Episode 1 - Recap

Intercut with some visually stunning shots of Borneo, this years series started with a new approach - with the teams launched from a GPS alert rather than a common start line and told to find the vantage point over the harmony arch. It took a few teams by surprise, but gave us a very quick insight into the teams approach:

Sam & Kaz leapt into action - unsure where they were going but putting a lot of energy into getting there. Jeff started by complaining he couldn't go any faster, holding Matt back. Ella got distracted by cats but kept up with Nana, while Princess and Junior... well... bumbled around seems the best description. 😄

We weren’t given much idea of the time difference it took for the teams to get to start point, but Ella & Nana made it as Sam and Kaz were leaving so were clearly quite similar. Based on the editing Jeff and Matt weren’t totally far behind, but Princess & Junior were presented as being very slow to get there. The fact they were confused by what a 'vantage point' even was, certainly suggests they found it more confusing than the others, already living up to Junior's summary at the start:

We've never backpacked.

We've never hitchhiked.

We have no experience in this whatsoever

- Junior

But looking at the teams in 'kit gathering' order -

Sam & Kaz started strong, keen to get to the border by the end of day 1. Sam's approach of getting a cat to pick if they went inland or not, showed the more playful side of this team, but the boys clearly meant business as well.

Used to slumming it on tour they showed an early money saving scheme by asking to sleep on the floor of a garage, although by the end of the episode Sam's desire to never spend any money on accommodation has to be broken.

They showed great strengths in this episode, but also some big weakness. Their push to move fast meant they often missed better options, spending a day travelling from Tarang to Pontianak to catch a bus that then went back through Tarang, and the highest use of taxies in this leg. Good natured and keen to connect with locals though, they are clearly a strong team but without a little more planning things may not go their way.

Less impulsive Ella & Nana took a very similar route but found better options than the boys - their bus to the border proving both faster and cheaper and the lads taxi, and rather than travelling back to Pontianak they played a patient game to wait for a bus to come to them.

That approach worked well for them, although it was a risky gamble. Unsure if the bus would stop they could have ended up wasting a day, so not an approach they maybe want to rely on.

More 'planning heavy' were Jeff and Matt - they seemed to identify Pontianak as the transport hub early on so got a bus directly there. Although that left them hanging around at the start for quite a while - which they seemed to fill with beers rather then working for some extra cash. In fact they were the only team who didn't do a job this week, which may indicate less consideration of the budget than the other teams.

That lack of budget concern also appeared in their spending, getting a fast (if relatively costly) boat from Pontianak, and then an expensive taxi from Sukadana to the checkpoint.

Actually more aware of the budget Princess & Junior took the unique decision to head backwards first, taking a bed and board job at a coconut farm so not to spend on accommodation. Princess gave some early concerns, having never been on a bus before - but Junior seems to have a few more life skills having worked some manual labour jobs in the past.

They actually were quite impressive in attitude if not aptitude - they seemed happy to work, accepting of the basic accommodation and not entirely panicking at the complexities of the travel. But they still made clear mistakes, slowest to get across the boarder and realising only after they'd bought tickets that they should have booked a sleeper coach to save on accommodation costs. But that they realised it at all shows a team with decent instincts, and if Princess can survive her 3rd(?) bus trip ever being next to various vomiting passengers, maybe she's got more determination to win this then you might expect.

But in the checkpoint footrace they were nowhere to be seen - Ella & Nana arrived early on Day 4 while Sam & Kaz and Jeff & Matt got there ~2am Day 5. The times are below with a 'last mentioned' budget estimation - showing Jeff & Matt's big taxi run really hitting their budget.

It's not clear how far behind Princess & Junior are - although probably likely to be at least a day behind the girls. Far bigger gaps have been reversed in the shows history though, and being last may motivate them to sprint while Ella & Nana might bask in their lead to see some of the Indonesian wildlife putting them behind... but that's for you to decide!

Having seen the teams in action who do you think will take the second leg? And which team will you place a token on to win the series? Get your prediction in before the second show starts.

1st	Ella & Nana	-	93%
2nd	Sam & Kaz	+18h 18m	??%
3rd	Jeff & Matt	+18h 37m	87%
4th	Princess & Junior		90%