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JHolme
  • 21 hours ago
Race Across the World S06 E07 (2026)

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Travel
Transcript
00:13Mongolia, the eighth and final country of the race.
00:17Vast, remote, and unforgiving.
00:26This is now more than a competition.
00:29It's an expedition across endless steppe, over frozen peaks, and deep into the unknown.
00:39Mongolian temperatures can plunge beneath minus 20,
00:43and its biting winds and isolation could test every decision
00:47and every ounce of resilience the teams have left.
00:52In the far west, in the shadow of the Altai Mountains,
00:57there are few roads, and even fewer large towns,
01:01only scattered settlements separated by hundreds of miles.
01:08At the edge of this frontier lies Olgi, where all four teams have landed,
01:16unable to continue their race through China.
01:18Let's go.
01:21Ooh, I feel a cold.
01:23But this remote outpost brings a new kind of challenge.
01:27Right, we're going to...
01:30...carcouring.
01:32Carcouring?
01:33Oh, hold on, hold on.
01:35On many international maps of Mongolia, the roads are not accurate.
01:40Shit.
01:42So that means that this map will not be accurate.
01:44In fact, we've got to trust people's words more than the map.
01:48With outdated maps, and paved roads that dissolve into unmarked dirt tracks,
01:54teams must travel boldly as they venture into central Mongolia
01:58to the penultimate checkpoint.
02:03Harhorin, once an imperial capital under the sun of Cenghis Khan,
02:08its ruins and sacred monasteries stand as a reminder of the country's powerful past
02:13as the largest contiguous land empire.
02:20First to make their move, race leaders Joe and Kush.
02:24Let's go, let's go, let's go. Bye-bye.
02:27Can't lie, though. That looks sick.
02:31And it is just absolutely beautiful.
02:34It's genuinely like Narnia.
02:36Literally, Kyrgyzstan, what's steroids?
02:40I can't wait to try and explain this one to me, Mum.
02:58How much for two? Cheapest room?
03:02£120,000.
03:05Utilising their 14-hour leave, Joe and Kush have taxied to the closest provincial capital, Hovd.
03:13Hey, this is sad.
03:14We've got a kettle.
03:16A cup of tea, the salt.
03:17That's what we need.
03:18Mongolia, day one, flying down snow-capped hills.
03:22It was just, it was mental.
03:25Temperature was a big surprise.
03:26It's just baltic.
03:28It's like through your jacket, into your bones.
03:31My legs don't normally get cold, but I can feel it through my kex.
03:34All right, so let's have a look on the mat.
03:36There is car-couring.
03:37That looks to be a fair distance.
03:40Yeah.
03:40And so it'll take quite a length of time.
03:43And also, that's quite off-road.
03:45That's going to be so sick.
03:47That's boss.
03:48Teams face a 1,550-kilometre journey to Harhoran,
03:54across a country where public transport is scarce.
03:58To make progress, they'll need to rely on car shares, taxis and hitchhiking.
04:04But lifts aren't necessarily free.
04:07Local drivers expect payment.
04:08And with fuel prices rising, every mile comes at a higher cost.
04:15Teams could head north via the city of Wulangong,
04:18to pick up the paved road east.
04:22Or go south, following an established route skirting the Gobi Desert.
04:29Whichever path they choose, parts of the journey will take them off-road
04:33across unmapped trails and landscapes few tourists travel.
04:40Wulangong seems like the biggest city around.
04:42So there should be best transport knickers.
04:44Choosing to go up north, we have that highway that covers
04:48pretty much the entire distance.
04:50That might be our only opportunity to get public transport,
04:53which will save money.
04:54So we go to Wulangong and then do a little homestay,
04:56stay in the yard.
04:56That'll be good.
04:57Hoping to preserve cash for the final leg,
05:00the boys will head north in search of a free homestay,
05:04planning to pick up local buses between towns as they head east.
05:08If you can see the finish line, it's not far away now.
05:11Everyone wants to be first,
05:12but you only really want to be first on the last leg.
05:15And so getting to this point now,
05:16it does feel like there's a little bit of sort of pressure.
05:19Because we are so close to the finish line,
05:22it's like all on our own.
05:23Like, we can't afford to make any mistakes.
05:36So I'll get out of the map.
05:38Ulgi?
05:39Mm-hmm.
05:40All the way to the car car.
05:42That is quite a journey.
05:45Wow.
05:45Back in Ulgi Airport,
05:47teams are released in the order they arrived
05:50into the last checkpoint of Almaty.
05:52In second place and ready to depart,
05:55Mark and Margo.
05:56It seems from Ulgi,
05:58we could actually go north,
05:59up to Oulangom.
06:01But I think it swings and roundabouts,
06:02which way you go.
06:03Do you?
06:03It's a bit of punch in the dark, isn't it?
06:05It is.
06:05Yeah.
06:06I'd say in a girl.
06:07Yeah.
06:08I'd love that, yeah.
06:09We've got to make some ground up to catch up with them.
06:11That's going to be tough, I think.
06:12It's not impossible, though.
06:14We are behind the boys by quite a stretch.
06:16Let's go.
06:17Our strategy is to try and catch up
06:20in whatever way we can,
06:21but we've no idea what it's going to cost in Mongolia,
06:24so we want to protect our budgets
06:25before the final leg.
06:26Let's go.
06:30Right.
06:31No.
06:36We just need to get going.
06:38Yeah.
06:38This is the worst part.
