Original subtitles

Oh, Brydie, you're going to love this!

Oh, look, aw, look at him!

Oh, he's bowing! LAUGHS

According to Japanese legend,

the Shinto god of thunder arrived into Nara City on a white deer...

Oh, yes, yes!

..and sacred Sika deer have roamed freely here ever since.

Ooh! THEY LAUGH

Ooh, he bit your bum!

After 1,600km raced,

a chance for the teams to unwind.

It's so graceful. Everything's done with such precision here. Yeah.

The whole Japanese tea party was...

Ceremony.

LAUGHS: Tea ceremony! Yeah. It was just so peaceful.

What did you think of the actual tea, though?

Not your cup of tea? Literally. SPLUTTERS

At the first checkpoint in the race to Lombok,

less than five hours

separate all five teams.

But Eugenie and Isabel's

two-minute lead has depleted almost

a third of their entire race budget.

Did anyone work? Did you earn any money, or...?

No. You didn't work? Not at all? Nothing? No. OK. Oh, really?

Was it expensive in Tokyo?

Up to a point. but that's where we did work,

so we made, you know, quite a lot. We did.

But don't give too much away, do we?

THEY LAUGH AND JEER Of course not.

I'm baffled that Eugenie and Isabel haven't worked. Surprised.

We're in probably the most expensive country that we'll cross through

and they haven't made use of the fact that the earnings

are going to be higher. They could earn good money here. But can't rule

anyone out at this stage... No, you don't want to. ..cos we're all so

close together. Yeah, I think we need to up our game.

At the start of the second leg, the teams will leave the checkpoint

in the order they arrived.

THEY EXCHANGE PLEASANTRIES

First to find out where they are heading next... Arigatou.

..Eugenie and Isabel.

"Your second checkpoint is Sokcho."

Sounds a bit Korean. Very exciting.

The second country in the race across the East Asia,

South Korea.

Well-known for kimchi, K-pop and Taekwondo,

this intriguing nation offers much more for the teams to discover

as they race to the second checkpoint.

At the very top of the country, the seaside city of Sokcho,

less than an hour's drive from South Korea's

notorious northern neighbour.

I've studied Korean. It's one of those things - with a language,

you need to keep it up.

So everything I know now is, like, gone.

But I think it's going to come back. I hope so. I really hope so.

When you're immersed in it... I really hope so. ..it will come back.

The only way for the teams to reach South Korea is by ferry

from the port of Hakata.

With a further 650km of budget-busting Japan to navigate,

they'll need to balance speed with the potential to

pick up lucrative work along the way.

Leaving Japan might be a problem because we've lost the map.

We've searched all the bags, it's nowhere to be seen.

So it doesn't help.

Teams can travel between the major cities along Honshu's

southern coast,

a well-trodden path but congested and costly.

Alternatively, they could head off the beaten track to the island

of Shikoku to soak up its natural beauty.

Ooh! South Korea is another expensive country.

Our strategy this leg is to work as much as possible.

So we have no map, right, so this is where it's going to get complicated.

I think we want to go to Hiroshima. Yeah.

We'll hopefully have job opportunities available.

What's quite good is we can actually get there quite easily.

We then need to work out what the closest port to us would be.

And then, once we get to Korea,

we're going to end up at... Isabel...

LAUGHS: Yeah, sorry! ..come on. Yes, yes, yes!

I've locked in the first bit in my memory. OK.

I don't want too much cos it will confuse me.

Isabel, the way that she thinks, she's actually thinking not

just the next step, but she's thinking in terms

of the whole steps right to the end. Let's go!

Once we get to Korea, we could potentially work there as well.

Isabel, come on. ISABEL LAUGHS

The first stage of Isabel's plan - remain on Honshu in order

to boost their finances in Hiroshima.

It's this way.

Ugh. Mum? Where have you gone?

I've lost her.

She's just walked off!

It's this way.

Yeah, but...I was heading that way.

I shouted. Go on, let's get on.

Mum's very laid-back, and at times, I feel like the roles are reversed.

At times, I feel like I'm the mother now.

Give me a snack.

You ate!

Oh! You had French toast for breakfast.

Horrible.

Do you want some peanuts?

Five each. One, two...

Oh, behave. Isabel, please. No.

THEY LAUGH

Don't do that, that's not nice!

Right, let's go to Sokcho,

whatever the hell that is. We should probably find out first.

Also on the move...

Sokcho, no?

..best friends Alfie and Owen.

That way? Yeah, he just did his ears.

It is in South Korea, like we thought, it's just very far north.

It's right near the border of North Korea, actually. Yeah, it's almost

a bit too close... It's almost too close, yeah.

Right, so we know we're going to South Korea.

New language, new people,

new food, new culture.

Really looking forward to, like, Korean sticky barbecue.

If we went from Osaka to Kobe...

Ah, Kobe beef -

I've always wanted to try Kobe beef.

I'm worried about your spending on food.

OK. You're on four meals a day? Something like that.

Yeah, see, that's going to be a problem.

Stay in Kobe tonight, then head out of Kobe to Hakata.

And we will arrive in Busan, which is the main ferry port

in South Korea. Yeah.

Realistically, we should get to Kobe today.

Covering 60km to Kobe will leave the boys with 590 more

to get to the ferry.

We feel like we've learned a lot from leg one, that was only us

at about 60%.

Did you finish your breakfast this morning? As good as.

