What did you miss?
Race Across The World saw leaders Alfie and Owen drop from first place down to last in the latest episode after a transport nightmare saw them forced to fork out £130 for a taxi.
The best friends had been determined to keep their lead on the BBC travel contest, but an unlucky choice to visit rural Thailand left them stranded when they realised all of the trains were fully booked.
Alfie and Owen were left with no choice but to pay out for a pricey taxi, and found themselves far behind the other four pairs by the end of the leg.
What, how, and why?
Alfie and Owen might have been amongst the leading contestants in each leg of Race Across The World, but viewers thought they had not spent enough time taking in the amazing countries they were passing through in their haste to reach the checkpoints.
So this week, when the best friends decided to take their foot off the gas after winning the previous leg and take in the wildlife in rural Thailand, it seemed like they might have finally got the balance right.
But the 20-year-olds were hit by some incredible bad luck as, on a high from a safari that had included watching elephants in the wild, they tried to book their next journey – only to be told that all of the trains were full.
The pair had no choice but to wait until the next day, filling in their time by going rafting and finally taking some time to enjoy themselves.
However, things were about to get much worse for them as they realised that they would not be able to get a train at all, and needed to take a taxi to the next checkpoint. It ended up being eye-wateringly expensive at £130 for the journey.
It was a galling moment for Alfie and Owen, who had been frugal with their cash in the rest of the race, and who also found themselves drop from first down to last place.
Viewers were worried about their progress, as one person commented on X: “I love seeing Owen and Alfie having fun, but also, GET A MOVE ON GUYS.” Someone else added: “Alfie and Owen are going to be about 3 days behind!”
Another viewer wrote: “I hope Alfie & Owen really step things up during the next leg. Transport went against them tonight and then I felt like they gave up. They deserve to go all the way.”
One concerned fan added: “Alfie and Owen are such lovely lads, they should be proud of themselves. I’m a bit worried they didn’t show them arriving at the hotel. I hope they are still in the race, I’d love them to win.”
But someone else thought the drop down the leaderboard had been worth it, writing: “Sad that Alfie and Owen blew their lead with transport issues but I think they needed that experience on safari and white water rafting to recharge. Both genuinely nice lads, id like to see them win.”
What else happened on Race Across The World?
Alfie and Owen weren’t the only contestants to have a nightmare this week as James lost his money belt at the beginning of the episode – and things were especially tense as he thought he might have lost his passport, too.
James, who is racing with his sister Betty, realised that he didn’t have his money belt with him which also included his passport and the pair began to panic as they would have been out of the race if they could not cross borders.
Luckily, James managed to find the money belt after retracing his steps, although he found all of their Cambodian money totalling £26 had been taken. Luckily, though, his passport was still there, meaning they could stay in the race.
Race Across The World airs on BBC One at 9pm on Wednesdays.
