Series 5 - Episode 1 recap

So week one is where we get our first look at the teams, and the teams get their first real look at the route. Interestingly almost all the teams seemed more experienced with travel than I think in previous series, although not in the ultra budget conscious Race Across the World way.

The teams started as normal - all five couples scattering in different directions as the starting pistol fired. One early difference highlighting the ages of the teams was that Fin & Sioned and Elizabeth & Letitia picked the stairs to race away from the starting point, while the teams with older knees followed a more flat path!

The first advantage was to Fin & Sioned, the youngest team and the least experienced travelers. They were slow to leave at first, stopping to plan while others kept moving, but by the end of the first day they were the only team to make it out of Beijing.

The young couple make a good team, working together and happy in each other's company. Their dropped jaws at discovering Chinese food wasn’t quite like their local takeaway suggests they may have a lot to learn about travel, but Fin’s willingness to ask a local how to eat a chicken foot (and then regretting it) suggests they’re very happy to talk to locals and try to get assistance when they need it. However while their route was fast, they played it safe taking the more touristy coastal route to Shanghai which may have had a big effect on their budget.

Brian & Melvyn took a different approach, after getting almost instantly lost in Beijing they took the more rural inland route to Luoyang, aiming to work for bed and board and see some more traditional areas of the country.

Actually Melvyn was pushing to go the more direct route, while Brian insisted on the scenic way, suggesting some possible disagreements in how they approach the race.

In fact the two men come across very similar, not quite two peas in a pod, but maybe two eggs in a carton. While they might have different lifestyles and expectations, they clearly both enjoy a laugh, almost breaking down together when their first job gave them a very dingy room as a reward.

Elizabeth & Letitia also had a lot of laughs during the show, but they felt slightly less comfortable with each other somehow. They had the clearest advantage in communication, with Letica having lived in China for 6 months she could speak significant Chinese, allowing the girls to take a quick lead on the route to beijing, and making it easier during their job picking pomegranates in Bengbu.

Along with working they seemed keen to protect their budget, taking a 9 hour overnight train in 3rd class to avoid the more expensive tickets. On the other hand they were the only team shown to take a taxi in this leg, so their desire to arrive quickly might top their budgeting priorities.

Almost at the other end of the scale are Gaz & Yin, who appeared to spend the least while also dawling along for much of the episode. While Fin & Sioned had made their way out of Beijing before the end of day 1, the former partners were the only team who didn’t even make it to the capital, staying the first night in Huairou having missed the connecting bus.

They then continued to amble along in the episode, visiting Qufu the birthplace of Confucius and seemingly adopting the energy and speed of the ponderous Chinese philosopher.

But the two clearly have a strong friendship, and managed to catch up to the leading teams by the end, so their approach was clearly more effective than it looked.

The same however could not be said for Caroline & Tom. The mother and son started strong, Tom keen to lead the way Caroline keen to see the world. And yet somehow they got stuck in Beijing for two nights, in events that didn’t totally get explained. I think the two had decided on a route and didn’t want to change it even when tickets were sold out, but every team went somewhere different after Beijing, so I’m not sure why they didn’t re-route and find a different way.

The challenge did however show Caroline will be more than a simple observer, the mum stepping in as Tom got overwhelmed by the options.

Their route still hit problems though when they did get moving, as they took a rather weird turn towards Hefei, a 380 km detour and making them the only team not to reach the checkpoint by the end of the episode.

Huangling

The others however had a pretty close race getting to the checkpoint in Huangling. Elizabeth & Letitia took their taxi to get a lead, then blew some time not checking which cable car they were on. Fin & Sioned were close behind and better at following instructions, and Gaz & Yin were finally showing some speed as they raced across the bridge to the first sign in.

The end result put the girls only 3 hours ahead of Fin & Sioned, with Gaz & Yin just another four hours later. Brian & Melvyn appear to be around 17 hours behind the leaders, with the expectation that Caroline & Tom may be as much as 24 hours behind.

The budgets have not been revealed, although the biggest drain seems to have been in Beijing, so the teams that avoid staying in the capital (Fin & Sioned, Gaz & Yin) are likely to have a bit more handy, while the team that stayed there twice and is taking a detour (Caroline & Tom) are not likely to be looking as healthy.

1st	Elizabeth & Letitia	-	??%
2nd	Fin & Sioned	+3h 4m	??%
3rd	Gaz & Yin	+7h 14m	??%
4th	Brian & Melvyn	+17h ?	??%
5th	Caroline & Tom	??h	??%

But that doesn’t mean much right now, several past series have seen contestants zip from last to first, or overspend early to try to get a lead. Think you can guess who’ll  sign in first for checkpoint two? Want to make your new prediction for which team will win the series? Predictions are open until the show starts!