06:39I look forward to just sitting here
06:41and doing nothing
06:42and thinking of the other teams
06:46gaining advantage.
06:48I love your positive attitude.
06:50You're welcome.
06:58Margot!
06:59What?
07:00What do you sign up?
07:01I smiled last time I made them stop.
07:07Are you going here?
07:09Coughed?
07:09No.
07:10No.
07:11OK, thank you.
07:13In Algy town,
07:15Mark and Margot tread the same path
07:17as Joe and Cush,
07:19having to travel south to Houghed
07:21before heading north
07:23via a homestay in Niengad.
07:26Hello.
07:27We need to go to Comte.
07:28Comte.
07:29Can you take us there?
07:30No.
07:31250?
07:32No, no, too much.
07:34Too much.
07:34No, no, thank you.
07:35Do you go to Comte?
07:36It's going to cost 250,000 books.
07:39Whoa!
07:40No, it's too expensive for us.
07:42Sorry.
07:42Thank you very much.
07:44We are a bit stuck at the moment.
07:47People are stopping
07:48who actually just want to hire themselves out
07:50as a private hire
07:51and they just want too much money.
07:53We thought Tugging and Margot
07:54would be cheaper,
07:55wouldn't we, Margot?
07:56Where's my credit card?
07:58Yeah.
07:59On the penultimate leg,
08:01budgets are now running low.
08:03Three teams have around 20% remaining.
08:06Every bit of cash counts
08:08and every ride must be fought for.
08:12200,000.
08:13No, we only have little money.
08:15120?
08:16120, yeah.
08:18150.
08:19I think 150 should just take it.
08:21OK.
08:21Yeah, yeah.
08:23We're on the move.
08:24Welcome to Longolia.
08:26You're going to have to pay through the nose.
08:27I'm sure it's going to get easier
08:29on the busy areas, isn't it?
08:31If it doesn't,
08:32our budget is done.
08:34We're cooked, Mark.
08:36We're cooked.
08:39As Mark and Margot
08:40make their way to Hovd...
08:43We need to get to Ulanqob
08:45to see those, really.
08:46I know.
08:46Joe and Kush are already
08:47looking for a way out.
08:49Sharing a minibus,
08:50it'll be cheaper.
08:52As-salamu alaykum.
08:52You drive?
08:53Yeah.
08:54Ulanqob.
08:57Thank you, my friend.
08:58We paid for 10-seater van.
09:01But we are waiting for it to fill up.
09:02I don't know how long that'll take,
09:04but hopefully not too long.
09:06Let's see if we can get him to just go.
09:09Oh, I need to be faster.
09:12It is vital to save money,
09:14but it depends.
09:16We have to be time conscious.
09:17We need fast.
09:18If it does take six hours
09:20for this van to fill up,
09:22we might as well grab a taxi.
09:24Go.
09:25No.
09:26Go.
09:26No.
09:27He's saying it'll go.
09:28We're sorted.
09:30Go.
09:33There's a lot of pressure now
09:34that all the other teams
09:34are being released today.
09:35We've just got to try
09:36and maintain our position.
09:38We've done all the planning yesterday.
09:40We've got a plan.
09:41We know where we're going.
09:42The boys are pushing north
09:43to reach a homestay
09:45that will position them close
09:46to the Hiregas Highway
09:47that runs directly
09:49towards the checkpoint.
09:50But they must first navigate
09:52250 kilometres
09:54of unforgiving off-road tracks.
09:57You've got to be joking.
09:58Sick.
09:59You have got to be joking.
10:01Whoa!
10:04We've been driving
10:05on a normal, regular road
10:08and suddenly it's taking us
10:10on a little shortcut across it
10:12as it's a help of the shortcut
10:14because this is...
10:16absolute hell.
10:19Oh!
10:22Oh, God.
10:32I mean, the van did take some hits.
10:35We were definitely, like, airborne
10:37for five seconds at one point.
10:42Who knows?
10:43This could be five minutes
10:45or an hour.
10:47Oh!
10:49We are absolutely in
10:50the absolute middle of an hour.
10:52Like, this is absurd.
10:53Could have been years
10:54since someone's actually stepped
10:56exactly where we are now
10:57because there is nothing here
10:59and, I mean, nothing...
11:01I can't even see a single animal inside.
11:02It's just empty.
11:07Oh, I feel safe.
11:10With the boys at a standstill...
11:15I love how flat it is
11:17into, like, absolute mountains.
11:19I can't see a sign.
11:20Andrew and Molly are ready to race.
11:24How long?
11:25One hour?
11:26One hour?
11:26Two hours?
11:27Twelve?
11:28Mm-hmm.
11:29Or one?
11:32Thirteen, man.
11:33OK, OK.
11:36Setting off in third place,
11:38the pair are straight on the road
11:40to Altan Thiel
11:41in a local car share.
11:44So, we are going to do
11:45a homestay tonight.
11:46But it's getting distance
11:47covered now, early.
11:48We're on the main road.
11:49Yes.
11:50South.
11:50But I do think today
11:51we need to make sure
11:52we're in position for tomorrow.
11:54Yes.
11:54And the day after.
11:55And that's why, Molly,
11:56we need to spend the money
11:56and just get it done.
11:57Yeah.
11:58A hundred percent.
11:59The first team
12:00opting to head south,
12:02the aim to gain ground
12:04and spend big.
12:06We need speed.
12:07We've been in third
12:08or fourth continually
12:09and we would like
12:10to climb up the leaderboard
12:11and get competitive
12:12for the last leg.
