Race Across the World has just eliminated the first team of the season.
In tonight's episode, Yin and Gaz had to leave the show after failing to reach the third checkpoint of Shangri-La, a city 4,000 metres above seal level in the Yunnan province of China.
After getting to the second checkpoint of Sanya last week, the teams were told that whoever got to Shangri-La last would be sent home, adding some more pressure to their journey inland.
Elizabeth and Letitia were the first team to leave Sanya and headed to Liuzhou. However, the leaders suffered a setback, resulting in runners-up Fin and Sioned catching up with them.
The two teams ended up taking the same train to Liuzhou, despite Elizabeth and Letitia having had a six-hour head start.
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The sisters had another mishap when they couldn't get to the station on time, meaning they not only had to stay in Liuzhou for longer, but also lost money on the missed train.
Meanwhile, Brian and Melvyn opted to go through the Yunnan province, trading their work for accommodation and helping cleaning the lake from dead lotus plants. They later headed to Kunming on their way to Shangri-La, befriending a young passenger on the train.
Mum and son duo Tom and Caroline left the checkpoint 19 hours after the first team in the leaderboard, deciding to go to Nanning first.
On their way to Kunming, Tom realised he'd left his money belt at the hotel but luckily found it in the bin with the help of a cleaner.
"I will never do that again," he said in relief. "That's a lesson well learnt."
Back in Sanya, Yin and Gaz were less than thrilled to find out they would probably have to pack their bags and go home.
Not being able to reach Nanning on the day, they were advised to get to Maoming on a sleeper train and then catch a connection ride from there — even if it meant going in the opposite direction to the checkpoint.
"We know we need a miracle to stay in the game," Gaz said.
Now ahead of Elizabeth and Letitia, Fin and Sioned made it to Guizhou, where they enjoyed a walk in nature and encountered a family of macaques.
Letitia and Elizabeth managed to get some cash as they were headed to the village of Shuiyuan, on a desperate bid to make up for the lost time and get to Shangri-La.
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On day 18 of the race, Brian and Melvyn bested their co-stars, becoming the first team to reach the third checkpoint.
"Oh sh*t," Brian said in shock
"[I'm] totally gobsmacked," Melvyn added. "Massive relief, really."
Elizabeth and Letitia caught up with them and signed the check-in book in second place, while Tom and Caroline were "over the moon" to be in third position, followed by couple Fin and Sioned.
This meant that Gaz and Yin were left behind — 1,800 km from the checkpoint, to be exact — and had to leave the race.
'There have been some really lovely moments," Yin said tearing up.
"It's a bit raw now," Gaz said, "but we will laugh about it."
Next, the remaining teams will go to Nepal, with the race ending in Kanniyakumari, in the southernmost part of India.
Race Across the World airs on BBC One and is available on iPlayer.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
