Race Across The World is set to reach the final on Wednesday, with the four remaining couples battling it out to win £20,000.
They include friends Alfie and Owen, siblings Betty and James, Eugenie and her daughter Isabel, and couple Stephen and Viv.
Viewers have been gripped by the pairs, learning how Alfie’s mother died when he was just five years old, how Betty is unable to have children because she has the condition MRKH, which mean she doesn’t have a uterus, and how Stephen once suffered a near-fatal heart attack.
In recent weeks they have travelled an impressive 15,000 kilometres across East Asia from Hokkaido, Japan without any phones, money or bank cards or plane tickets, with the contestants aiming to reach Lombok in Indonesia first in a bid to win the cash prize.
And they have revealed who fans of the show could see them beaten at the last final ahead of Wednesday’s final episode.
Race Across The World will the final on Wednesday, with the four remaining couples battling it out to win £20,000 – and the contestants have revealed who could beat them for the win (Owen and Alfie pictured)
In recent weeks they have travelled an impressive 15,000 kilometres across East Asia from Hokkaido, Japan without any phones, money or bank cards or plane tickets (Eugenie & Isabel pictured)
When Betty and James were asked who their biggest competition going into the final leg was, Betty replied: ‘Alfie and Owen are definitely our biggest competitors, they’re quite a way ahead of us, so we’ve just got to do what we can to catch up.’
On what winning would mean to her, Betty added: ‘I think the experience we’ve had, the people we’ve met and the things we’ve done are worth way more than winning ever could.
‘More than anything we just want to complete it.’
And on if they would do the show again, James said: ‘I’d 100% do it again. I would know what to do and what not to do.
‘And yes, I would definitely recommend it as well. I think it’s one of the things that you would just never think about ever doing.’
On who Alfie and Owen thought could beat them for the win, Owen said: ‘Eugenie and Isabel have been right on our tail.
‘From leg one they’ve been our biggest rivals and that hasn’t really changed.’
On the possibility of winning the series, Alfie said: ‘For me, I think I could earn £10k in a much more calm, zen way! But it’s all to do with knowing that this is once in a lifetime and to make the most of that we have to come out as the winners. That’s what it’s always been about for me.’
Four pairs now remain, including friends Alfie and Owen, siblings Betty and James (pictured) Eugenie and her daughter Isabel, and couple Stephen and Viv
Four remaining couples will be battling it all out to win the £20,000 prize on Wednesday’s episode, after racing across eastern Asia
And on whether he surprised himself during the experience, he added: ‘I actually can’t believe how much of the race just absolutely rattled me.
‘I knew I was competitive, but I didn’t realise that it would cause me to be so grumpy all the time!
‘I think that would be the only regret, that I didn’t for the first six legs just chill out a bit.’
Elsewhere, Stephen and Viv said they thought both Alfie and Owen, and Isabel and Eugenie could cash in on the win.
Viv said:'”It’s got to be Alfie and Owen. And Isabel and Eugenie.’
On whether they surprised themselves while filming the show, Viv added: ‘We’ve found we can actually rough it a little bit more than we ever thought.
‘For our next holiday we’ll be more on the move and get an RV and travel around rather than going to a destination and just staying there.’
Stephen said: ‘I think the biggest thing that surprised me is how little food you need to survive.
‘I couldn’t believe how little we were eating and I genuinely didn’t feel tired or weak or hungry (apart from when I was ill).
‘I also wanted Viv to recognise how good she really is.’
Viewers of the series were raving on Tuesday when, just mere hours from the final, it was announced that they will be given a look behind-the-scenes look of the show.
The special episode will be available after the final, and it was teased it could also be a reunion for the contestants.
Race Across The World fans will be treated to an exciting twist as the series’ final looms (finalists pictured on This Morning on Tuesday)
The show’s official Instagram page wrote alongside a teaser clip: ‘For the first time ever, we’re showing you how the race comes to life!
‘See what happens behind the scenes in the #RaceAcrossTheWorld reunion, Wednesday at 10pm on BBC iPlayer, straight after the grand finale!’
Viewers couldn’t contain their excitement and flooded the recent post with thrilling comments ahead of the eagerly-anticipated final.
‘I love this show and have always wanted to know what happens in the background with cameras, producers etc.
‘For example, do participants have to account for the crew when they’re booking bus tickets, boats and taxis? Do the crew see that bags/maps have been left behind but can’t say anything? It’s such a well made show. Can’t wait to watch it,’ said one person.
‘I genuinely love this show, however all the participants should be able to complete the race and no one should leave’; ‘Favourite programme and fabulous to see behind the scenes’; ‘Brilliant!! Interested to see it’.
Creators of hit BBC series Race Across The World have told how producers and contestants alike face ever-present danger from civil war, natural disasters and local unrest as they travel through some of the globe’s remotest regions.
The show may have inspired wanderlust among millions of viewers, but for those behind the camera, it is one of the most difficult and dangerous jobs in TV.
Its fourth series, which has seen contestants travel from Sapporo, Japan to Lombok, Indonesia, is set to climax this week as the pairs compete to win a life-changing £20,000.
And viewers of the series have been raving when, just mere hours from the final, it was announced that they will be given a look behind-the-scenes look of the show
But the eight episodes and 9,300-mile journey has been beset with problems from the start – with dry runs of the route by producers being impeded by geopolitical issues, the threat of volcanoes and protesters.
Previous series have even seen repeated thefts of camera equipment and producers left stranded at sea for days on end.
For its fourth series, all contestants had to be flown from South Korea to Vietnam during the route due to travel through China being deemed too risky.
Previous series proved that producers cannot be too careful: the second series saw civil unrest break out in Chile, forcing the evacuation of one pair to Argentina.
During filming for series two, the contestants had to race to travel through Bolivia within three days in order to avoid becoming trapped in the country during tense elections.
And in Ecuador, an advance production crew landed to find an approaching uprising, with protesters surrounding the airport, forcing another hasty evacuation.
For this series, the threats were more natural with volcanic activity in both Japan and Indonesia.
Executive producer Stephen Day described how teams are sent out to test the routes beforehand.
He said: ‘People sign up to the recce thinking that it’s going to be one of the most fun jobs in telly but I think it falls a little short of that.’
The teams have to survive on the same amount of money and navigational information as the contestants – and often come across problems.
One such incidence saw a producer stranded at sea for three days on a dry run, and then a further five days during the actual show.
The show’s bosses have to carefully consider which producer to pair with each team due to the stress of the experience, and the fact they will be spending around 50 days together by the end of the series.
Staff accompanying each time – usually a producer and camera operator – also have the added responsibility of ensuring all their equipment is charged, operational and protected, meaning they often get less sleep than the racers themselves.
As well as the time pressure of the journey, and struggle to live frugally, emotions can often run high.
For this series, threats were more natural with volcanic activity in both Japan and Indonesia (pictured Alfie and Owen)