12:14We've got the money
12:15to be able to spend
12:16so we need to spend it
12:18and I keep saying
12:19to Molly
12:19there's no point
12:20in being rich losers.
12:21I have said to you
12:21from the very beginning
12:22you only need to win one.
12:23Yes, only need to win one.
12:31I'm really, really excited
12:32for Mongolia.
12:33I mean,
12:33I don't really know
12:34what to expect.
12:35Last to depart.
12:36We're fourth
12:38and we need to catch up.
12:39Katie and Harrison
12:40plot their route
12:41out of Algi.
12:42In terms of racing quick,
12:45mix of north and south
12:46seems like a decent route.
12:48Yeah.
12:49Because we're mixing
12:49the best of the two highways.
12:51Do you know what I mean?
12:52See if we can get on
12:53with transport to Darby.
12:55Their plan,
12:57head south to Darby
12:58before tackling
12:59a shorter off-road section
13:01to join the middle
13:02of the paved northern highway
13:04then push on
13:05to the checkpoint.
13:07We need to get to Darby.
13:09You can go to
13:10Hop City
13:12nearby Darby.
13:13There is a lot of pressure
13:14on this leg.
13:16Mongolia's going to provide
13:17so many different challenges
13:18that we've really not experienced
13:19so far in the race.
13:20The only thing we can take with us
13:21that we've learned
13:22on the race so far
13:23is asking people
13:24and trusting people.
13:25OK, so $30,000, $30,000.
13:28Yes.
13:28Let's go.
13:29The fact that
13:30you cannot rely on the map
13:32is not good for Harrison.
13:34Without his comfort map,
13:35he is nothing.
13:37Let's just hope
13:38he doesn't lose his calculator
13:39and then we'll have to go home.
13:41Will anyone else
13:42be in the taxi?
13:44For one person.
13:44Go with you.
13:45Yes.
13:46OK.
13:50Swell says.
13:52That was very good.
13:55We've finally got
13:56our first journey
13:57in Mongolia
13:57properly underway.
13:59As they head
13:59to their first stop
14:00in Hovd.
14:01We're last
14:02so we need to be quick.
14:0421 hours is what
14:05we've got to catch up.
14:07300 kilometres ahead,
14:09Andrew and Molly
14:10are arriving
14:10into Altantil.
14:13Look where you are.
14:15This is so cool.
14:21Tucked in the valley
14:22of the Batur Harhan mountain
14:23which rises to nearly
14:254,000 metres.
14:27They are sampling
14:28a taste of rural life
14:30with the Bayan monks
14:31at their nomadic encampment.
14:33Hello, hello.
14:34Hello.
14:35What have you just killed?
14:36Cow, right?
14:37OK, wow.
14:38Where the family
14:39are preparing
14:40home-reared livestock
14:41for a feast
14:42in their honour.
14:44Size of the lure.
14:46I expected, like,
14:47to have traditional life
14:48but to actually
14:50be thrown into
14:51them slaughtering
14:52a beast,
14:53it's different
14:54to put it that way.
14:55Just totally surreal.
14:57Not what I expected
14:57in any way whatsoever.
15:01On the steppe,
15:02hospitality is a way
15:04of life.
15:05Strangers are welcomed
15:06with food and shelter,
15:08a tradition shaped
15:09by the harsh realities
15:10of the land.
15:11Made out of felt
15:13and wood,
15:14circular gurs
15:14are a symbol
15:15of nomadic life,
15:17still home
15:17to over a million people,
15:19on the move
15:19or in settled communities
15:21and built to house
15:23entire families.
15:24Wow.
15:25Oh, it's warm.
15:26It's so warm.
15:28Oh, it's lovely and warm.
15:29Oh.
15:30Wow.
15:33Hot, hot.
15:34Hot, hot.
15:34Very hot.
15:36Are you family here?
15:39David, part of that.
15:40Yeah, yeah.
15:41Brothers.
15:41Yeah, brothers.
15:42Oh, brothers.
15:48Mmm.
15:51Nice.
15:54Mmm.
15:55I'm going to eat
15:56a piece of this.
15:58Oh, wow.
16:02Very nice.
16:04I'm doing really well.
16:06Coming from a girl
16:06that can't eat fish fingers
16:07from Tesco's.
16:08Mm-hmm.
16:09Yes.
16:10Oh.
16:11Hello.
16:11Hello.
16:14It's a great evening.
16:16It's kind of just amazing
16:17to see people come and go.
16:20People eat out of the same bowl.
16:23They share everything
16:24and enjoy the family time.
16:27What is it?
16:29I think drink it and find out.
16:31Vodka.
16:32Vodka.
16:33Vodka.
16:33Vodka.
16:34Oh.
16:41It was just lovely
16:42that you never took
16:43from the cup
16:44unless it was offered to you.
16:46And it was all about
16:47the respect for the head
16:48of the household.
16:49There's a community spirit.
16:50Just a lovely thing
16:51to witness tonight.
17:01We love your home.
17:03Beautiful.
17:04Really beautiful.
17:06Also taking shelter
17:07at a local girl,
17:09Mark and Margot
17:10have reached Miengad.
17:13This is like
17:14the ultimate design
17:14for compact living.
17:16It's so cleverly organised.
17:19I don't think
17:20I could do a girl life.
17:21My girl would be
17:22an absolute tip.
17:24Tea.
17:24Mungerjan tea.
17:26Tea is it?