We have got to move with more intellect,

with just as much speed, and cheaper.

Right, how are we doing this?

As cheaply as possible.

So it's just one bus. Just one train? One train, yeah.

I have faith in the plan, I have faith in us.

On the other hand, we have seen

Alfie lose his head a little bit in some situations.

Of course I'm expecting it, but I'm hoping with my calm head

we can kind of balance out.

BOTH: Oh, my God. That's so cool!

This is going almost too well.

I'm waiting for something to happen.

As the leading two teams leave Nara City behind...

Sokcho. Sokcho? We're 'eading to Sokcho.

..two more look to do the same.

It'll be nice to see a bit more of Japan.

It'd be great to do some work.

The great outdoors is calling our name.

Husband and wife Stephen and Viv

are also planning to stick to Honshu.

We've decided to travel north - there might be a possibility

of a job thatching. We have lots of thatched cottages around Rutland.

They thatched the cricket pavilion

just a couple of weeks ago. They did, just down the road from us.

So right up our street, isn't it? Definitely, yes.

They aim to avoid crowded cities,

and head 100km north

to a dream job in the picturesque

Kansai region.

Please, can we go to the queue?

Can we cut in?

We're in a race.

Can we...?

Stephen doesn't intentionally offend,

but you can be a little bit...offensive.

Sometimes, if people are looking for offence,

they'll find it anyway. I know, I know. Yes. Yeah.

Don't know if they'll let you in, Stephen.

We're in a rush, we're in a rush, come on.

Right.

I'm going to ask that man, the businessman.

Excuse me, could you help us?

Leaving in last place, Brydie and mum Sharon.

Yeah, you're right.

Then it changes train at Osaka.

They're attempting to find a way along the southern coast of Honshu

to the city of Okayama, where they hope to find work to build

a fund for the ferry crossing.

Are you getting on our train? Yeah. So we'll follow you.

Yeah. Thank you.

Our strategy is just meeting people.

I want to say it's our people skills, but people just come to us.

They come to us. So I think let's

just keep doing what we're doing. Yeah.

Right, Mum, make sure it's the right train.

He's saying, "Come." Game on! Get on it. Are you sure, Brydie?

Brydie, I don't think it is.

This could mess us up.

He said the next one. I don't know, Mum, you're asking me questions

but I don't know. Oh, shit, we're on it. Have we gone wrong?

I think so. I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

No, no, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter.

Just do what you think. I can't read it.

I think, if we mess up, we try not to panic too much.

We need to get out.

Right, let's go. I think we've got to learn on the job.

What do they say, "Don't judge the tortoise"? Yeah.

It's cos you panicked. I didn't panic,

you panicked and asked me.

I don't BLEEP know! I can't BLEEP read it!

Right, we've got this. Chill. Yeah.

To get to the ferry port of Hakata,

four teams have taken the safe route, remaining on Honshu...

I know it's work, but it's going to give us an adventure.

Hopefully, it's a stone's throw... Away.

I would absolutely love to go rural, the island of Shikoku.

I think city. Better transport routes.

..but well-travelled Betty needs

to convince her younger brother, James, otherwise.

This might be a bit selfish.

Part of the reason why I'm on this race is to figure out,

like, how to live life to the fullest.

I struggle with, like,

the day-to-day, you know, nine-till-five, wake up, go to work.

So I hope that the race is going to give me that time to find

what my actual purpose is in life.

I feel the island of Shikoku calling to me.

She's interested in finding herself sort of thing.

I think for me, race mode is in my head.

So would you be happy to compromise?

Erm...OK.

The siblings cross the Great Naruto Bridge

to leave Honshu and arrive

on the southern island of Shikoku.

It's already looking pretty rural.

This is like going from Leeds to Malham at home.

Back on Honshu...

There's a lot of food down here, very nice-smelling food.

..Alfie and Owen have reached the cosmopolitan seaport of Kobe.

You know Kobe beef?

Yeah, do you know where it's cheap?

There.

One of the first Japanese cities to trade with the West,

famed for its sake

and, of more interest to Owen...

Oh, yes.

..Kobe beef.

120,000 yen?

It's £1 for every 5g.

It is a lot of money, but we wanted to come and try it.

We've got about 30 seconds to decide if we're running

or buying something.

Only meat from rare and purebred Japanese black cows, often raised

on a diet of beer and regular massages,

can qualify as Kobe beef -

highly sought-after, with a price to match.

Excuse me. No, I've got this.

So this, we don't have.

So can we have half of this?

We just want to pay for a little bit.

Minimum? Minimum. OK.

We'll have one... One? ..one to share.

I'm not impressed about the budget situation.

We don't want to go home with regrets, do we?

It's all part of the experience, Alfie.

It is a lot of money for something that isn't really going

to fill us up, but then, I'd much rather be on my deathbed with a load

of experiences and memories than a load of money just sat

in the bank.

HE SPEAKS JAPANESE

When the vegetable's bigger than the meat.

Right.

Oh, this is going well.

Don't drop it.

30 quid there. Last one.

It's really damn good. That is really nice.

It is, really, it's so tender.

Probably the best beef I've ever had.

That was 1,000 yen right there.

Is it worth the money, though?

No, it's not.

Right, shall I pay? Please.

Can we have the bill?

HE SPEAKS JAPANESE

Free? Really?! Oh!

