On Your Marks!
A new batch of celebrities are racing across South America. But how will they cope with just their nearest and dearest for company?
BBC
- Amy Raphael
This article was first published in Radio Times magazine in August 2024.
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In the second celebrity series of Race across the World, four famous faces and a family member travel from Belem in the north of Brazil to Frutillar in southern Chile. As they pass five checkpoints en route there will be no VIP treatment for radio presenter Kelly Brook and her husband Jeremy Parisi, DJ Scott Mills and his fiancé Sam Vaughan, Ted Lasso actor Kola Bokinni and his cousin Mary Ellen Moriarty, and TV presenter Jeff Brazier and his son Freddy. The contestants cannot grab a flight or use a mobile phone and have to rely on a map, a GPS tracker and a small amount of cash: £72 per couple per day. The heat is overwhelming and communication is challenging – fewer than five per cent of Brazilians speak English, for example. Will they stay focused on the finish line, or will the combined stresses of heat, tight finances and, well, each other all prove to be too much?
KELLY BROOK
MODEL AND RADIO PRESENTER, 44, AND HER HUSBAND JEREMY PARISI 39, MODEL AND JUDOKA
Kelly Brook and Jeremy Parisi. BBC
What inspired you to take part?
KELLY The suggestion came from my agent. Jeremy and I binge-watched every series over a weekend. I didn’t think I could sit on a train for eight hours without my phone! But we’d just got married and hadn’t had a honeymoon, so the timing was right; it was something we could do together, completely out of our comfort zone. And Jeremy, who was born in Italy and grew up in France, is brilliant at languages.
JEREMY We’d done so much travelling together, but nothing this special.
Kelly, you mention in the series that it’s time for viewers to see the real you?
KELLY This show came at the right time; I was confident enough to be a bit more open about who I am. For the last few weeks, I wore a really unflattering but very comfy jumpsuit. Equally, if I wanted an upgrade on an overnight bus, it wasn’t about being a diva, it was about being comfortable! I just feel sorry for Jeremy, because he’s very competitive and didn’t want to spend money. Lots of friends joked about our marriage surviving this kind of test, but we’ve been together for ten years and know each other’s strengths and weaknesses; he was always going to be the calculator while I was the compass.
JEREMY We’re a good team!
What were your highlights of the journey?
JEREMY Discovering new cultures**.**
KELLY Not having my phone was amazing. Going off the beaten track. Living like a local. You can never underestimate the kindness of strangers.
Did RatW change your life?
KELLY I never travelled on public transport because I was paranoid about being recognised, but I got back from the race and went straight on the Tube. I get buses and trains everywhere now and it’s so liberating.
JEREMY I’m less shy. I spoke to so many people during the race that as soon as we got home, I started chatting to people on the street. I’m less grumpy. Less French!
SCOTT MILLS
RADIO 2 DJ, 51, AND HIS HUSBAND SAM VAUGHAN 34, RADIO PRODUCER
Scott Mills and Sam Vaughan. BBC
How was RatW for you?
SCOTT It was the most bonkers thing I’ve ever done – and my job has allowed me to do some mad things. It was also the hardest thing – it was nearly 50 degrees when we arrived in Brazil and super humid. I was constantly drenched. It was like a reverse honeymoon because we got married in Spain shortly after we got back.
SAM I had no expectations. I prepared myself physically by running around the garden with a heavy backpack a week before we left, but I had no idea it would be so mentally exhausting. In the end, it was the best and worst thing I’ve ever done.
Were you ever close to quitting?
SCOTT Yes! I can’t tell you how much I wanted to get out of there at times. I couldn’t have done this without Sam in terms of budgeting. He is tight in the nicest possible way, which was mostly an advantage. But sometimes, after being on a night bus, I really wanted a coffee and Sam would say we couldn’t afford it.
SAM Yes, but there was a point in the race when I wanted to take a gamble with money and Scott wasn’t keen, but I persuaded him.
I can’t tell you how much I wanted to get out of there at times
Scott Mills
Did RatW change your life?
SAM I learnt as much during the race as I have in my 30-odd years. My confidence has grown because of having to ask strangers who speak little to no English for help. I always hated talking about my feelings, but you couldn’t avoid opening up during the race. I now stop and help tourists who look lost, because that was me during the race.
SCOTT I learnt to be more patient. So what if you’re waiting six minutes for a Tube in London? On the race we often had to wait 11 hours in a bus station, with no phone and very little food. By the way, when we were offered our phones back at the end, we said, “No thanks, we’ll have them tomorrow.”
JEFF BRAZIER
TV PRESENTER, 45, AND HIS SON FREDDY 19, MODEL
Jeff and Freddy Brazier.
When did you realise how tough RatW would be?
JEFF I’ve got real confidence in my relationship with Fred and I knew it would take something absolutely huge to make us fall out. Then you’re introduced to the limitation of the language barrier and the problems begin!
FREDDY Being on a night bus and not being able to stop my brain from ticking non-stop was really hard.
Freddy, you say in the first episode that you’re “the risk-taker, but not the greatest decision-maker”: how did that impact the race?
FREDDY I’d forgotten I said that! Yeah, that’s me. I learnt to make better decisions during the race and now I’m back home, I’m continuing to do that – and to take fewer risks.
JEFF For me it was a risk being on TV with my younger son [Freddy’s older brother Bobby is an actor, model and Strictly 2023 contestant] who until this moment has been quite anonymous. I had to hope the reward was greater than the risk, which it was.
Dad is competitive but denies it
Freddy Brazier
Did you manage to see the sights, too?
JEFF That element of the race was a nightmare. I’d have a plan that I’d try to discuss with Fred, who wasn’t, at that point, interested. In the end, you can’t legislate for Brazilian transport, so it all went out of the window anyway.
FREDDY Dad is competitive but denies it. I like to wing it and I think I’m quite laid back, but in fact I’m competitive, too.
What were the highlights of the race?
JEFF The effort people made to help us when we were flapping around like clueless tourists and the impact that had on each leg.
FREDDY For me it was seeing Dad let his inner child come out to play. We had the kind of fun that we hadn’t really had before, like jumping in the sea together.
KOLA BOKINNI
ACTOR, 31, AND HIS COUSIN MARY ELLEN MORIARTY 28, STUDENT
Kola Bokinni and Mary Ellen Moriarty BBC
You spent lots of time together as kids. What did you find out about each during RatW?
KOLA I found out that I can spend five weeks with my little cousin without us killing each other.
MARY ELLEN I found that, believe it or not, Kola is shy. He was so timid when it came to talking to strangers. Unless, of course, they recognised him from Ted Lasso. I also found out he had a massive sweet tooth; he prioritised Haribos over an actual meal.
Was RatW as you expected it to be?
KOLA I hadn’t watched the show too much. It was nothing like I expected. I thought they just pretended to take your credit cards and that when the cameras were turned off, they’d give them back! But you really had to backpack and budget.
MARY ELLEN We had to fend for ourselves!
Did you agree to prioritise winning or having fun?
MARY ELLEN During the first leg, we spent a bit too much time at a beach bar – we had no comprehension of what we’d got ourselves into.
KOLA The chats we’d had before setting off about racing and not drinking went out the window. If you want to tempt the tempted, take them to Brazil!
What were your most memorable moments?
KOLA During the first leg, Mary went to the bathroom and I bought two beers from a kiosk without telling her.
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MARY ELLEN Two days later, when we realised we had to pay £187 for a taxi, Kola produced the beers he’d bought! So I forgave him…
Authors
Amy Raphael
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