17:27This is different
17:27from any of the tea
17:28we've seen before.
17:29It is, yes.
17:30Guests are welcomed
17:31with sooty tea,
17:32a rich savoury tea blend
17:34of milk and salt
17:35seasoned with
17:36fermented butter oil.
17:38Munger tea.
17:39Yeah.
17:40It is customary
17:41to try any delicacies
17:42offered by your host.
17:44You don't normally
17:45drink tea, do you, Mark?
17:46I don't, no.
17:48Thank you very much.
17:52No.
17:52No.
17:54No mistake.
17:58It's very bitter.
18:00I like...
18:01You like that?
18:02It's good.
18:03I quite like it.
18:04Delicious.
18:04Look at him, delicious.
18:06Good.
18:06It's very good.
18:07Yeah.
18:08The family
18:09that live here
18:10are really, really
18:12joyful.
18:13Do you ever play
18:14Noughts and Crosses?
18:15Do you know this game?
18:17Yes.
18:17Go on.
18:19These two are schoolteachers
18:20and they're living
18:21in a gore
18:22on this site.
18:25This is a nomadic tent
18:27that you're meant
18:28to sort of be able
18:28to take down
18:29and transport
18:30wherever you go.
18:32This is now
18:32a permanent one.
18:34Oh, neither of us
18:35do it again, though.
18:36Neither of us win,
18:37do we?
18:38And they've been it
18:39really homely.
18:40It's fantastic.
18:42Ah!
18:43You win.
18:45So put one to you.
18:49What's this one?
18:50It's just like
18:52a little coal and something.
18:53With their earlier
18:54setback behind them,
18:56after a makeshift repair
18:57to their minibus,
18:59Joe and Kush
18:59have finally made it
19:01to Naranbulag.
19:03What is that?
19:06Oh, bro,
19:06that's a hospital.
19:14It was very resourceful
19:15as well,
19:15using the leftover horse,
19:17excrement,
19:18as a fuel source.
19:20So happy we did this.
19:23I love the boots.
19:25I like your boots.
19:26I'd well wear a pair of them.
19:28Yeah, bro.
19:29The Mongolians are just
19:30the baddest pimps of all.
19:32They're just tons.
19:33Massive fur coats,
19:34eagles,
19:35and knee-high boots.
19:36Tants, tants, tants, tants.
19:39Tants?
19:39Tants, tants.
19:41Shall we?
19:42Mm-hmm.
19:42Tants.
19:43Ja.
19:45Da-bye.
19:45Da-bye.
19:54Their host, Batsend,
19:56has arranged a night
19:57of traditional dance
19:58and music
19:58at the local community hall.
20:01Tants, tants, tants, tants, tants, tants, tants, tants, tants, tants, tants.
20:12Ladies and gentlemen,
20:14I wish they could dance for longer.
20:16just a really mad experience i feel very privileged to be in a position to witness it first hand you
20:22know this is so random me and kush we both have a very musical family
20:33and a passion for music i believe it's such a healthy way of expressing yourself
20:41i played drums trombone and a baritone horn
20:47my dad played guitar his whole life that's how i got into it i've got my dad to thank for
20:53that
21:16historically used by male herders to mimic nature
21:20mongolian throat singing was brought to the stage in the mid 20th century
21:29i've been listening to this one mongolian song for like years my dad showed me it back when i was
21:3411 12. we started playing this song here it was insane i could have cried in that moment
21:48to hear something i've been listening to for seven years it's so mind-blowing it was just beautiful
21:55i'm gonna cry i'm actually gonna cry
22:01i wish i could show me that he would be like on the floor laughing it would be hilarious
22:17bro that's so good i can't believe that i've been mongolian throng singing live
22:22that was sick that was so good this is like the best thing i've ever done in my entire life
22:30this
22:30guy is so cool i don't know how you do that my friend i don't know how you do that
22:34this is what i
22:35was wanting out of mongolia was this kind of like experience can't believe it what's going on today
22:43i'm so thankful for this experience
22:45i need ear moths my ears are freezing katie and harrison wake up in the city of hoved
23:02not bring a hat where's your hat you've got a hat dickhead such an angry person you should really
23:07try to be just a little bit more calm home to a diverse range of ethnic groups including the erat
23:17mongols kazakh and uran high people its population of 30 000 residents makes it one of the largest
23:25settlements in western mongolia which way do you want to go this way
23:34where are you going i don't have a clue
23:40oh hang on is that a boss there but even the biggest cities don't have an immediate or obvious
23:47way out bus that's a bus is it he's just showing us his bus okay so darby yes i think
23:57it's quite
23:57difficult here just because you just feel like you're stranded constantly i found the bus station
24:03it's a little bit more difficult to find out information but it's also more difficult to
24:07locate what you're looking for people are understanding after voxel as the same they did in kazakhstan and
24:13uzbekistan and kyrgyzstan but in those countries there's a big grand soviet building it's just a shed
24:21this is where we need to come back to what time yeah 10 10 because we can get a ticket
24:27then we can