THEY LAUGH

Oh, there is a God! Thank you!

I'd like to apologise for my misery and discontempt

that I may have displayed during this moment.

It is a moment of regret.

I was a little bit, like,

"Look, if this costs us later down the line, it's not value for money."

Well, that was lucky.

Victory. Happy now?

He does like to moan quite a lot sometimes,

but this was a new level today.

One minute, he was sulking like a two-year-old

and the next he was hugging the man.

This is pretty cool. Yeah, this is pretty cool. And they're actually...

Bloody hell.

Oh, my God, I actually can't get in!

The capsule hotel, it's pretty cool, it's part of Japanese culture,

and it's cheap.

Set tomorrow's alarm.

Goodnight. I am so hungry!

120km to the north...

Wow!

..and before their job tomorrow, Stephen and Viv are enjoying some

traditional Japanese hospitality.

Tonight, you will be staying here.

Ah, lovely!

Oh, this is so impressive!

Isn't it? Yeah. I love it!

I feel like a giant!

Is there a bathroom?

This morning in Nara City train station...

Come here, come here.

..when Stephen tried to queue-jump,

the ground could have swallowed me up.

Well? Yeah, you see!

And I think, going forwards, he may be a bit of a loose cannon

at some times...

Hot! STEPHEN LAUGHS

..so I think I'll have to keep a little bit of an eye on him.

Tomorrow, we have to start at seven. Whoa! Wow!

It's very early. I think we need to get to bed.

THEY LAUGH

You can actually see that this is the only thing that survived.

It hits you.

At 8:15 on the 6th of August 1945, a huge fireball

exploded over this city.

It's their only thing from the past that they have here. Yeah.

Nothing here is from the past.

Dropped by the United States,

it was the first atomic bomb used as a weapon of war.

BELL TOLLS

History is not my kind of subject.

This is one of the places that Isabel wanted to come to.

All the children that come here,

I heard from a tour guide, they make paper cranes on their school trips

and they put them here. Yeah.

I thought I'd feel really sad, but it's a lovely place

just to spend time, just feel peaceful.

You just know they're trying to stay positive

after something so negative.

Let's get going, we're going to be late for work.

To address their budget problems,

Eugenie and Isabel have lined up a job in the city.

Do we quickly scope out night buses before we head?

Oh, come on, Isabel.

We agreed we needed to make money.

Their shift starts in 30 minutes...

So we want to go from Hiroshima to Hakata.

..but Isabel is focused on how to get to the ferry

after the job is done.

Isabel, it's now 25 to 11.

The priority is getting out

so we've got to get as much information as possible.

We have the bus...

Kind of pushed for time.

Would you rather be late for work or not have a way out?

Isabel was always a very determined young lady.

Need to catch a bus to Hakata.

She was the baby that walked at nine months old.

My boys didn't walk till 11, 12 months.

Let's go. No, we need change.

Stop rushing me, Mum.

My sons, I'd say, "Jump,"

and they'd say, "How high, Mummy?"

Isabel would say, "Why?"

We've got five minutes to get there.

Shall we blame it on the buses?

No. How do we say "sorry"?

Sumimasen. Sumimasen. Yeah?

Sumimasen.

340km, away in the north of Honshu...

So this is a shrine for sun goddess.

I hope she does her work and brings out some sunshine.

..to pay back last night's bed and board,

Stephen and Viv have signed on as labourers for Mr Nishio...

To work! ..a master thatcher who has

dedicated his life to a 5,000-year-old craft.

So we've come out of our way specifically for this job

that we both thought will be fun. It's outdoors, it's with people,

we're up in the mountains. Great, great fun.

But the weather is just terrible.

THUNDER PEELS

Oh! Oh! Please let us work.

This is important to us because we have had your hospitality

and we want to repay you.

We'd be very happy to do anything.

Any job you have for us. Anything to help.

I have done all sorts of jobs trying to find...find me,

find your route through life.

I've been a taxi driver -

I was a cabbie in London for a while. Worked on the bins

for one year. I've been a truck driver.

I was a blue coat abroad, I've taught PE,

I've been a social worker in Ealing. In the race,

I hope that being a jack of all trades - master of none -

is a strong skill set.

That would be wonderful! A fantastic idea.

I'll wash my way back towards you, darling.

It's like being back onboard ship, this.

THEY LAUGH

I'm thrilled it's all worked out well. I am as well.

We're back on target again, really.

Yeah. It would have been disastrous if we had to pay for the

accommodation last night,

and it was so nice to help.

This is obviously a very special place for them.

I honestly don't think it would be possible to catch a ferry

tonight, so we possibly could board a ferry tomorrow morning.

Ooh, last little bit there.

That's it - all done.

To the south...

Just been walking round in circles

for about an hour now, and probably a bit longer.

It's just, today's just been so frustrating.

..Alfie and Owen are aiming to get to South Korea sooner...

We need to get to Hakata.

Only internet?

..but are still 580km away from the ferry port

that can get them there.

This is probably the biggest moment

of the race so far is whether we can cross into South Korea.

I do not want to spend unnecessary time in Japan

when there is checkpoints to be hit.

We're trying to get to Hakata.

Yeah.

Bus, yeah - just any way.

I think it'd be fair to say

we've never felt less in control on the race. It's not a nice feeling.

We thought we'd just be able to get back on track,

and I think for the first time, it's kind of hit us that...

