Who Will Win Race Across The World 2024?
Race Across the World almost seemed like it was a done deal on betting sites after last week's sixth episode of the series, when best mates Alfie and Owen appeared to have built up what looked like a near-unassailable lead.
But as has been the case throughout the fourth season, it's all to play for once again.
At the beginning of Wednesday night's episode, it was revealed Alfie and Owen had reached the Indonesian city of Bukittinggi 23 hours and 27 minutes ahead of second-placed couple Stephen and Viv, who were one minute ahead of third-placed mother-and-daughter pair Eugenie and Isabel.
Despite being 24 hours and 29 minutes behind the leaders, siblings Betty and James were just happy to still be in the competition after losing, but fortunately finding again, their passports en route to the sixth checkpoint.
But in Wednesday's episode it was all about heading to the seventh checkpoint of Indonesia's sprawling capital Jakarta, which is the final checkpoint before the finish line.
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Two-Horse Race
Alfie and Owen began the episode with a mammoth lead, and while they finished the seventh episode in front, they were "furious".
The pals were 1/2 favourites on specials betting sites after last week's impressive leg, but there now isn't much between them and Eugenie and Isabel.
Alfie and Owen are the 4/6 favourites going into the final leg of the journey, just slightly ahead of 6/4 chances Eugenie and Isabel.
The best pals spent most of the latest leg confident they would still hold a decent lead, and at one point said they would be surprised if any of the other pairings had cut their lead down by more than 12 hours.
However, during part of their jaunt to Jakarta, the pair unwittingly ventured inland, increasing their journey by 175km, with Alfie saying they completed 12 hours of diversions.
Despite this, they were still confident as they boarded a ferry towards Jakarta, but little did they know Eugenie and Isabel were on a ferry there just 24 minutes later, meaning they had clawed back 23 hours on the lads.
After making it to the checkpoint in the lead, Alfie and Owen weren't too concerned until they took a look at the check-in book the next morning, when they were absolutely stunned to see Eugenie and Isabel had checked in just 12 minutes after them.
Owen was "genuinely impressed" that Eugenie and Isabel had chased them down, but Alfie was "furious" and said it was "basically a two-horse race now". Game on.
Eugenie And Isabel In It To Win It
Eugenie and Isabel have shown at various times throughout the race that they are determined to win.
While they have gone off track a couple of times, and clashed with one another on certain occasions, they have managed to claw back deficits when it has mattered most.
Should they do so in the eighth episode then it would be no surprise at all if the pair came out on top.
They aren't far behind Alfie and Owen on new betting sites, even if they had to resort to some underhand tactics to dart down to Jakarta, such as when the pair stole Stephen and Viv's taxi when they set off from the checkpoint.
Eugenie and Isabel were keen to hit their budget hard in this leg to catch up, and they splashed out on a couple of taxis in a bid to get further ahead.
After forking out on one taxi later in the episode, they hit a snag when others got in and overloaded the car, forcing the driver to stop, meaning Eugenie and Isabel had to wait for a different car to pick up the additional people.
Despite this, their taxi spends paid off, and the pair are in a serious battle with Alfie and Owen for the £20,000 cash prize.
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
Betty And James' Blow-Out
The seventh episode ended with Betty and James, and Stephen and Viv's placings unknown for now.
Neither pairs appeared to be putting in a similar pace to Eugenie and Isabel in a bid to catch the boys.
Siblings Betty and James, who are 3/1 to win the race on betting apps, were hit with several issues in the latest episode.
They started the episode close to a financial precipice with just £260 left to get them to the finish line.
During the leg, they travelled three hours in the wrong direction to Solok, but it presented them with an opportunity to take a mammoth overnight bus journey through Sumatra, to give them a chance of getting back into contention.
Sadly, their bus got a puncture, delaying them seven hours.
Later in the episode, they took another bus and were hit with another puncture, delaying them even further.
It wasn't their finest leg, but at least Betty and James are still in the contest following their passport disaster in episode six.
Stephen and Viv (5/1) have also had better moments in the series, and they didn't get off to a good start in episode seven when Eugenie and Isabel pinched their taxi.
Later on, Stephen and Viv had some fun harvesting cinnamon, and the pair have really enjoyed their work stops along this incredible journey.
Despite this, it is a race and the couple confessed they didn't feel they were doing very well in the latest leg.
While it's not known how far behind the leaders Stephen and Viv, and Betty and James are, Race Across the World viewers have already seen some epic comebacks throughout the series.
Next week, it is the final, and the week after it will be a reunion episode.
If next week's final leg is any bit as dramatic as the first seven episodes, we are in for a real treat.
* Reminder: These are hypothetical odds provided by industry experts.
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