24:28find somewhere to sit as the siblings await a bus to darby for a homestay
24:36good morning goat in altantil andrew and molly wake up in their local stopover
24:42look at this molly oh shit like in the middle of nowhere gorgeously peaceful look at that it's
24:52beautiful i love mongolia i didn't want to get out of bed either in return for last night's bed and
25:01board i just go i'm okay yeah they are pitching in with the morning routine i've never built a car
25:10like
25:10this before it's just such an amazing place people working the landscape and using what they're
25:17being given and the morning job is picking up the frozen cow dung they use it for fuel
25:24i think i might be done yes she doesn't believe me wow it is gorgeous isn't it it's amazing seeing
25:35daddy in mongolia yeah i think he's just loving it it's absolutely unreal molly i can't see you over
25:43the cow are you just moving the dung boy job enjoy good job wakes you up in the morning anyway
25:53it's really important for daddy to seize this this is his opportunity to prove to himself that he can do
26:01it
26:02because three years ago my daddy had a heart attack and it was probably the worst day of my life
26:09that really shook me and i think it really shook him daddy realized he wasn't invincible
26:20the heart attack knocked my confidence over the years it has just caused me a huge amount of stress
26:26and a huge amount of anxiety that i've never been able to kind of fully get rid of i don't
26:34know
26:36if i'm doing it right or wrong well now we're right that's us now
26:41and there's one things i kind of said to molly we need to get through elimination because i need to
26:45finish this mongolia has been a pinch me moment that i'm here i'm standing here
26:51it's just something that i've always wanted to do this is my way of putting a full stop on heart
27:00attack and the ability to say no it's not going to affect me anymore but it's going to give me
27:07positives as i make the way journey through life i cannot thank this whole journey enough
27:15for flicking that switch and allowing me to move on okay job done
27:24we need to get into town get a bus can you drive us in thank you
27:32mongolia there's only one word for it's magical it's absolutely magical
27:38it was just amazing to see him back the way he was how excited he is for everything so thrilled
27:43so
27:43so thrilled like he's been given the health all clear but this is mentally the all clear
27:49right away we go go go go go go go go go go
27:55as father and daughter continue south towards altai 180 kilometers away in me and gad mark and margot look
28:03for a way to head north i think if we left here now we could get to oolingham for this
28:09evening if
28:10we go up to oolingham we're actually thundering along to the checkpoint we are we need to get moving we
28:16need to get moving so hello hello do you want to where we want to go to oolingham how do
28:22we get to
28:22oolingham from here do you want to hold do you want we have to go back to hoved we have
28:27to go back and
28:27then up yes i don't want to go back to hov do you no we might have to though she's
28:33sending us
28:33backwards to go forwards how do we get back to hov can we get a taxi from here
28:43no taxi here no taxi if we go if we go on the road and go
28:49let's just do that that's what we'll have to do isn't it
28:52thank you so much thank you thank you originally we wanted to shoot straight up from oolingham from
28:58where we are now come on let's go our girl host made it clear that's not a possibility we have
29:04to
29:04go back to hoved very disappointing if we want to catch up with the boys we need to move fast
29:10oh i don't want to wave i want to lift mate hi uh you go to hoved
29:18yeah come on oh thank you so good of you goodbye bye thank you thank you
29:33after a night in naranbulag let's go joe and kush are aiming to catch one of only two daily buses
29:39that
29:40pass through the town an opportunity to travel 450 kilometers to toss on tsengel
29:47oh wait is that our boss hello the lemonade go to some tingle
29:54two how much 160 000 it's like seven out of eight so realistically we want to be really budget conscious
30:01and so we have backup funds for the final leg should we have 100 000 for two we said 160
30:08000
30:09we're going for 100 000. that leg is where it's going to be that taxi versus that bus will make
30:15or
30:15break ours and we want the money to be able to spend that taxi that's okay thank you my friend
30:21thanks bro it was so easy getting on this bus yeah it was good like it was so easy
30:27bro i'm gassed at that price i mean this place is so bougie from what we paid this feel like
30:32first
30:32class this place is so cool that comfy bro's got a bit of a journey as the other teams forge
30:40on the
30:41in-laws are back where they were 24 hours ago thank you thank you thank you so much thank you
30:47how much
30:48money what you want money yeah how much 50 000 no no it's not a taxi 40 you're saying 40.
