Celebrity Race Across the World series 2

The second series of Celebrity Race Across the World is a race over 12,500 kilometres (7,800 mi) across South America, starting in Belém, Brazil and finishing in Frutillar, Chile.

It was announced by the BBC on 30 July 2024 and began airing on 14 August 2024 in the 9pm time slot on BBC One.

In the same press release the BBC confirmed that the series would once again consist of 6 hour-long episodes and revealed the four pairs of competitors as broadcaster Jeff Brazier and his son, Freddy; actor Kola Bokinni and his cousin, Mary Ellen; former model Kelly Brook and her husband, Jeremy; and BBC Radio 2 presenter Scott Mills and his then-fiancee (now husband) Sam.^[1][2]

Start and end points

Siqueira Campos Square, Belém, Brazil (top) and Frutillar, Chile (bottom)

The second celebrity series of Race Across the World is a race over 12,500 kilometres (7,800 mi), starting in Belém, Brazil and finishing in Frutillar, Chile, and spanning 5 countries and over 12,500 kilometres (7,800 mi).

The race is to have five checkpoints with enforced rest periods, with contestants only finding out the next destination on departure from a checkpoint. Teams have been given a budget of £1100 per person – equivalent to the air fare for travelling the race route. Contestants are not permitted to subsidise their budgets, but short-term opportunities allow them to work for money or bed and board. The contestants are not allowed access to telephones or the internet, but are provided with a map, travel guide and GPS tracker.

From left to right: Kola Bokinni, Kelly Brook and Scott Mills

Colour key:

  – Team withdrawn

  – Series winners

The checkpoints in the second celebrity series were:

Mode of transportation	Rail    Ship    Bus/coach    Taxi    Road vehicle    Self-drive vehicle (paid)    RV
Activity	Working for money and/or bed and board    Excursion that cost time and/or money

The four teams, having checked in at the Farol de Belém lighthouse to hand over their wallets and mobile phones and to collect their race essentials, began the race in earnest at 2pm underneath the clock tower in Siqueira Campos Square. It was revealed that the first checkpoint was 1,750 kilometres (1,090 mi) away in the beach resort of Canoa Quebrada on the Ceará coast.^[4]

Two teams opted for an inland route whilst the other two opted for the more touristic and costly coastal route, but ultimately all four teams would pass through Fortaleza, the largest city closest to the checkpoint in Canoa Quebrada.

The two inland teams headed straight for work opportunities with the promise of free bed and board. Scott & Sam helped make Goiabada at a confectioners in Carolina in the Cerrado whilst Jeff & Freddy helped out on a Chacaras (farm) in São Raimundo.

Of the two coastal teams, Kelly & Jeremy headed to nearby Bragança to assist with planting mangrove seedlings in the Caete-Taperacu Reserve in exchange for free bed and board, whilst Kola & Mary headed initially to the state capital of Sao Luis and then immediately onto Santa Amaro. Having been delayed for a day due to poor transport links, Kelly & Jeremy reassessed their strategy and decided to divert inland to Teresina, a destination that Jeff & Freddy and Scott & Sam were also headed towards.

Kola & Mary did some dune bashing at Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, but found themselves stranded without any options of public transport forward. Desperate not to backtrack to Sao Luis, they splashed out on a costly taxi.

In Teresina, all three teams pressed forward to Fortaleza. Jeff & Freddy and Scott & Sam found themselves on the same 10-hour bus journey. At the bus terminus in Fortaleza, Scott & Sam immediately took a taxi whilst Jeff & Freddy tried to hitch a lift, a decision which would cost the latter team an hour and a race position.

Kelly & Jeremy arrived first at the checkpoint in the dying minutes of day 4, followed by Scott & Sam a little over an hour later. Jeff & Freddy finished third, a further hour after Scott & Sam.

Order	Teams	Route	Time behind leaders	Money left
1	Kelly & Jeremy	Belém → Bragança → Teresina → Fortaleza → Canoa Quebrada	—	84%
2	Scott & Sam	Belém → Imperatiz → Carolina → Teresina → Fortaleza → Canoa Quebrada	1 hour 5 minutes	85%
3	Jeff & Freddy	Belém → Porto Franco → São Raimundo → Porto Franco → Teresina → Fortaleza → Canoa Quebrada	2 hours 11 minutes	88%
4	Kola & Mary	Belém → Sao Luis → Santa Amaro → Parnaiba → Fortaleza → Canoa Quebrada	TBA	TBA

The second leg finishing will be at Lençóis, Brazil.^[5]

Opinions on the first episode of the second celebrity series were favourable overall. Daisy Jones of The Guardian awarded the opening episode 4 stars out of 5, stating "It's utterly, wonderfully captivating TV,"^[8] as did Vicky Jessop of the Evening Standard who opined "it's still got the magic."^[9] Anita Singh of the The Telegraph also awarded the opener 4 stars, commenting that it was "the funniest series yet – despite the obscure contestants."^[10]

• Celebrity Race Across the World series 2 at BBC Online