..it's not like that. If you stop

somewhere, you run the risk of not being able to progress.

Excuse me, do you speak English?

Bro, you do someone else.

What, at the same time? Yes.

All right. Chill out.

Any English? No speak English.

OK. BLEEP.

Oh! Let's go back this way. My legs hurt!

Let's go back this way.

This is wild!

There's, like, nothing here.

320km even further south...

Yesterday, we were in, like, a buzzing city.

It feels like we're probably the only tourists here.

..Betty and James are the only team to have travelled to the island

of Shikoku.

What? Really? Wow! 100.

Oh, my gosh. BETTY GASPS

They are helping 85-year-old Yukio

with her botanic passion.

OK.

That size - small?

Why can they not be too big?

In Japanese cuisine, presentation is key...

They have to be perfect.

That's an awful one. Why? It's got a hole in it there.

..and these decorative leaves will end up on signature dishes

across the country.

So many restaurants, mine.

Yours wouldn't even pass it to Greggs, yours.

It's not a competition.

That one had a hole in it.

She's definitely found her purpose in life, which is something

we're all looking for.

This bit I can see being therapeutic.

I mean, we're pretty nifty, but I wouldn't want, like,

my nana doing that at 100 years old, I don't think.

She's never, like, gone and lived anywhere else or experienced

anything other than this.

I admire her for doing it, but

it's not for me. Not for me.

Thank you! See you later, bye! Bye.

Coming here was obviously a risk, but it was a risk we were willing

to take so early on in the race.

Betty probably came to get answers and find out

what she may have wanted to hear.

But at the end of the day, we're in the middle of nowhere.

Wow, this is the first bus to be late... Ever. ..ever in Japan.

And looking at where we're going, it's going to be another sort

of lengthy journey. Oh, the bus is there!

Stick your thumb out, quick! Put your hand out. I have.

Oh! Let's go!

Get to that ferry port,

we get to South Korea as sort of early as possible.

If we could be in South Korea tomorrow...amazing.

Closest to the ferry port...

Did not expect to be a dishwasher.

We were expecting to cook, weren't we?

We've missed the lunchtime rush, I think.

It's quiet! No guest.

..tardy Eugenie and Isabel...

Mum, sorry, it's not clean. Where?

You're being finicky!

..missed the opportunity to knock up traditional

okonomiyaki for Mr Suehiro's

customers, but are on course to leave for the ferry port tonight.

Well, let's just see if we can work a little bit longer now.

Yeah, but we've already paid for a bus. Erm, OK, let's go.

It's annoying cos we've only been able to earn an hour's

worth of work.

Domo arigato.

No more? More?

THEY LAUGH

It's OK, it will happen.

It's done, c'est la vie.

That's why I want to pick up another job in Korea.

Arigatou! Arigatou!

How do you know where the fish are?

Radar. Radar! I like that.

Last night, Brydie and Sharon

reached the seaport city of Okayama.

Hope we get a whopper.

Heading out into the Seto Inland Sea,

they are sticking to their shoestring strategy...

Throw!

..working as deckhands for Mr Kunihiko.

Come on, fish. Yeah, come on!

We're definitely practical people.

We're definitely good at getting ourselves stuck in. Yeah.

I couldn't do an office job all day. Nor me. I get bored.

My reading ability and my writing ability is very young.

My dyslexia has stopped me from getting a job in an office

or being a waitress, cos I can't write what people want on the menu.

The words can jump from this side

of the page to the other side

of the page. It's very confusing.

Here they come, here they come!

Oh, look, look, look, look, here! Oh, and here!

There's another one, there's another one, there's another one!

You got a whopper.

It's amazing!

You feel more at home with these kind of jobs.

Not just cos of my dyslexia, but I feel like I can do it.

When I was about 17, I tried snowboarding and I gave it a go.

I was like, "Oh, my God, I love this."

And then I started teaching, and it went amazing.

And I work with special needs kids as well,

and that's my favourite part of it. I love it

and I found a career out of it and I know that I'm good at it.

Is that a shark? Shark?

Oh! THEY LAUGH

Go on, mate... OK.

Oh, is this your family?

Family.

Aw! You've got a lovely husband!

Oh, family, yes.

Oh, yes!

There's me, Daddy. Oh.

Yeah, sister.

Yeah. Beautiful. Yeah.

With their budget boosted...

We have to go to here. Do you know how to get there?

Okayama Station.

Oh, you're going to drive us?

Oh, thank you, thank you.

..attention turns to South Korea.

Can we get a fast train to...? Hakata?

Yeah. Is there one today, no?

Today? Yeah. Tomorrow. Thank you. Thank you.

We can't get a train till tomorrow morning, so we won't get

to the ferry tonight. But I'm not gutted because we had a really good

day today and we met these amazing people.

180km to the south, on the island of Shikoku...

Platform two. Are we going to make it?

..Betty and James are trying to get back to Honshu.

I think it might be that train. Erm, and it's just gone.

Cos we've missed the BLEEP train.

Is there another express train today?

Yeah.

Tomorrow? OK.

Arigatou. Arigatou.

Just a day to forget, really.

Even further afield...

Excuse me. Excuse me. Thank you.

Queue-jumping again.

..Stephen and Viv have reached Osaka, 600km short

of where they need to be.

It does not go to Hakata? Yeah. VIV SIGHS

OK, thank you. Thank you.