30:58thank you
30:59thank you well there you go it's a bit of a shock because when they pick you up and then
31:05you and
31:05they don't say anything at the beginning or whatever but this is ludicrous this is with the unexpected
31:10fear denting the remaining budget they try to find a cheaper way out a bus is there a bus
31:19so not tomorrow no no saturday yeah saturday so there's not another bus till saturday
31:26thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you a very bitter pill to swallow
31:34keeping your spirits up when you're doing everything you can you're making decisions
31:38that you think are strategic and it's just all going wrong it is crushing it does get you down
31:47you know tomorrow's another day but today
31:53sun's setting it's getting cold let's go let's get a cheap hotel as they bed down
31:59that's how much money you got left for this lake 29. the reality of the delay hits home
32:05oh dear with the budget we've got it's budget over racing isn't it
32:10oh it is yeah it's coming down to the wire isn't it it's just so expensive mongolia and our budget
32:18has been decimated we'll spend two nights in this area we're going to spend we intend to spend one
32:26we just want to get to the end that's what we want to do
32:32dumplings i want to look like a dumpling after all of these 340 kilometers east in darvi
32:38i don't think it's good katie and harrison have made it to their homestay where they are
32:44experiencing mongolian hospitality for the first time thank you so much thank you so much
32:49very nice yeah so i thought they would do it now let's enjoy the dance let's yeah maybe you'll
32:56finally get to pull harrison i can't do it in manchester where there's a couple million
33:00people what chance if i got in a small village in mongolia yeah
33:07harrison i think the men have got to ask the women to dance
33:12i'm young single and available young single available full of dumpling
33:17what more could you want hello hello hello oh okay oh my god no this is time
33:32she's all over the place this is too confusing
33:38there is definitely a routine and i'm not quite getting it i keep popping
33:43thank you bye bye how was that that was the best experience ever yeah i'm an absolute disaster on
33:52the dance floor your turn that's not happening i can't dance it's no please katie katie on this
34:00trip i've had to speak to random people stay in people's houses i have not felt anxiety in my chest
34:04like this for once this is your song it's not my phone okay okay okay where's this okay same one
34:16hmm oh where are we going
34:34she's smiling at me and i'm just trying my best
34:39thank you thank you thank you
34:45she's gonna go and say that's the most the biggest plank i've ever danced with to turn up to
34:52this village 80 kilometers off the main road there's a mongolian disco hall as well to go with it
34:58full of surprises this place you just don't know what to expect next people of all ages having a
35:03dance together choosing different dance partners and it's really wholesome now it's like the most
35:08uncomfortable situation you could have put me in that's what the race is about so just trying to
35:13i suppose broaden my mind and better myself a little bit each day i can't take the smile off my
35:19face i'm so glad harrison did dance for a couple minutes of embarrassment in front of a few people
35:25he's got like a memory for a lifetime um we're always going to look back and laugh when we look
35:32like
35:32the right pair of videos definitely this is the best memories we've had so far
35:59wow that is chilly
36:04joe and kush have woken up in tossant singal a remote mongolian sum or rural district with under
36:1210 000 residents we've got a job from five that we can work in a car we're trying to find
36:18a bus that
36:18leaves after our shift and i'll get us to checkpoint can you help us get a bus to parkourine
36:34yes 3am in the morning from tossing tingle i'm not sure i will ask the game you are amazing we've
36:41got to basically well go to work and then after that get to checkpoint i don't think any teams could
36:46have done it faster while they wait for their shift this one here yes this one okay andrew and molly
36:53are
36:53also pushing on towards her foreign we've covered the ground molly traveling via arva here on a local bus
37:00service feeling good actually feeling good the dream scenario would be if we could get within
37:06touching distance of the boys within three or four hours hopefully we can get close to them and put
37:11them under pressure be majorly impressive fingers crossed 230 kilometers behind hello we want to go to
37:20altai katie and harrison are trying to reach altai where they plan to head off road towards the
37:27northern highway what time two that's way too late yeah we would be stuck there tonight right so that's the
37:40the only bus if we get that bus we probably wouldn't get to carcara it's moran and it will mean
37:46we could
37:46be two days behind teams taxi taxi no no i don't i don't know the answer i think we need
37:55to change our plans
37:58okay so the bus doesn't stop in our time it goes all the way to baring congore does it yeah
38:05so i think a
38:06better route would be to follow this bottom highway through end up by in congore so we're moving close
38:13to checkpoint tonight good to get as far as possible yeah katie's new proposal continue east on a bus to
38:21bayern hongor putting them within 360 kilometers of the checkpoint we've kind of got a plan katie's
38:29very smart really happy that she sort of took the lead and had the ideas of where to go we
38:35were 21
38:35hours behind when this work started so important that we do close the gap on joe and kush we're on
38:41the bus we're on our way to bayern hongor i thought no energy i'm tired this is your route now
38:51mongolia's your problem enjoy mongolia's a pretty big problem it's half
39:00well let's go and hitch this is a one-horse town isn't it definitely still in hoved where joe and
39:07kush left two days ago i see no one here and with no buses north today budget strapped mark and
39:15margot
39:15go search for a way forward not speaking the language not having a phone having to get money
39:22it is really really tough we're now going into uncharted territory
39:28well now he's going straight past we set off with julia as inspiration for exactly working together on
39:35the race when we arrived in mongolia it really felt so different so alien i couldn't have any sense
39:43of julia here come on they're going in there it does feel as though now we're on our own how
39:51much
39:51you want we haven't got that thank you we've only got a little bit of money she's looking down upon
39:57us
39:57and say you're on your own now it's just you two to find your friendship together it's the biggest
40:03challenge we've had so far but i want us both at the end of the race to stand proud and
40:08go
