Race Across the World viewers have been left complaining after noticing an apparent uptick in the number of “sob stories” featured on the programme.
The BBC One reality travel series returned in April for a fifth season, which sees contestants begin the 14,000km race from The Great Wall of China and then navigate China and Nepal before reaching the finish line at Kanniyakumari – the southernmost tip of India.
Each contestant has a £1,000 budget and must navigate their route spending as little as possible to compete for the £20,000 prize.
This year’s contestants are Welsh couple Fin and Sioned; sisters Elizabeth and Letitia; brothers Brian and Melvyn; and mother and son Caroline and Tom.
Wednesday night’s episode (27 May) saw a range of contestants discuss their personal lives, such as health problems and family hardships, with 18-year-old Fin tearfully reflecting on being diagnosed with diabetes at 11 and having a tumour removed from his head two years later.
“That was horrific, being rushed up to a bigger hospital,” he said. “Obviously, you think you are going to die. Now I don't take anything for granted.”
Some viewers have argued that the show has shifted its focus towards the personal backstories of the contestants, rather than the race itself.
One viewer wrote on X/Twitter: “This series producers have ruined #raceacrosstheworld with long drawn out sob story segments, it’s too much! People watch for the locations, the experiences and the excitement,” as another added: “Can we just stop with all the sob stories, same thing every week. Didn't used to be like this.”
“It has become less about the race and more about people crying on camera,” added one fan, as another said: “These people are watchable enough, they are all worthy. Please stop forcing sob stories, it’s not X Factor.”
One person said they felt the depth of the contestants’ backstories had become a requirement to be cast on the show, writing: “The thing that frustrates me about all the sob stories is that it appears to have to be a pre-requisite to have one to be accepted on the programme, which if true then denies other people who both really want the experience and would make entertaining TV the chance.”
However, others have argued that having an insight into the contestants’ lives is an essential part of the programme. In a Reddit thread titled “Sob Story Across the World,” one commenter said: “The sob stories can get a bit irritating, but that’s on the producers, not the contestants. They clearly ask them the questions.”
Another argued: “I feel like the sob stories have been in it pretty much from the start though. Estranged son, childhood illness etc.”
In the same episode on Wednesday night, sisters Elizabeth and Letitia discussed how their family lost their home when Letitia was 14.
Letita, the youngest of the two, told her older sister that she felt she wasn’t there for the family during that time, since she had moved abroad to Italy aged 18.
“There was a moment when support wasn't present really,” she told her sister. “I just felt ashamed about it and embarrassed.”
Elizabeth said she felt guilty over the fact that her sister had nobody to confide in, adding: “I didn't experience the hardest times that you guys felt.” They both agreed they felt good about being open.
Race Across The World continues on Wednesdays at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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