After last week’s episode of Race Across The World, I nearly vowed to swear off the BBC show for good.
Since it burst onto our screens in 2019, I have been a committed and proud viewer of Race Across The World and its celebrity spin-off seasons.
I even made sure to block my Wednesday evenings out in my calendar when the fifth season began airing last month so I wouldn’t miss an episode.
Socialising? Family time? Frankly, who needs either when you can watch two brothers rekindle their dwindling relationship while fishing in China?
Race Across The World is perfect television, but I’m now struggling to overlook one huge flaw: Eliminations.
The premise of the show is simple: Couples who know each other, like friends or partners, backpack thousands of miles without a phone, access to the internet and on a limited budget. Yet as any holidaymaker can attest, these conditions are testing.
The result is some of the most authentic reality TV ever seen. There is no hint of exploitation, and there are certainly no ‘villain edits.’
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Instead, you empathise when you seen someone having a tantrum after a 24-hour bus ride, or laugh long as a contestant bursts into hysterics with a local even though they don’t speak the same language. Race Across The World is an examination of who we are.
Genuinely, the most controversial behaviour in Race Across The World history was season three’s father and daughter pairing Claudia and Kevin’s overreliance on expensive taxis instead of public transport.
So why, when the contestants are the best and most essential part of the show, does Race Across The World insist on eliminations?
It was a televisual injustice to boot former married couple and now best friends Yin and Gaz out of the competition last week. It was refreshing to watch an atypical relationship on screen, showing the myriad forms of love, which are often maligned for more conventional tropes.
Lorraine appeared to notice Race Across The World’s failing. The day of their elimination, Yin and Gaz interviewed on the ITV show and spoke tearfully about their divorce. They clearly had much more to say, and denying them that opportunity is a huge oversight on the BBC’s behalf.
The joy of watching Race Across The World is witnessing relationships tread new ground under the strain of 24/7 company. Without that, although it is a visual feast when couples visit undiscovered corners of the globe like West Sumatra and Azerbaijan, it’s just a travel show.
I’m not alone. Social media is awash with viewers demanding the BBC rethink eliminations. On Reddit, Tappers1975 was among many saying: ‘The whole elimination thing is pretty pointless, especially so early in the race. Not sure it adds much to what’s a great show. If you have to do it, maybe leave it to when there’s two legs left.’
Echoing their sentiment, SomeMaterial shared: ‘The eliminations in this show are so unnecessary, unless they have no money or are so far behind they would never be able to catch up.’
A possible explanation for eliminations in Race Across The World is to add jeopardy. But there is plenty of that in the show already. On more than one occasion, for example, a contestant has misplaced their passport.
In fact, last season’s brother-and-sister duo Betty and James lost them twice. Last episode we also saw Tom scramble to find his money pouch, which had ended up in a bin bag after being left in their hotel room.
Perhaps BBC producers feel the threat of being sent home ramps up the competition. It doesn’t. That aspect of the show is already served by the chance of winning £20,000 by crossing the final checkpoint first.
Arguably, the sense of competition would be even greater if all couples were scrambling at the last hurdle.
I’m not sure I can bear the premature loss of another couple in Race Across The World, as it’s becoming unbearable to watch the best show on TV ruin itself. It’s like going to a Michelin-starred restaurant and discovering Brooklyn Beckham is doing a chef residency.
The BBC needs to act before viewers like me switch off and more rival broadcasters swoop in and clean up.
Race Across The World airs Wednesdays at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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