40:09we did it being teammates being friends i'll ask him which is what she wanted
40:16are you going to all i'm gone are you going there we'll go yeah all i'm gone okay all i'm
40:24gone
40:26good to get on the move mark isn't it it's very good to be on the move i never thought
40:31we were leaving
40:32and we're going back up the same road for the third time after retracing their steps north
40:39the in-laws finally faced the winding dirt track to ulangom
40:54across a vast arid steppe dotted with salt lakes and roaming herds of goats camels yaks and horses
41:03it transforms to snow in the colder months this is made up for the last two days this is unbelievable
41:10this is just priceless experience absolutely priceless
41:15oh margot oh camels camels can we stop to see the camels wow wow hello come on
41:38hello hello i'm a friendly human oh what an amazing place to see them
41:49it was brilliant camels and snow i know all at once
42:04as mark and margot lift their spirits
42:09600 kilometers closer to the checkpoint and toss on single everywhere i step i leave more of an
42:16imprint than there was before i started mopping am i going to do this joe and kush are coming to
42:21the
42:21end of their bar shift before they take their pre-booked bus after mapping backwards yeah that's
42:27the idea hopefully this shift should pay off our bus tickets i think this last leg it is going to
42:32be
42:33a taxi race and we need as much money as we can hello hello hi it's us from the bus
42:40stop ah we were
42:42just wondering if there's any way you could find out the exact time the bus will arrive in toncentengel
42:5512 actually actually according to the timetable the bar had to arrive in thousand days after
43:04i think there's been a miscommunication there's so much confusion about these bus times it's like
43:12minus 15 so we can't just wait outside because we need to know exactly when the bus is so we're
43:16not
43:17not standing in the cold for three hours
43:18what's that you're talking about coming to get off
43:22what's that you're talking about
43:24who i am
43:25yeah
43:27okay
43:28if we hadn't called and checked the bus times we would have missed it because it's coming an hour early
43:34thank you so much thank you so much
43:37without the phone call we would have missed it
43:39their perseverance paying off just 470 kilometers stand between the best friends and the seventh
43:46checkpoint
43:51it's such a rewarding feeling that me and coach are capable of winning this race
43:59we are more than capable of doing whatever we want and succeeding
44:05i feel like i'm going to be going home 10 times bigger than i was you know
44:09the lad look at this bus oh my days welcome to vip you messing
44:15i realize there's so much opportunity for me it's like almost mine for the taking
44:22sir made it well you know less than the today is persistence
44:43the last checkpoint isn't that really weird that is weird with joe and cush making headway through
44:50the night morning brings a change of pace for andrew and molly checkpoint here we come yeah
44:56the lads were 17 hours ahead of us yes and to pull that back it's going to be a huge
45:01effort
45:02but if we're in four or five hours of them it would be an amazing result any closer would be
45:07an
45:07absolutely unreal result oh goodbye nice room welcome to the real mongolia making good on their
45:15strategy to spend big and move fast they've opted for a private taxi along the off-road track to the
45:22checkpoint
45:24i actually think i'm falling in love with mongolia
45:28oh
45:30they're on a big red light on the dashboard
45:35jesus
45:44is this actually joe
45:46oh
45:46shit
45:49jesus
45:50me and the wee donkey
45:54car good
45:55no
45:56no
46:01it looks as if he's trying to fix his battery but i don't know
46:04i don't i don't know at the moment i don't know what to do i've really quite
46:07just
46:08it's quite cold
46:09and it could be a long way yeah there's nobody around
46:15can we say a prayer i think i'm on my third hail mary
46:21two hundred and ninety kilometers behind having made it to bayan hongor
46:27don't have some money we need it katie and harrison grab the opportunity for a local job
46:32to bolster their budget for the final stretch
46:39strong winds and intense sunshine are driving mongolia's renewable future with ambitions to triple
46:46green energy by 2030 but for now coal remains essential to survive its brutal winters
46:55there's a lot of coal it's got two shovels out i guess i'm backing this 1600s for a day
47:01right let's get to work the man's looking at me
47:08keeping mongolia warm single-handedly i guess in countries like maybe infrastructure isn't as well
47:14developed so stuff like this is needed katie you've got something on your face you you look like
47:20a victorian school child i look like a chimney sweep yeah katie's happy to crack on with anything
47:27really i'm still just feeling a bit tired and under the weather so she'll definitely be a little bit
47:33more chirpy whilst doing it i'm working away here i'm sweating you can do the hard grafts
47:40oh yeah i work for both of us yeah you do time and half i'll do half yeah you're good
47:46at helping
47:47people out when they need help me that's nice you were really good with mum like with the emotional
47:55support i was too focused on what i wanted to do and well that's i just wanted to say um
48:03like
48:04i suppose thank you for for being there and being well that's really nice to hear actually
48:12on the race i've heard like more about how much you were there i felt more and more like
48:20guilty that i wasn't there i don't think you should feel guilty but i really appreciate you
48:25saying that because i don't know if i felt like angry towards you but i do have very specific
48:32memories like one when an ambulance came to the house and mum was just screaming out in pain and
48:41like i come into your room and i try to tell you and you're like well there's nothing i can
48:46do and then
48:46i can hear you laughing on the xbox i remember just crying my eyes out because i don't know i
48:55feel
48:55i just felt like why is this affecting me and it's not affecting him like how does he seem so
49:00okay about
49:01it all i don't know if i was feeling fine because i also remember that and that's the regret is
49:08like
49:08sitting in my room but for the time i don't know how to deal with with that so you're not
49:14going to
49:14deal with it probably don't deal with it yeah i am sorry i'm sorry to you sorry to mom thank
49:21you
49:22to hear you say like that you actually recognize that it was tough for me is really quite healing
49:32i now just feel a lot more supported you're just a much better human really yeah different don't
49:40plan on ever going back to that no yeah we have a top one percent relationship in terms of a
49:46brother
49:46and sister yeah and then we've probably just added a little extra dynamic to it