So, accommodation - we give up, have a sleep?

Erm, no. There's a bus along there.

We can buy tickets in these little booths.

Let me just go in here and have a look.

Hiroshima. Have you found Hiroshima? Overnight bus, lock it in.

Couldn't bear just to be stuck here, not making any progress.

We're moving forwards. Win-win.

STEPHEN GRUNTS

As husband and wife head to Hiroshima...

Ooh, shiny! This looks nice!

..Eugenie and Isabel are departing the city on the bus they secured

earlier, travelling directly to the ferry port.

Here we go, let's prepare for a night.

Are you keeping your shoes on?

300km away...

Speak any English?

No English. Bus to Hakata?

..Alfie and Owen have yet to find their way out of Kobe.

The boat... Ferry. The ferry port.

Hakata... Hi...

"If you want to be sure to get it, please get it online."

I do not know what to do.

We don't have our phones on us.

Is there any way you can book the tickets and we pay you back?

We're in a dire, dire situation.

I'm kind of hoping he's on the phone

to someone who's booking a ticket on behalf of us.

We don't have long. Yeah, I know we don't.

HE GASPS "Your reservation has been made."

Yes! Yes! Arigato.

Yes, arigato. Arigato. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

I was stressing, but I was trying to keep a cool head.

I think Owen's been able to dissociate his emotions

from the race for the minute,

but I feel absolutely mentally exhausted from today,

the ups and downs of the race.

We really need to up our game and speed up.

Hopefully, we'll be in South Korea tomorrow.

Thank you, mate. Thank you. Thank God for this.

Japan's gateway to South Korea, Hakata,

is famous for its pork tonkotsu ramen...

..a staple of Japanese cuisine.

11.45. Thank you. 11.45.

That is so lucky.

Alfie and Owen are booked on the 12.30 ferry...

Oh.

WOMAN: Can we stand there before 10.30...?

ALL LAUGH

..but they are not alone.

Where are you going? South Korea? Could be!

It's always us two, isn't it? It is. Always us two.

Have you seen anyone else? No. We said that you are competitive.

Yeah - it'll be a foot race again.

Absolutely!

To reach the South Korean port of Busan,

there are just two ferries a day.

Never let go!

OK, that's enough, get off me.

This is a leg-defining moment,

gets us a day ahead of where we thought we'd be.

So, so happy.

I'm just looking forward to seeing what South Korea is like.

Very excited.

You can see Korea in the distance.

You're joking, aren't you?

I'm really excited to be heading towards Korea.

Be quite nice to see if I can remember some Korean

from back in the day.

Is this a.. Ah.

THEY READ NAMES IN KOREAN

She's...

She's reading all these dots and dashes.

Yeah, very smart girl.

Back on Japanese soil...

This looks a bit dead.

This is worrying. Yeah.

Ha-ha!

I've never seen a terminal so dead.

Excuse me.

We're trying to get a ferry to Busan as soon as possible.

Today? Yes.

Today...

No ferries today.

Flippin' 'eck.

The next available tickets are on the 12.30 tomorrow afternoon -

24 hours after the leading two teams left Japan.

So there's nothing we can do now.

Now we're stuck in Hakata, having to pay for a hotel.

Really galling.

Korea is beautiful.

I can't believe... I actually can't believe how amazing it is.

Sorry. Sorry.

Oh, look!

A tiny nation, once withdrawn from the outside world,

South Korea is a land of contrasts.

A technological powerhouse,

it ranks among the countries

with the fastest internet speeds in the world, but also a place

where daily life for many

has remained unchanged for centuries.

Korea has a lot of character.

People eat and drink on the streets.

You wouldn't have seen that in Japan.

Greeting the leading teams, the country's second city.

Mealworms. Very tasty.

I love to eat worms in my spare time.

A bustling seaport,

immortalised in the hit zombie movie Train To Busan.

I'm looking forward to exploring more,

not necessarily just the cities, but off the beaten track.

Like, we're going to go up the coast to the checkpoint.

350 kilometres to the north, the second checkpoint.

To get there, the teams could make use of good transport links

to the capital Seoul before turning east to Sokcho.

Or, like Alfie and Owen have decided to do,

head directly north, hugging the stunning coastline all the way.

We're going up the coast.

It'll get us there just as quickly and also a lot more cheaply.

I'm still not very much on the side of,

"Let's slow down and experience it."

I am here to race and I'm here to win.

Samcheok? Oh, right.

Sold out. Shit.

Right. Well, we could go via Pohang.

It's only an hour and a half away,

but it's a little bit further along the line.

We're moving, and we're going in the right direction.

Starting with a short hop to Pohang,

the boys plan to use the major seaside cities on the east coast

as stepping stones to Sokcho.

Excuse me. Do you know how we can get to Samcheok?

Pohang to Samcheok.

Pohang to Samcheok? How?

I don't think we'll hit checkpoint tonight.

But tomorrow... We might get lucky with the bus.

We might do. We might. We might do. We'll see.

Yet to leave Busan...

..Eugenie and Isabel.

Best be worth the money.

Their first attempt to heal their ailing budget came up short.

How are you finding pushing that, Isabel? It's OK.

He's just walking really fast.

Now an opportunity to make amends

at South Korea's biggest fish market.

Everything is alive.

Oh, Isabel, look.

It looks like peristalsis.

Ah! Look at that! THEY LAUGH HYSTERICALLY

Selling everything from sea squirts to giant squid...

