratings have grown with awareness, I'm not convinced the new viewers who've joined welcome THIS MUCH back story. A bit is fine, as it used to be.

I've found some of the comments on here about Caroline (and others to a less degree) horrible and quite unwarranted, and largely down to the format of making it personality led. She obivously adores her son and had the time of her life doing the race. Good for them both. She's brought up Tom well, he's a lovely boy. Good luck to them both.

Totally agree with this point. I feel it’s become more of a personality led reality show with the constant prompts about the back story unfortunately.

I know I mentioned it before but I just find it HUGELY suspicious that after 50 days of travel they arrived within 3 hours of each other and it happens EVERY series

I do hope the production team improve the editing in the next series. Like PPs said - a better balance of the actual travel and back stories would be more entertaining. If you are going to show back stories make them less repetitive and ask the contestants a variety of questions about their lives and actually show the answers or natural conversations between them. The editing is following a rising trend in so many shows, like Love Island or IACGMOOH where very little action is shown and it’s mainly taking heads. Traitors too. Making potentially interesting TV shows much duller than they should be. It’s lazy editing.

I have no real idea how Caroline and Tom’s route led them to arrive 20 mins before the rest. I would love to see more of the journeys that showed us really about the race. But perhaps it is not real, hence they can’t show it! Also more interested in the food instead of the endlessly repeated back stories.

Although I love this show, I do think producers are wrong saying viewers want more personal stories.

so many tuned in to this series based on how the last few years have been, I hope the next one has the personal stories but also more similar to series one and show more of the travel- the food/experiences/cost of things, as that’s what made the show so interesting.

I end up stop watching shows when it becomes about the sob story instead of what it was originally about.

I find myself scrolling my phone during the repetitive back stories. Also, Caroline and Letitia were the ones becoming unpopular (on here), because they did the most talking

I typed the following out on my laptop at lunch time but didn't press post for some reason and I've been out/busy since then. Just now sat down at desk and the tab is still open. The thread has probably moved on a lot but I still want to say it - apologies if it's repetitive or making the thread go backwards:

I don't think Betty is an authority on RATW just because she's been on it.

We've seen some unpleasantness towards individual contestants on this thread, true, (and that's a shame) - but mainly the people who are complaining here are complaining about the imbalance between the travel and race aspects of the show and the amount of air time given over to discussing the contestant's pasts.

I'm not really sure I need a nail-biting finish to enjoy it either, but I doubt that's ever going to change. I wonder how the sisters didn't know they were second when Caroline and Tom were supposedly there only 19 minutes before them. How could they have not seen in all that wide open space?

Just watched. I did feel annoyed that Caroline and Tom won tbh!

i’m not sure if I will watch the next series tbh. Will probably depend on the route but if they skew it the way they have this time I think that’ll be the end. I really don’t like reality tv and this is the only one I watch

Just watched. I did feel annoyed that Caroline and Tom won tbh!

Me too. I just couldn't take to either of them, Caroline in particular.

Well done T&C for winning the race. Loved the brothers’ attitude all the way through and especially at the end when they didn’t win. A good series that could be so much better - hopefully a different producer/intent next time.

I was very mean about Caroline and Tom yesterday, and if you’re reading this Caroline,and Tom, please accept my apologies it was uncalled for.
But I think the producers dropped a bollock here, too much back story, and not enough travelogue.
I want to see the culture, the scenery and the people the pairs met. And how much it would cost and the time to do much the same journey.

It’s part of the religion.
Wealth purification and redistribution.

Like others I don't watch the vast majority of reality shows, and only got hooked on this because of the down to earth contestants, the travel and everything related to travel, and the lack of navel gazing. If it's going to continue to be more story focused, that's a big snoozefest for me. I already fastforwarded through loads of the talking this series, and with everyone. I'd only ever done with that twat on the Canada series. Taxi Man.

One thing good though is that the contestants continue to be ‘ordinary people’ rather than wannabe z-listers.

I’ve just finished watching Series 4 and while there was too much back story, there was a great mix of personalities and tension between them. They were genuinely interesting people so I didn’t mind the stories taking over more than I’d have liked

I would absolutely watch a travel show with different couples covering this journey on a tight budget. It would be great to see how they balanced finances etc.

Why is the only alternative to repeating the same back stories each week a robot?

Yes I think they misjudged it.

i don’t want all the candidates to have a sob story. What about a pair who just want to take part in the race because they like spending time together and want an adventure?

I also think they had way too much talking to camera when in previous series you saw the relationship through their interactions and that was a lot more interesting

it felt a lot more set up - it seems obvious they were basically told the routes and the first teams got to pick them off first to ensure variety

I would like it if the teams had more time to get to each checkpoint, and we got to see them visiting more places en route, and seeing more of the country via the set up jobs and home stays. Say, instead of a race, they give the teams xxx days to reach a check point, and if they miss the deadline then they're out. I love watching the pairs working or staying with local people.

I’d love it if they would do an extended version or an extra bit like they do with Bake Off. An after show with one of the contests and someone who knows the area. They could show extra clips, talk more about the place, food etc.

I agree there was a lot (too much) of talking to camera.

at the end of the last series i complained to my dm, there was too much about relationships, she reckoned that was what it was about!
anyway i enjoyed the previous series so much more, this one, generally missed the spot and i forced myself to watch it

the leap to robots was one of the biggest I’ve ever seen - even on here!