Celebrity Race Around the World (BBC1)
Celebrity traitors are having a very bad effect on my morality. After three weeks of agonizing over the events at Claudia’s palace, I’m expecting shenanigans and criminal behavior everywhere.
As Eurovision singer Sam Ryder and best mate Kaz Coles collect the maps, instructions and wad of cash needed for their Celebrity Race Across the World trek, they have the opportunity to ruin their rivals’ chances.
Boys were the first to discover the item hidden on the roof in Kuching city of Malaysia. In a twist, there was no one at the starting point yet.
Sam and Kaz could have taken everyone’s money and even their maps. Why not? Nothing in the rules prohibits sabotage. I don’t think I would have rejected it. What kind of monster have I become?
But this is the opposite of traitors. Everyone plays fair. And instead of scarecrows and hooded monks, many of the people they encounter are happy people; So friendly and kind that even Ms. Winkleman’s faith in human nature was restored.
Most obviously in their depths are Princess and Junior Andre, the children of Peter Andre and Katie Price.
Not that it’s easy. Struggling to make ends meet in Melbourne, Australia, nearly 5,000 miles away, they faced grueling overnight buses, insect-infested accommodation and fried food that didn’t always seem quite worth it, on a budget of £840.
Most obviously in their depths are Princess and Junior Andre, the children of Peter Andre and Katie Price. They were floundering from the start: The 18-year-old princess juggled Malaysia and Mauritius, and decided she should live in a country called ‘Melissa’.
His 21-year-old brother, who worked for the London Underground, seems to be a decent guy.
Wise boy. But he was worried to learn that his sister did not know how to press the ‘stop’ button on the bus. This was not the first time he had used public transport, she assured him. She had taken the bus once before also.
It’s a little worrying to realize they’re adults, because I remember the 2004 series of I’m a Celebrity which brought their parents together.
Former Sky’s Soccer Saturday host Jeff Stelling was joined by his son Matt. Their dynamic was similar to that of siblings: Matt was practical and a little anxious, Jeff, 71, was a disaster zoner, but brimming with confidence. By the end of the first day, he had spent a large portion of the budget on a taxi to the station, missed the last bus, and walked back to the beginning, where he booked a hotel.
But they managed to reach the first checkpoint, thanks in large part to Jeff’s unwavering certainty that every door would be open to him.
The early frontrunners were British winning singer Ella Eyre, who took the No. 1 spot with Waiting All Night in 2013, and her best friend from school, Nana Pepper.
The early frontrunners were British winning singer Ella Eyre, who took the No. 1 spot with Waiting All Night in 2013, and her school best friend, Nana Peppera. You could be forgiven for not knowing much about Ella’s music: she releases an album about once every ten years.
But the producers missed a trick as they hung around on the roadside until the small hours for a coach. Of course he was begging for the Waiting All Night soundtrack.
However, who wins is really beside the point. More than any other adventure series on telly, this life-affirming show takes us to places most people wouldn’t even dream of going.
We saw speedboat taxis on the river, saw the harvesting of dwarf coconuts, heard rice planting songs, and witnessed shamanic rituals.
And there is the promise of the orangutans. This is the perfect antidote for celebrity traitors.