Viewers watched with bated breath as Welsh contestant Cathie and her best friend Tricia's travel plans went slightly awry during the latest episode of Race Against The World. The hit series continued on BBC 1 on Wednesday, April 12 - and viewers were on the edge of their seats as the pair's journey was "touch and go" for quite some time.
The third series of the show sees five pairs, a mixture of couples, father and daughter duos and best friends, race each other to different destinations in Canada in a bid to win £20,000 - a challenge made all the more difficult by each pair's limited budget and programme rules which forbid the use of mobile phones or any set plans or prebooked travel tickets.
And for best friends Tricia and Cathie - who last week were praised by viewers for their heart warming dynamic - this week's route from Banff to Churchill was anything but smooth! The only direct public transit between the cities was a twice-weekly train - with times that really didn't suit the fast-paced race - and unfortunately the pair missed several buses, sometimes by just a few minutes. Ultimately, they were forced to fork out $500 for a taxi from one city to the next - the most they've spent in one-go throughout the entire process so far.
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After vowing to use public transport "as much as we can," the pair decided to split their journey into sections, first venturing from Banff to Calgary via bus. Unfortunately, they fell at the first hurdle when the bus driver wouldn't let them on without a pre-booked ticket and wouldn't let them pay in cash on the bus.
Despite the slight snag in their plan, the firm friends remained calm and eventually came up with a Plan B - a later bus - and soon made it to Calgary. This time, they narrowly missed the coach they wanted to take to the next location on their route, Edmonton.
As a result, the pair were forced to "bite the bullet" and spend far more than they had expected on a taxi - which set them back a whopping $500.
After taking the taxi to a further coach station, they made it onto their next bus - and made up for earlier lost time.
"It's a huge relief to be on the bus," they told the cameras. "It was touch and go. It really was."
Determined not to regret spending $500 on a taxi, the pair soon took up work at a farm, desperate to earn back some of what they lost - and viewers couldn't contain their anticipation at the pair's journey.
@AmyJoanne__ wrote: "Tricia and Cathie having a nightmare there #raceacrosstheworld", while @ADADAPPADAN said: "Cathie's & Tricia's, luck has turned to right sh*te the last couple of episodes! #RaceAcrossTheWorld"
@Spiceyben added: "Right I’m setting up a go fund me for Cathie and Tricia!!! They NEED to get to the bloody end #raceacrosstheworld".
Later in the episode, Tricia revealed how she was not feeling herself at all, but Cathie came through to support her, showing viewers, once again, how wholesome and strong their friendship is.
Tricia said: "I'm just worrying about getting to the finish and we might not."
Cathie later told the cameras: "I'm lucky to be doing it with Trish. We give each other strength," before saying to her friend: "You are very hard on yourself, all I can do is keep reminding you that you're amazing and that you're brave. And of course there's the other side of it which is you struggle sometimes. The challenges of the race, they take their toll."
At this heartwarming display of friendship, viewers took to Twitter once again to commend them.
@craigybratt said: "Everyone needs a best mate like Cathie #RaceAcrossTheWorld", while @AndrewJazzie said: "Cathie and Tricia are adorable. What a wonderful friendship", before adding: "These two. You so want Cathie and Tricia to succeed."
At the end of the episode, Cathie and Tricia were the third pair to arrive at Churchill and all pairs remained in the competition.
Race Against The World continues on BBC1 next Wednesday at 9pm.
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