There you go.

..the Jagalchi ajummas - old lady vendors.

They're all glamorous.

I think it's just that they want to have a good first impression

for their customers, earrings and make-up on.

We are such a novelty, though.

I don't think they see black people often.

I don't think it's really a thing here

for women to be pushing it as well.

So it's the two in one.

They're cute, though. They are.

100! THEY LAUGH

This shift has given us a really good cash boost.

I think now, we just want to keep moving.

Back in Japan...

There's another bloody team there. Oh, hello!

Hello!

Seen anybody else? No? No, not at all.

Have you? No. No, literally no-one.

Last to arrive at the ferry port...

OK, let's go.

..Betty and James.

Is that Stephen?

For goodness' sake! BETTY LAUGHS

Hello!

You're kidding me! No, do not hug them.

I'm so happy they're here! What do you mean, you're happy?

Because it means we're not last and not the only ones in Japan.

Blags my head.

Mine and Betty's sort of views

on race and where we are is quite different.

I'm still very competitive.

I think this makes her sort of relax a bit more,

maybe get a bit complacent, which makes no sense at all.

We just bumped into Sharon and Brydie downstairs.

Oh! What the hell? I know.

You were unhappy before. Now look at you. I know.

Look at him! It is a bit worrying.

Yeah! We still need that urgency there.

We're now neck-and-neck,

so we've just got to sort of step on the gas and speed even more.

SEAGULL SQUAWKS

Japan's done - South Korea, here we come. Yeah.

24 hours after the two leading teams...

Made some cheese and jam sandwiches.

Cheese and jam.

Mm.

..the three stragglers finally set sail for South Korea.

I don't want to just, like, sit back now.

I still want to be in third when I get to the checkpoint - minimum.

Yeah. I always thought you needed a plan. I always thought

you had a plan to go travelling, really, didn't you?

I always thought you did. Yeah.

But you didn't necessarily have one.

I always think the best things are made

when you don't have a plan... Yeah.

..you kind of arrive in a city, get the vibe.

But we have... We haven't been good this leg...

We've got to plan out and...

..and just be decisive. Mm.

The goal is probably to go today, if possible, to get

as close as to the checkpoint...

Yeah? Yeah.

Might just give us a kick up the arse to get going a little bit.

Yeah, maybe I need that. Because we both said that's what we want to do

is race now, don't we? Yeah.

FERRY HORN BLASTS

It's beautiful, isn't it? It's very pretty.

Look at that skyline.

That's not a poor country, is it?

OK. Thank you. Thank you.

So we're going to check into our hotel tonight. Yeah.

Up bright and early. Yeah.

It's certainly big and impressive.

Seoul, there. We want two tickets to Seoul, today.

What time does it get in?

1.20. 1.20. Yeah? Yeah.

What happens with getting in 1.20?

No, we're in race mode.

This is lovely. This is nice.

After staying to refill their coffers,

Eugenie and Isabel are leaving Busan...

I'm excited to reach the checkpoint, but I think really nervous,

because it feels like it's taken us a fair bit of time.

Well, let's just see, because we are going to run directly to Sokcho.

..departing 23 hours later than Alfie and Owen,

but having secured tickets

on a bus straight to Sokcho...

Oh, look, they're all surfing, look at that.

Oh, that's cool.

..the stunning coastal roads north,

past ancient settlements and

laid-back surfer communities.

Towering above it all - colossal mountain ranges

covering over two-thirds of the entire Korean Peninsula.

Somebody's done a whoopsie.

Yeah. It's horrible.

It's going up my throat while I'm talking.

Oh!

The old people.

What? Old people do that sort of thing.

They don't care.

Can't even open the window.

SHE LAUGHS I don't want to talk!

They're not very frequent.

So if we was playing it safe, we'd get the 12.17?

Yep. Gives us, like, two and a half hours.

It just feels like the little trips that we're making

just haven't fallen into place.

Alfie and Owen's hop, skip and jump up the east coast

has stalled in Samcheok,

still 100 kilometres shy of the checkpoint...

I woke up so positive and then I remembered the situation

and then it was like, "Ugh!"

..and with time to kill.

Two tickets... To the Penis Park. ..please.

And that is the rest of your dignity gone.

Why is this such a popular attraction?

This penis clearly brings people from far and wide.

In local legend,

a fisherman cursed for failing to save a drowning woman

could only land a catch once more after he urinated into the sea.

Believing the sight of his genitals

soothed the deceased virgin's spirit,

villagers carved these sculptures, hoping to sustain that good luck.

I don't know how to describe the Penis Park, other than...

..it's got a lot of penises.

What a sight to behold this is.

May Alfie and Owen come first on leg two!

May this massive dick -

whichever one you think that is - bring us luck.

We should be moving on to checkpoint.

But one thing has led to another and it's just not the case,

so I think we're significantly behind.

Those waves are huge, by the way.

When I wrote in my Year 6 poetry,

"The waves come crashing into the shore,"

this is exactly what I meant. Yeah.

Alfie was extremely annoying as a Year 7.

He just wouldn't shut up.

He was always piping up to the teachers.

He was always questioning everything.

He's definitely found his own way in life.

He's had a very different upbringing.

Oh, this one looks interesting.

I live with my grandmother in a household with just her.

I have done since birth.

In terms of money, it was a little bit of a...

