Celebrity 2024 - Episode 1

Episode one is always more an introduction to the teams and their general dynamic then a real insight into how they will race long term. They’ve flown to Brazil, they haven’t done any hitchhiking yet, and the concept of a long bus journey is one that takes over half an hour. Over the course of the episode though this develops as the realness of the race kicks in.

In this episode Kelly & Jeremy had the biggest adjustment, with Kelly starting by dropping a lipstick, planning a beach based route and turning her nose up at the idea of a night bus. They took a coastal route at first, but after planting mangrove seedlings in Braganca for bed and board they ended up stuck with transport and heavily delayed.

Previously the far quieter member of the team Jeremy put his foot down with a hilarious observation it would take them 200 days travelling at this rate. Forcing a 14 hour bus journey on a shocked Kelly he turned their team around, suggesting that they might be strong contenders if he takes firmer charge from the outset.

Power imbalance was also on display with Jeff &Freddy, with Jeff the natural leader but wanting to push Freddy more by forcing him to lead.

Jeff was incredibly patient pushing Freddy to decide on a route and generally trying to follow his plans, although he didn’t always act the most happy about it which will likely bring more conflict in later legs.

Freddy's slowly chosen route took them off the beaten path to a remote farm, where they worked for bed and board and seemed to work out pretty well. But the next day they had to walk back to the bus, discovering that remote in Brazil really means remote and an exit plan should be considered.

I think this team might be most likely to blow up during the race, but also have the most to gain from the journey and I’m looking forward to what Freddy can do with a bit more confidence in later legs.

Kola & Mary however seemed filled with confidence from the outset. Not confident about their skills, as their close friendship meant they spent more time mocking each other than saying anything positive, but very confident in their team and relaxed about the race.

Probably a little too relaxed, some blagged bus tickets giving them an earlier boost that meant they spent a lot of time touring sand dunes and spending money on a pricey taxi.

They’re definitely looking to be the most fun team, but they might have to get a bit more serious about the race, leaving this episode without even hitting the checkpoint yet with also the lowest budget!

More budget conscious were Scott and Sam who headed straight for a confectionery job in the Cerrado and seemed to live up to Scott’s description of Sam as “the tightest person I know”.

They came across as very competent, both as a team and as racers, and not too phased by the rough travel. They even managed to make a weird job work despite a lack of language skills I think will prove pretty handy during the several checkpoints across brazil.

Heading for Teresina they ended up on the same bus to as Jeff and Freddy, but opted to take a taxi from Fortaleza while the father and son hitched, giving them a time boost, but at a cost to their funds.

As the teams checked into Canoa Quebrada, Kelly and Jeremy (led by Jeremy’s more time conscious push) had managed to nab first place. Scot and Sam’s taxi got them ahead of Jeff and Freddy, while the later couple started to argue a little about the route to the checkpoint hotel.

Meanwhile Kola and Mary were still living their best lives, no-where near the checkpoint with a time difference we’ll have to wait the next episode to find out.

That leaves the current standings as:

1st	Kelly & Jeremy	-	84%
2nd	Scott & Sam	+1h 5m	85%
3rd	Jeff & Freddy	+2h 11m	88%
4th	Kola & Mary	+24h	80%

That will of course all change in episode 2 - maybe Kola and Mary will rush the next leg to catch up? Maybe Scot and Sam’s custard creams will run out and they’ll lose their energy. Maybe Jeremy will again drag Kelly past the tourist spots to another solid victory?

Think you can predict who’ll get there first? You can register your prediction here.