The sixth series of Race Across the World began airing on 2 April 2026. The racers start from Palermo in Sicily, and travel 12,000km across Europe and Asia to finish in Hatgal by Lake Hövsgöl in Mongolia.
The five pairs of contestants are Jo & Kush, Katie & Harrison, Molly & Andrew, Puja & Roshni, and Mark & Margo.
Overview The teams in the sixth series of Race Across the World raced from Palermo in Italy to Hatgal in Mongolia, a distance of over 12,000 km, passing through Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. The route retraced the Silk Road for much of its journey and took the teams through extreme temperatures, from 30°C in the Mediterranean to minus 20°C in Mongolia. The teams are given £1,297 each, or £23.16 per person per day, the cost of flying the route. Filming took place in September and October 2025.
A companion podcast Race Across the World: The Detour was announced on 12 March, with previous Celebrity Race Across the World series 2 winner Scott Mills scheduled to present with Race Across the World series 4 winner Alfie Watts. Watts' contribution was scheduled to include a segment featuring tips for travellers. Following Mills' dismissal from the BBC, former contestant Tyler West was announced as the replacement host on the day of the series' launch. The first episode featured West's partner Molly Rainford and Kola Bokinni, also both former contestants; a further BBC Sounds-exclusive episode also featured Yinka Bokinni.
Contestants Name Relationship Occupation Age From Ref. Jo Diop Childhood best friends Student 19 Liverpool Kush Burman Katie Devine Brother and sister Account manager 21 Manchester Harrison Devine Finance assistant 23 Molly Clifford Daughter and Father Junior doctor 23 Maghera Andrew Clifford Teacher 54 Puja Khajuria Cousins Doctor 31 London Roshni Ghelani Software engineer 32 Mark Blythen In Laws Retired architect 66 London Margo Oakley Hypnotherapist 59 Liverpool
Results summary Colour key:
– Team eliminated – Series winners
TeamsPosition (by leg)12345678 Jo & Kush2nd5th3rd2nd2nd1st1stWinners Andrew & Molly3rd4th4th3rd3rd3rd2nd2nd Katie & Harrison1st1st1st4th1st4th3rd3rd Mark & Margo4th3rd2nd1st4th2nd4th4th Puja & Roshni5th2nd5th
Route +LegFromTo1Palermo Cathedral SquarePalermo, Sicily, ItalyEmelisse Nature ResortFiskardo, Kefalonia, Greece2Emelisse Nature ResortFiskardo, Kefalonia, GreeceLegacy Ottoman Hotel Istanbul, Turkey3Legacy Ottoman HotelIstanbul, TurkeyRumkale Cam TerasHalfeti, Turkey4Rumkale Cam TerasHalfeti, TurkeyQarvasla HotelTbilisi, Georgia5Aktau International AirportAktau, KazakhstanZamindor Resort HotelZaamin National Park, Uzbekistan6Zamindor Resort HotelZaamin National Park, UzbekistanAlmaty HotelAlmaty, Kazakhstan7Ulgii International AirportUlgii, MongoliaIkh Khorum HotelKharkhorin, Mongolia8Ikh Khorum HotelKharkhorin, MongoliaCamp AshihaiHatgal, Mongolia
Race summary Mode of transportation Rail Ferry / Ship Bus / coach / Minibus Taxi Private car (free or paid) Aeroplane BoatActivity Working for money and/or bed and board Excursion that cost time and money
Leg 1: Palermo, Italy → Fiskardo, Greece
The final destination of the race was revealed to the teams to be Hatgal, Mongolia and the first checkpoint was to be Fiskardo, on the island of Kefalonia, Greece in the Ionian Sea. The race started from the piazza outside Palermo Cathedral in Palermo at 3pm. From the starting point of Palermo, the teams could either take a ferry direct across the Tyrrhenian Sea to Naples – Katie & Harrison and Jo & Kush did this – or head by land to Messina and cross to Villa San Giovanni in Calabria, which Andrew & Molly, Puja & Roshni and Mark & Margo opted for.