49:52it was important to let katie know that if mum needs something or if katie needs something
49:56i won't hide away and be as selfish we'll carry on being pretty mean to each other messing about
50:03but if needs be we're both there for each other perfect the race has just accelerated this growth
50:13and change in him one full truck of coal at the start we still weren't really comfortable having
50:18these conversations and now it's just easy it's natural it's really lovely because i do feel like i
50:24have a proper big brother by my side it's glorious i'm really quite proud so am i
50:38yay it's working on the road again father potty you've done so much for me back on the move
50:49andrew and molly this is the last one jesus car corn should be not too far away checkpoint here we
50:59come
51:05the seventh checkpoint harhorn home to irdenzu monastery built in 1585 it's a rare survivor of the
51:16stalinist purge which destroyed hundreds of buddhist temples
51:23first to touch down what joe and kush hey bro let's go
51:30all right follow the footbridge to find irdenzu monastery once inside locate the golden lotus
51:37bud on the temple irdenzu
51:43oh joe bro bro bet you it's that massive from one stone foot and all that's it it's just so
51:49cool
51:50this whole place isn't it
51:55oh here we are here we are okay ready to rock
52:02follow the footbridge to find irdenzu monastery
52:07that's the day that's the monastery true yeah look at this place you're just stormy
52:13this apparently was the capital of genghis khan yeah locate golden lotus bud
52:20piece of the top of that one over there that whiter looking one yeah it looks like a lotus
52:25bud if you start like that and then you flower outwards yeah yeah yeah exit the monastery on foot head
52:32west and sign in at the checkpoint quorum hotel what way is west west is it says it's going like
52:41this way maybe that exit so let's just get out of here i think that's it there yeah it looks
52:47like
52:48a flower doesn't it yeah it looks like okay you sure no what's the name of it golden lotus bud
52:53i think
52:54that's a cross because it looks like a bud now but they all look like bloody buds there's somebody over
53:01that money we've got people who ask there's a monk even better
53:11i can't spot any building that looks like a hotel can i see that compass
53:16is this west north i was a bit screwed lad he seems to think i'm a blaze
53:23i don't know what else i don't know where we're going no me neither i've been going a further
53:26away from it you know should we take a gamble go straight yeah we just keep going
53:34this is it exit the monastery on foot and head west and sign in at the checkpoint all right molly
53:43here we go i think anyone's right i hope not keep going there's not much left in the tank i
53:51know i am
53:52absolutely right just pissed that building dead ahead it's all the clock that's it there come on
53:59i think we've gone tremendously well don't jinx it bro he's got to maintain our position
54:03where are we malls over molly way running in come on come on reception
54:12thank you
54:18got to be first bro
54:23congratulations your success when you reached your seventh checkpoint
54:37bro what a boss leg we've had i think that's the best leg so far everything wise time we're doing
54:43something right bro budget fun at this point the win is everything we've done so much to get here
54:48this is where you want to be on leg seven first place bro i'd love to see you in the
54:53empty book
54:54one more time and we won it i think the pressure is the hardest thing that we're going to have
55:00to try
55:00and keep under control we've got to keep fighting until the very very last moment we're so close
55:05the failure is not enough for right now hold on hold on leg if anyone does rad today props to
55:11them
55:13whatever it be with me all right i'm so excited come on
55:23oh we're second oh well done we're second going to the final
55:29well done well done well done well done well done
55:33this is our first time just being above third and five hours is nothing we're in touching distance we
55:39just need to follow it up now with it with the final leg yeah and hopefully then finish the job
55:42finish the job so a 90-minute winner molly i still see it sliding on my knees
56:05it is so cold yeah oh my god this is the coldest of a bit i'm just kind of focused
56:12on surviving
56:13okay
56:17no idea we're gonna call me blast
56:23so nervous
56:26oh my god third
56:29Oh, it's still so far behind first.
56:31By a lot.
56:33I'm really happy we've come third.
56:35We're not last, but I am really devastated.
56:39We've just not made up that much time.
56:41Mongolia is tough to travel through.
56:43I think the phrase, we've been Mongolia'd,
56:45is something I'll use for a while.
56:48We're third, which is great. We've climbed up a spot.
56:51I really want to win, and I do think we could come first.
56:55Anything's possible. We've done fourth to first before.
56:58So...
56:58Yeah, we'll give it all we've got.
57:05Look at the blue sky.
57:07We're doing blue sky thinking today.
57:09That's all we can do.
57:11With three teams checked in,
57:13one team is still 470 kilometres away.
57:18What price are we going to start with?
57:20Are we offering them? We'll see if they'll take us for nothing.
57:22Nothing.
57:23Nothing.
57:25If we get a lift now to the checkpoint,
57:27I can expect us paying at least $80 to $100,
57:31which just completely blows a budget for the final leg.
57:34Is this a good place?
57:36It's not the busiest of highways, is it?
57:38No.
57:41You seem to miss a rush hour.
57:43What do you think?
57:45If we don't get to the finish line,
57:47go and sign that book,
57:49it'd be a real shame.
57:51We're so close.
57:52We're so close,
57:53and we've made so many sacrifices,
57:55and we've budgeted,
57:56and all the skanky accommodation we've done.
58:01I'll be really gutted if we don't get to the end.
58:04It'd be really, really disappointing.
58:13The thing is, if you do more than a five-minute walk in Mongolia,
58:17you're suddenly in the middle of nowhere.
58:20We've done fourth to first before.
58:23We can do third to first.
58:24Come on, you.
58:25Oh-ho!
58:26Do you think we can get to the end?
58:28I don't know.
58:28It's never been about the ten round for me.
58:30I just want to say I've won it.
58:32What the hell?
58:33We may have made a really bad decision.
58:36This morning, we've got another chance of winning.
58:38I don't know.
58:39Finishing would just be a great job.
58:41Let's go, go, go.
58:43Absolutely epic.
58:43This is eight weeks in the making.
58:45Palermo, Fuscado, Istanbul, all-in-one for this moment.
58:49I'm so excited.
58:50Mission Agal is a go.
59:19This takes me, through the panel,
59:19and I put the new insights together.
59:19Hey, why did you feel so professional?
59:20What how did you feel?
59:20You really did?
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