Celebrity Race Across the World has pretty strict rules for the stars who take part in the reality series.
The stars set off on the 12,500 km long, challenging journey from the gateway to the Amazon in Belém in northern Brazil to the south of Chile. There are five checkpoints along the way where the stars have to fight for the top spots. They travel across South America and the finish line is in the Andes, Frutillar in southern Chile.
Sound easy enough? It is – but there are some pretty strict rules that make it all the more interesting. Many previous contestants have said Race Across the World is the hardest show on TV. This year’s Jeff Brazier admitted it’s harder than SAS Who Dares Wins.
So what are the rules and are they ever broken?
Kindness of strangers
Contestants must rely on the kindness of strangers, a major theme and a healthy element of the celebrity spin-off and civil series. Strangers are allowed to help stars by giving them a free or discounted ride, a place to stay, or even tips on where something is.
Behind the scenes, however, there are rules when it comes to enlisting the help of strangers. Stars are not allowed to accept money from participating strangers. Race Across the World 2024 competitors told Yahoo: “We had to turn down money… That’s not allowed. We can’t accept it.”
Read more: Celebrity race around the world
Race participants Stephen and Viv explained that the kindness of strangers was the most rewarding part of filming the show. Stephen told Yahoo: “We get asked regularly what the best part was. What was the best place you’ve been to? That’s a hard one to answer, but the people we’ve met in every country have been so lovely. So helpful. Friendly. Welcoming. Just wonderful.”
Viv agreed: “Sometimes we didn’t even have to ask for help. Sometimes they saw us. Sometimes we cried. They came over and offered to help. It’s incredible how much help they offered us.”
Forbidden transport and broken rules
The stars must reach their destination without using a plane, as flights are banned in both the celebrity and civilian series. Instead, the contestants must use other forms of transport, from cars to boats and trains, as well as night buses, which are always a popular transport option in the series as they help save money and travel time.
There have been two exceptions to this rule over the years. During the filming of Race Across the World 2024, the stars were not allowed to travel through China. The contestants were flown from Sokcho to the Vietnamese capital Hanoi. The show sparked a huge online discussion at the time of its broadcast.
A spokesperson for Race Across The World told Yahoo: “At the time of route planning, it was not possible to route production through China due to time constraints and travel difficulties in the wake of the global pandemic, so a flight from Seoul to Hanoi was organized.”
This isn’t the only time contestants have had to take a flight during filming on this show. TV bosses organised air travel when contestants had to take a flight over Ecuador due to civil unrest during filming of season two. It’s important to note that there is no unfair advantage as the stars leave in the same order they arrived at the last checkpoint, which is what is shown on TV.
The 2024 Race Across the World saw a major rule change because the race was held in Japan. Bullet trains remain the fastest and most convenient way to get around the country, so of course they were banned in this series.
Get jobs
The stars of Celebrity Race Across the World must complete this epic journey on a budget set by TV bosses, usually the price of a plane ticket. Bank cards are not allowed and are confiscated when the series begins filming.
Of course, the money soon runs out, so the stars have to do jobs along the way. This can be almost anything, from herding ducks to waiting tables and cleaning. The participants often take on one job per stage. It’s also a great way for the stars to experience the local culture.
Participants in the race said they made sure to take a calculator with them on the trip, convinced that it could help the stars win the BBC show.
No Google Maps
Phones are banned and confiscated from contestants of Celebrity Race Across the World and the civilian series right from the start. The stars of the show have to get back to basics when it comes to planning their trip around the world.
Forget Google Maps, instead they have to rely on the paper copy they receive on the show. However, Race Across the World stars Alfie and Owen managed to lose their map in the first episode of the civilian series 2024, but that didn’t stop them from winning the show. They were able to pick up another map along the way.
Watch Celebrity Race Across the World on Wednesday 14 August at 9pm on BBC One. Watch the trailer for the 2024 series below.
