Race Across The World is back – and so are the questionable decisions.
The BBC competition show tasks teams with without flying or access to smartphones on a tight budget.
So, when one pair spent $500 (£408) on a taxi on day two, it’s fair to say viewers were flabbergasted.
Dad and daughter duo Claudia and Kevin, began the race at 1,000-acre Stanley Park in Vancouver, Canada.
Their first task was reaching Vancouver Island, which most players did via ferry.
However, they needed a way off it to reach Prince Rupert, the jumping off point for first checkpoint, Haida Gwaii.
But, the ferry they needed (if they wanted a stress-free, inexpensive trip north) only departed once a week… and Claudia and Kevin managed to miss it.
Their hopes of catching a bus were also quickly dashed, as they learnt there were no connections nearby.
Staff members informed them that a taxi would cost $500-510, which left both Claudia and Kevin lost for words.
The pair then tried to car share but, with hitching from the roadside illegal in Canada, they had to approach people away from highways, which proved unsuccessful.
So, $500 it had to be.
‘I think we’re just running out of time,’ Kevin told his daughter after failing to secure a ride from a generous stranger.
After initially saying the idea of forking out for a cab ‘petrified’ him, the dad simply had to get his wallet out.
‘Look at the clouds come down over the mountainside, just unbelievable,’ Kevin said while kicking back in the taxi.
‘Worth the $500, dad?’, Claudia joked. ‘Is that a $500 view?’
The pair proceeded to do some grafting by cleaning a boat to fund a trip to Claudia’s must-see attraction, The Great Bear Rainforest.
But, their taxi splurge also resurfaced to cause a row.
While stopping for a pint of beer (which they made sure to factor into their budget!), the duo reflected on their actions.
‘We’ve gone over the budget, we’ve done what we shouldn’t have done. It’s made me panic a little, trying to get up here,’ Kevin said.
Claudia responded by saying she didn’t want to alter their strategy, as they were keen to still have experiences along the way.
‘The strategy, for me, just went out the window after yesterday,’ Kevin confessed, referencing the spending.
‘We should’ve done our research while we were at the garage.’
‘I was running around that gas station and you were just stood there!’, Claudia argued.
‘I was asking people for information!’, Kevin defended, telling his daughter to get off her ‘high horse’.
‘We’re working as a team, not as individuals,’ he scolded, leaving Claudia emotional as she realised they need to work on their communication skills.
Thankfully, they managed to set their differences aside as they boarded the ferry from Vancouver Island towards the checkpoint.
Viewers at home were left stunned by the pair’s decision making, though, as Twitter users asked if they had ‘lost their mind’.
‘Not sure the tactic of getting $500 taxis everywhere is going to work out too well’, one viewer wrote.
‘Claudia and Kevin spent $500 on a taxi, bought some beer and are now on a kayak through a rainforest, more of a jolly than a race’, another joked.
One added: ‘$500 spent and they have money for beer ? Lool they’ll be broke by the end of the week’.
Another echoed: ‘feel like the $500 was a BAD move they’re gonna be skint by the time they get to the checkpoint at this rate’.
All teams managed to make it to the first checkpoint in time, via various means, meaning after 1,200kilometres over six days, they had arrived in Haida Gwaii.
Claudia and Kevin’s total remaining budget was by far the lowest at just £3,900, but dad Kevin was certain they could make it up – but can they?
Race Across The World continues next Wednesday at 9pm on BBC One.