..a little bit of a stretch.

I started working extremely young.

I worked night shifts at a supermarket, and then I went

for a full day of teaching at a primary school.

And then I'd often go and do some football work

in the evening as well.

Nice mountains, though. Mm.

Yeah, nice m... And some hills as well. Yeah.

Some hills.

I can be very hard on myself.

Very, very hard on myself.

I don't see the point in taking part in something

if you're not willing to try and be the best at it.

I've never seen anyone shoulder-press a dick before.

ALFIE LAUGHS

I think this leg, I've been really, really bad at accepting sometimes

that we're not going to get the transport that we want.

And today is kind of the first time where I've been able to just go,

"Yeah, well, here we are."

We can't go anywhere any sooner.

We can just sit back, relax and enjoy the penis.

They actually look like they're struggling to hold it up.

I'm not going to get a closer look because...

..I think I feel a bit intimidated.

Right, bus. Bus - let's do this.

Since setting foot on South Korean soil,

Stephen and Viv have travelled

250 kilometres to reach the city of Jeonju.

Oh, this looks lively, doesn't it?

Mm. Look at the old roof tiles.

Nestled amidst its high rises,

the timber frames and curved, tilted roofs of the Jeonju Hanok Village.

Here, they've picked up a shift at Miss Myung-Ja's

to learn the secrets of a popular Korean dish.

What is bibimbap?

Bibimbap is bibimbap!

It is what it is!

Delicious. Healthy.

How do you say delicious in Korean?

Mas-issneun. Mas-issneun.

Mas-issneun.

IN KOREAN:

LAUGHTER

Sauces underneath.

There's a lot of wastage.

I think we make a good team, actually, don't we? I think we do.

I think the more I spend time with you, the more I realise...

..the skill sets you bring are...

..just almost like everything that I don't have.

I was working in a school,

this new teacher arrived and came into my office.

Actually in the photocopying room.

He became a more frequent visitor.

Oh, I definitely went in more than I ought to have done.

Yes, I was...

Yes. Just worksheets for everybody.

Do you think we've bonded more on this trip?

I think it's brought us closer together.

We're spending every moment together.

Stephen's my third husband.

I first got married when I was, I think, 20.

My second husband - that lasted for 24 years.

And then I met Stephen.

He looked like a cross between Keith Chegwin...

..and Bill Clinton.

You're just a lovely, calming influence to everything I do,

and I don't think you value yourself enough.

I think maybe Stephen has brought out the life in me again.

Third time lucky, I think.

Do you think we're still in the race?

I think we're still in the race.

I think the first two days, we were on holiday mode.

"Oh, isn't this nice?" This is not a holiday. "Look at the scenery."

You know. We're going to have to have a really good think

about what we can do different.

Hi. We're trying to look for the station.

SHE ANSWERS IN KOREAN Oh, ask someone else.

Ask someone else.

Back in Busan...

..Brydie and Sharon are the only team yet to leave the city.

Do you know what this is?

No. OK, thank you. OK.

We need a bus from here...to here.

That's OK. Thank you. OK, thank you.

In search of authentic Korea, they're trying to head

to the mountain city of Daejeon.

But for once, relying on the locals is falling on deaf ears.

We can get a hello out of anybody normally,

but not in South Korea.

They're not that friendly here.

They don't seem to be, do they?

They seem to be really timid.

Excuse me. Hi. Could you help us?

Oh, OK, thank you. Fine, sorry.

Japanese want to do loads for you.

South Koreans don't want to help you.

That's what's making me and my mum run behind. Yeah.

And it's getting me so frustrated. Yeah.

We can't read...this?

We can't... Oh, OK.

It's really hard for me because when the guy comes over

and helps us, he turns it to English.

Doesn't make any difference

if he has it in Japanese, Korean - can't read it.

We are trying to get to...

D-Daej...

You should go by railway.

And where is the train? You should go Busan station.

No trains here? No train.

Oh, we gotta go all the way back to the ferry.

It's, like, midday, so we probably wasted three hours.

Right, let's not waste time, let's go.

We're so close now, it's just the anticipation.

Oh, me stomach's doing belly flops.

There it is. The second checkpoint -

the fishing port of Sokcho,

just an hour's drive from the Demilitarized Zone,

keeping the two warring halves of Korea at arm's length.

Ready? Let's go.

"Take a taxi to the Seokbong Ceramics Museum of Art."

Taxi.

Just keep going and I will do my best to keep up with you.

I am not going to lag behind. I'll keep up.

We're not going to take a taxi. We're going to walk.

It's just too expensive.

Oh, this is such a bad idea.

How far is the Seokbong Ceramics Museum of Art?

WOMAN: The museum very near the lake.

Thank you. OK, Thank you.

We can't get this wrong. Genuinely, we could get so lost. Yeah, I know.

"Find the Cheongchojeong and await further instructions."

THEY CONVERSE IN KOREAN

She pointed to this? Are you sure?

She said it was here, but she also could mean

something far in the distance. Oh, my gosh.

Is this... Is this right? Oh, hang on.

We need to get to the other side.

We need to recross the bridge and then walk under because we can't...

Unless we just keep walking this way

and then find somewhere else to cross. There isn't, it's a river.

So I don't know where you're going.

Yeah, we need to get to the other side.

Shit, there's a boat.

"Proceed through the park and find your second checkpoint."

Well, there's loads of parks.

