Stripped of all mod-cons and luxuries including smartphones and bank cards, the pairs of celebrities had to rely on their skills, hard work and the kindness of strangers to succeed with a limited budget.
The journey which came to an end last night (September 19) saw the competitors race across the length of South America, through the likes of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.
Celebrity Race Across The World winners ‘speechless’
That concludes this series of #CelebrityRaceAcrossTheWorld, thank you for watching!! 🌎🏃♀️🏃♂️
If you want more #RaceAcrossTheWorld action, you can watch every series on BBC iPlayer 📺 pic.twitter.com/2jspmbRVKs
— Race Across The World (@RATW_official) September 18, 2024
But it was radio star Scott Mills and his husband Sam Vaughan who were crowned the winners of BBC’s Celebrity Race Across The World.
After his triupmh, Mills said he was “speechless”.
The couple beat Ted Lasso actor Kola Bokinni and his cousin Mary Ellen Moriarty to the base camp of the Osorno Volcano in Frutillar, Chile, after racing almost 7,800 miles from the Amazon Rainforest.
Broadcaster Jeff Brazier and his son Freddy, and model Kelly Brook and her husband Jeremy Parisi finished the race the day after, coming third and fourth respectively.
Mills and Vaughan realised they had won when they opened the guest book in Frutillar, leading them to jump up and down and shout “oh my god, we did it”.
Speaking of the victory, Mills said: “Speechless, when you open that book, and there are no other names in it – there’s no other feeling like it.
“I can confirm it’s the best feeling ever.
“It’s been exhilarating, it’s been tough, it’s been so frustrating at times, but we’ve been there for each other, the good, the bad, the ups and downs.
“It just proves we’re a great team – a winning team.”
The pair began the final leg in third place – but with just 39 minutes between the teams, the competition was wide open.
They decided to toss a coin to decide which route they would travel across the Andes to reach the finish line, with tails making them continue down through Argentina to San Salvador, and onwards to Mendoza.
“To have a great experience and win, it’s just the best.”
During a ride in a cable car up San Cristobal Hill in Chile, Mills told Vaughan, who was his fiancé at the time, that he had been “quite caught up with work” at the start of the show and had now “learned to spend more time for just you and me”, before adding “I don’t want it to be over now”.
Since the winners were crowned on Wednesday night, viewers have taken to X, sharing their thoughts on the latest series and Mills’ victory.
One posted: “So so happy you [Scott] won. Have loved watching you, all the couples have been great and all made this a really terrific series, just loved every minute. The only show I put my crochet down for. Love you, bye xx”
Another wrote: “Well chuffed for you & Sam. Brilliant series and all of you from participants to behind the scenes should be really proud. Such a great show! It’s so made me wanna explore South America @JeffBrazier what an amazing dad. Massive well done to all of you!
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“Yay! I was so happy that you two won. You were great to watch,” this person commented.
The BBC even got a shoutout from fans, as one complimented: “The BBC has done a wonderful job for tourism in South America. Well done Scott Mills.”
This account claims the series was the “best so far”, adding: “So happy that you guys won. What a fantastic series, the best so far and such stunning scenery.”
