Viewers were left fuming during the final episode of BBC's Race Across The World as some branded it a "fix".
The hit show saw five pairs race across Canada as they travelled from checkpoint to checkpoint without any technology or credit cards.
The 16,000km race ended on the east coast of the country, with best friends Cathie Rowe and Tricia Sail taking home the £20,000 cash prize.
The childhood friends pushed husband and wife racers Mobeen and Zainib into second place, with father and daughter team Ladi and Monique coming third.
Yet some viewers questioned Cathie and Tricia's tactics as they raced to the final checkpoint, a remote lighthouse at Spear Point in St John's.
The duo got off to a rocky start on the final episode.
After hitching a ride to Bishop's Falls on the outskirts of Newfoundland, they struggled to find anyone who would take them to the remote area of St John's.
On the second to last day of the contest, Cathie, 49, and Tricia, 48, spent hours approaching drivers at a petrol station.
One Canadian local took pity on the pair and said he and his wife would happily put them up for the night.
However, the couple made it clear they wouldn't be able to take them to their final destination.
But just hours later, the kind stranger offered to drive them to a spot not far from the lighthouse the following morning.
The move prompted furious viewers to speculate if producers had intervened.
Posting on Twitter, one wrote: "Another last-minute fluke..."
"Oh, how convenient. Sorry but this show is so fixed it's blatant now," added another.
"Wow these producers are persuasive," wrote a third.
After welcoming Cathie and Tricia into their home, the Canadian couple told the pair they would help them reach St John's, which was 400km away.
Cathie told their hosts: "Okay, cards on the table - we need a lift to St John's tomorrow. As early as possible."
"That's not a big deal," the man's partner said. "Yep, we'll take you there."
The couple said they were going to contact friends and family in the area to see if anyone was heading that way - but insisted they would take Cathie and Tricia themselves if needed.
Cathie and Tricia were absolutely stunned, "Honestly, that's amazing," said Cathie.
The pals hugged and fell to their knees after opening the book at the final checkpoint to find they were the first to arrive.
Cathie recalled: “I remember just shouting, ‘We won!’, at the top of my voice to no one. It had to be done.
“I was elated, mixed with a bit of disbelief. I think it was the best way to say thank you to all of the people in Canada who had helped us.”
Tricia laughed: “When we got there and opened the book, it was disbelief. After spending five-and-a-half hours on that first day stuck in Stanley Park, how we got to the finish first, I do not know.”
The experience was life-changing for the friends as Tricia has a condition that means she is gradually going blind.
She returned from filming a year ago and quit her job at a bank for a role with the RNIB.
Tricia went on the show with her diabetic husband Mattie’s blessing, despite his health fears. He has since had both legs amputated but Tricia says: “He jokes he can be totally legless now, without drinking.”
Meanwhile, Cathie has gone trekking through the rainforest in Thailand, adding: “I’ve got more interest in doing a bit more exploring and seeing a bit more, rather than just lying on the beach.”
