Five years ago a new show dropped on BBC Two with little warning or fanfare. In it, five pairs were given a budget of £1,329, and tasked with the challenge of travelling from London to Singapore. The catch? They had no phones, and couldn't travel by plane, instead relying on public transport, the kindness of strangers and a lot of questionable meals. If they reached the final destination first, they won £20,000. After just one episode, everyone was addicted, and by the end of the series it was one of the channel's most watched shows of the year. Of course, we're talking about the legendary Race Across The World.
In the half decade since, the series has moved over to BBC One and launched a celebrity spin-off series, with the highly anticipated fourth season launching tomorrow [9th April 2024]. Race Across The World is unique in its ability to bring together a whole family, thanks to its reflection of 'normal' people who take part. It has everything; from gripping 'oh my god what are they doing!' moments, to heart warming acts of kindness from strangers, via sweet moments of kinship between partners.
One person who knows all too well the power the show has to bring people together is Monique Ajayi, who competed on series three alongside her dad Ladi. The pair were firm fan favourites, often praised for their close relationship, Monique's intense planning and Ladi's laidback kind nature.
Ahead of the release of season four, Monique is lifting the lid on exactly how the series is made.
"I was binging the show in lockdown because obviously we couldn't travel. I was quite well travelled before doing the show, but never as a backpacker. So I just thought, 'This sounds right up my street' because I love going to different countries. And my dad was the only person who indulged me enough to do it," Monique laughs over the phone, as she recalls why she wanted to apply for Race Across The World season three.
The third series of the BBC show took place in Canada, and saw five pairs, including Monique and her dad Ladi, and eventual series winners Tricia and Cathie, race from Vancouver to St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
The series came out in 2023, but Monique's process for the show began two years earlier when she started applying for the show. The process is multi-staged and involves classic questionnaires, as well as contestants submitting videos of themselves (Monique filmed hers while Ladi was cooking on the BBQ) and a series of interviews.
Participants who got through the early stages of the application progress were then invited to London, where they did a mini race to test their abilities. "We had to get to the pergola in Battersea Park," Monique explains. "They took our phones and money, and dad figured out the way."
Monique and Ladi found they had been accepted into the show two months before they headed off. At that point, the contestants aren't told anything about their journey and they also can't tell anyone else about the show they're taking part in. Which, as you can imagine, lead to a lot of confusion in Monique's groupchats when she disappeared off the face of the Earth.
All the partner teams are provided with is a rough packing list that tells them to prepare as if "you're going to between minus 10 degrees and 35 degrees." Not an easy feat when you only have a small bag, but Monique still managed to pack her essentials.
"I need to have my skincare routine. That's a big thing for me. So I had my cleanser, my retinol, my SPF, my moisturiser," she laughs. Oh, and she 100 per cent kept up the routine on the road btw.
As for their preparation, there wasn't much the teams could do to get themselves ready for the biggest journey of their lives, with Monique explaining they tried to workout where they would be going due to previous series.
"I thought we were going to be going through Africa, and [fellow contestant] Claudia thought the same," she said.
The teams eventually found out they were travelling to Canada when they arrived at the airport, and had their phones taken off them. They only find out the destination of the first check point when they're walking up to it. It's also when the teams meet for the first time, as they all spend a few days in holding before filming begins.
Filming took around two months and saw the teams cross one side of Canada to the other. As with every series of Race Across The World the production team do a recce of the journey to make sure it can actually be done in the time and budget. So when it comes to the teams' journey, there's technically no excuse for it not getting done.
But that didn't stop one team, Claudia and Kevin, running out of money (seriously - all those taxis Kevin!) and having to leave the series before the final leg. Marc and Michael were also eliminated in episode three after failing to reach the check point in time.
The check points were the only time the contestants were really aware of each other's progress, unless of course they occasionally ran into each other on the road. They're also the only time the participants don't have to use their budget for food, with Monique insisting that production crew don't give them any food while on the road. They have to source it - and pay for it - all themselves.
"I wish they gave us sneaky snacks!" Monique said. "It is literally all from your budget."
As previously reported by the BBC, each team has two members of production with them, but they don't make any decisions about the routes taken. There is also a medical member of staff on hand should any accidents occur.
Unlike other reality shows where methods of telling the time are banned, the contestants are allowed to wear a watch, but due to time zones, they still struggled getting to certain places.
"Sometimes you wouldn't know the time zone. I remember we were trying to get to the job at the barbecue place and we said we'd get there for 10am. Someone was giving us a lift and we mentioned the time we had to be there and she was like '10 o'clock has been and gone', " she explained. "It is really easy to forget the time zone and that's why you miss buses sometimes."
Books are also allowed, with the contestants frequently swapping books when at the checkpoints. Monique reveals she didn't engage in reading for much of the trip, but one of her biggest pieces of advice for future contestants is to take some reading material.
She also says being yourself is the key to getting a coveted position on the series. "I've had so many people DMing me asking for tips [for applying], but honestly it's just being yourself. You've got to go into it with no expectations. As soon as you try to be something you're not and live up to what you think they're looking for. You're not being yourself, and it's not authentic."
As for her stand-out memory from the trip? Waking up, after a night of camping by a frozen lake. "It was so special and it was so quiet and no one was around, and I just thought 'Who gets to do this'?"
Race Across The World begins on 10 April on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiaWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNvc21vcG9saXRhbi5jb20vdWsvZW50ZXJ0YWlubWVudC9hNjA0MzAxNjkvcmFjZS1hY3Jvc3MtdGhlLXdvcmxkLXdoYXQtaXRzLWxpa2UtdG8tdGFrZS1wYXJ0L9IBAA?oc=5
2024-04-09 16:15:36Z
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