Look, the green space continues all the way around.

Come on, Mum. Faster. My calf's a bit tight.

150km to the west...

We could just blow all of our budget here on this.

..the siblings have implemented James's plan to reach the capital

before striking out for the checkpoint.

Ground squid in a burger.

Kimchi rolled belly pork.

It's like a giant pig in blanket.

What are you excited to try? Korean chicken.

But Seoul is casting its spell.

Holy crap.

Oh, my God. That is unbelievable.

With its fusion of modern architecture, storied history

and pulsating nightlife,

the city's magnetic charm attracts over 13 million visitors a year.

Oh, my God, is that a pint? No!

If we budget enough with the food, you might be allowed a beer.

There's a beer festival! Oh, it's meant to be! What?

SHE LAUGHS

DANCE MUSIC PLAYS

Korean people are crazy. I know.

Probably say I've never been on a night out with my brother.

It was quite nice to see him, like,

enjoying himself and letting his hair down.

He definitely wanted more than one beer.

Say, "Ho!"

Ho!

It was just good and I think it's helped us quite a lot

to have that sort of downtime, because we have been awful this leg.

The only thing we were missing was another beer or two. Whoo!

Could probably have another.

We're not going to. We're going to be responsible. Go to bed,

have an early night and get the bus tomorrow to checkpoint.

Back in Sokcho... Can't see anything that's obviously a hotel.

Come on, come on, come on.

So I think come out here. Yeah, yeah, follow it round.

Think it's in here. Yeah.

Down here. Down here, down.

Here we go.

SHE SPEAKS KOREAN

Just do it. Just do it.

How have they done that again?

Yes! See? I told you!

Feel absolutely elated that Isabel and I have come first - again.

Even though we worked twice... Yeah.

..we were far more decisive.

I knew it. I just knew it.

Even though we are in the lead,

I know our budget is going to hinder us going forward.

I think a lot of our time is going to be spent making some money back.

There's your room key. Thank you. Thank you.

I don't know how they've done it this leg. I actually don't.

They've done really, really well. Yeah, I'm impressed.

But there's a long way. All to play for.

Bloody hell, it's not bad.

Ow!

Yes! My neck.

We are competitive. We want to do well, but next leg,

you just need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture,

because when your head's on straight, you think a lot better,

I think a lot better, and we work a lot better.

You stink. Yeah. You actually stink. You stink too.

It's this! This is it!

"Find the Cheongchojeong."

That must be inside the Ceramic Museum.

Oh, good, it's like a treasure hunt. Art of porcelain...

Hotel there, hotel there.

There's so many hotels. Shitloads of hotels. Flipping 'eck.

BOTH: "Find the Cheongchojeong."

"Find the Cheongchojeong." What on earth could that be?

The Cheongchojeong is outside. Outside?

Oh, God.

We have to run.

Come along, gorgeous. Over there.

Reception, reception, reception, reception.

Yeah.

Yes! Nice! Yes, yes, yes. Told you. Sick. I told you.

I'm buzzing. We've held our place.

Yeah. But it's been tough.

Oh, my God, they got here well early yesterday.

I think the experience that I particularly wanted to do

right at the start, it probably did put us in third place.

Proved myself right once again, proved you wrong.

Fourth. Fourth again. Ah!

I'm disappointed with the result.

Obviously, erm, happy we made it,

glad we're not last, but deep down, you always want to do better.

And actually, it's a full day and a bit between us and the leaders now.

Can't let that stretch any more. I think we need to have a strategy.

I think that's...that's... Our strategy is to have a strategy.

Yeah. Here's your room key. Thank you so much.

Thank you for staying with us. Thank you.

We're on day 12 and we've not killed each other just yet. Yeah, I know.

Only another 40-odd days to go.

It's like looking for little hedgehogs, innit?

Brydie and Sharon are picking up cash,

picking up chestnuts for Mr Li and his family.

Look at the size of them.

It's like a conker. What? A conker? Conker? What is a conker?

It's rock-hard. And in England you put 'em on a bit of string,

and you hit it. It was a child's game. Ah!

You've got his aunties, cousins... Mum. Mum's out, yeah.

I mean, his dad, he's out here picking...

In fact, he's there.

He's there. Look, look at him.

Oh...

When we arrived in South Korea, people didn't want to help,

they didn't really want to talk.

I heard one of the girls call one of the ladies halmeoni.

Halmeoni? Yeah, does that mean grandmother? Mm, halmeoni.

70 years. 70. 70.

I love that. Cheers. Cheers.

Here it feels like I'm in a different part of Korea.

They're welcoming. It's a real community.

Maybe the people at the train station were just rushing for work.

Whoa.

She likes getting stuck in.

We could still be fifth, but I don't think there's a lot in it.

I feel like we've done really well this leg. This was the learning leg.

We're just excited to see more, to experience more.

Oh, my God, look at this.

Vietnam is nuts. HORN HONKS

"The team in fifth place will be eliminated from the race."

Oh! Yeah, go, go, go.

Just chaos, innit? It's so hard.

If we can't adapt to Asian culture,

this could throw a spanner in the works. Don't offend...

My viewpoint might differ from his.

You're getting on my nerves. You're not helping me.

That's when we clash.

What the hell is going on?

My God... A good position can very quickly become a bad position

with just one bad day. I've no idea if we're going in the right way.

Not a clue. Just total guesswork.