Race Across the World has finally crowned its winners, after an epic 12,000km journey through Europe and Asia.
The BBC series, which kicked off last month, began with five intrepid duos as they set off on the journey of a lifetime across the world’s largest continental landmass.
And tonight (Thursday 21 May), it all came down to one final test of endurance as the remaining teams embarked on the last leg of the race, with the finish line waiting in Hatgal, Mongolia.
After 51 days on the road, travelling from the sun-soaked streets of Palermo in Sicily to the icy steppe of northern Mongolia, it was best friends Jo and Kush who claimed victory and the £20,000 prize.
The Liverpool duo became the first pair to reach the final checkpoint, with father and daughter Andrew and Molly finishing in second place just three hours behind them.
Siblings Katie and Harrison followed in third place, while in-laws Mark and Margo reached the finish line in fourth.
As they opened the final book and realised they had won, Jo and Kush celebrated in the snow, shouting: “We did it. We won!”
“I can’t put it into words, bro!” said Kush, as Jo screamed with joy before adding: “That’s how I feel, bro.”
Writing their names in the book, Jo said: “The dream from the start was opening the final book and seeing it empty, so that actually happening… it’s hard to get my head around it.”
Kush added: “I hope we did Liverpool proud. Big up scousers!”
Speaking after their win, Kush said the experience felt “like a fever dream”.
“It’s such a bittersweet feeling, because it’s now finished and that’s the end of our travelling, but it shows that all our hard work, sacrifice, loss of sleep and hunger has all succeeded and it is so fulfilling to know that it hasn’t gone to waste,” he said.
“We just wanted to get to Mongolia, so winning was just an extra joy.”
Jo added: “Seeing the empty book is what we dreamt of from day one, and to actually see it, in real life and not a dream, it’s just unreal. Season 6 is our season! And the pay cheque is nice too.”
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The race initially began with five pairs, but after cousins Puja and Roshni fell behind in an earlier leg, they were eliminated from the competition.
While Jo and Kush ultimately took the crown, all of the teams were reunited in a special reunion episode airing straight after the finale at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
The episode featured unseen footage, behind-the-scenes access and honest conversations about the decisions that shaped the race, as well as what has happened since the teams returned home.
Race Across the World is available to watch on catch-up on BBC iPlayer.
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