Are there other versions of Race Across the World?

Race Across the World has everyone gripped, with viewing figures showing that more than five million tuned in as the fourth series started.

The BBC competition – which sees teams racing across the globe to win a £20,000 prize – returned in April, with the contestants making their way 15,000km from Japan to Lombok, on a budget of around £1400. The contenders are now gearing up for the final leg, and fans are desperate to know who will get to Lombok first. Will it be 20-year-olds Alfie and Owen? Or retired couple Stephen and Viv?

But with the final fast approaching, viewers are also worried about doing without their weekly fix of Race Across the World. So we have a look at whether there are any versions from other countries that we can catch up on.

Denmark

The UK series of Race Across the World started in 2019, but the following year the programme made it to Denmark. Entitled First To The End Of The World, it has proved to be a hit with TV viewers there and has continued to air.

So far, racers have travelled from Denmark to Singapore, from New York to Argentina and then in one series they travelled in a circle around Europe, starting in Denmark and finishing there too. Its fourth run is currently under way, and the contestants started in Tokyo and are heading for Bali.

There was drama a couple of years ago when two hopefuls caught COVID, meaning the series had to be paused for 11 days.

While much of the game is the same, the winners get a slightly larger prize than in the UK – DKK250,000, which is around £28,000.

The show airs on Danish network TV2.

Finland

This year Finland unveiled Race Across the World Suomi. It airs on Finnish channel MTV3 and sees six couples racing from Marrakesh in Morocco to Finland.

Like the UK show, the hopefuls are on a limited budget of around what the journey could cost in air fare, and they have no phones or credit cards to help them get from A to B.

Netherlands

The Netherlands has also produced a version of Race Across the World. The show aired in 2023 on the channel RTL 4, with five pairs of contestants taking part. Their race ran from Mexico City to southern Argentina.

The journey was more than 14,000 kilometres and covered a whopping 17 countries.

Germany

It has been announced that Germany is joining in the fun, with a series of the show set for next year. Deadline recently reported that the six-part series will air on German pubcaster ZDF in spring 2025.

However, so far details of the route are unknown.

Race Around The World

Australia’s Race Around The World had a similar title to the UK, but quite a different spin on a travel contest.

The programme aired in the late 90s and saw contestants selected from video auditions. Those chosen were then given a crash course in making documentaries, before heading off around the world. But their focus wasn't just on getting to their destination, they also had to make interesting short films as they went.

The films they created along their routes were then judged by a panel, and the public.

The Amazing Race

The Amazing Race started in America in 2001 and sees teams of two trying to beat each other across several countries, with their journey split into legs as in Race Across the World.

Most routes circumnavigate the globe, with the hopefuls setting off from one US city and finishing in another.

There are some big differences, with one being that teams are allowed to travel by air. They also have to work out clues and take on challenges during their journey. While Race Across the World often sees a team cut before the end, on The Amazing Race they are gradually eliminated at the end of most legs.

The show – which airs on CBS – also has a massive prize, with a $1m (£78,000) up for grabs.

The Amazing Race has caught on in many countries, with France, Norway, New Zealand, China, Canada, Brazil and Vietnam among those airing versions.

Peking Express

In the early 2000s, Dutch-Flemish reality show Peking Express caught the attention of viewers. The series really put contestants through their paces as they had to travel miles and miles to or from Beijing - by hitchhiking.

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This article originally appeared on Yahoo TV UK at https://uk.news.yahoo.com/race-across-the-world-other-versions-121216532.html