Upon reaching the Italian mainland, Katie & Harrison took a job in Naples in order to make back some of the money from taking the expensive ferry, while Jo & Kush went to Sorrento working for bed and board. Andrew & Molly, Puja & Roshni and Mark & Margo all made stops along the route from Calabria to the Adriatic ports for sightseeing. Mark & Margo, however, found themselves stuck in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Alberobello for two nights. File:Fiskardo S Fishing Boats (222128669).jpeg Then, teams all had to cross the Adriatic Sea by ferry to Greece, with Katie & Harrison, Jo & Kush and Andrew & Molly opting for the Bari–Patras crossing and then a short hop west to Kefalonia, and Mark & Margo and Puja & Roshni taking the Brindisi–Igoumenitsa ferry and then island-hopping via Lefkada to the checkpoint. Katie & Harrison, who were the first to reach Patras, saw an opportunity to go to Kyllini and catch an earlier ferry to Kefalonia, managed to finish hours ahead of the others. OrderTeamsRouteTime behind leadersMoney left1 Katie & Harrison Palermo → Naples → Bari → Patras → Kyllini → Poros → Fiskardo valign="top" 78%2 Jo & Kush Palermo → Naples → Sorrento → Naples → Bari → Patras → Sami → Fiskardo20h 12mins81%3 Andrew & MollyPalermo → Messina → Villa San Giovanni → Maratea → Bari → Patras → Sami → Fiskardo20h 18mins79%4 Mark & MargoPalermo → Messina → Villa San Giovanni → Alberobello → Monopoli → Brindisi → Igoumenitsa → Vasiliki → Fiskardo20h 22mins75%5 Puja & RoshniPalermo → Messina → Villa San Giovanni → Diamante → Taranto → Brindisi → Igoumenitsa → Vasiliki → Fiskardo20h 37mins77%
Leg 2: Fiskardo, Greece → Istanbul, Turkey
The teams had two main routes open to them to reach the second checkpoint: they could go overland through the north of mainland Greece via Thessaloniki, or head for the busy port of Piraeus in Athens and island-hop across the Aegean Sea to reach Turkey.
Budget-conscious Katie & Harrison opted for the former, and worked two jobs along their route in order to further save on costs, in Ioannina and Thessaloniki. Mark & Margo also travelled via the north because Mark wanted to see the monasteries at Meteora, having been pushed ahead by a lift all the way to Ioannina from Vasiliki; similarly Andrew & Molly travelled overland via Larissa in order to pass by Mount Olympus.
Puja & Roshni opted for the sea route, heading directly for Athens and booking a ferry to the island of Chios, just 7km away from the Turkish coast. They attempted to find work in Athens whilst waiting for their ferry but were unsuccessful, picking up work in Chios instead washing a car. They then, in quick succession, got the ferry to Çeşme, bus to İzmir and beelined for Istanbul.
Jo & Kush had a similar idea, taking a ferry from Athens to the island of Lesbos, picking up work there with a local fisherman. They then took the ferry to Ayvalık, however upon getting there they had trouble with buses to Istanbul being sold out, holding them back significantly. OrderTeamsRouteTime behind leadersMoney left1 Katie & HarrisonFiskardo → Vasiliki → Lefkada → Preveza → Ioannina → Thessaloniki → Istanbul valign="top" 68%2 Puja & RoshniFiskardo → Vasiliki → Lefkada → Athens → Chios → Çeşme → İzmir → Istanbul14h 20m3 Mark & MargoFiskardo → Vasiliki → Preveza → Ioannina → Meteora → Thessaloniki → Istanbul23h 24m64%4 Andrew & MollyFiskardo → Vasiliki → Lefkada → Athens → Larissa → Litochoro (Mount Olympus) → Thessaloniki → Istanbul 24h 4m66%5 Jo & Kush Fiskardo → Vasiliki → Lefkada → Athens → Mytilini → Ayvalık → Istanbul31h 20m
Leg 3: Istanbul, Turkey → Halfeti, Turkey
The teams were informed in Istanbul that the next checkpoint would be Halfeti, in the southeast of Turkey, and that the last team to arrive at the checkpoint would be eliminated.
Katie and Harrison, leaving with a 14-hour lead on their next closest competitors, opted to make a detour to Cappadocia for sightseeing, travelling via Eskişehir to get there. They were the first to reach the checkpoint, which was the viewing platform overlooking Rumkale castle near Halfeti.
Meanwhile, Puja and Roshni opted to head along the Mediterannean coast, intending to first head for Ortaca, Muğla Province, to work in a turtle sanctuary. However, since there were no direct buses there from Istanbul, they made a sizeable detour westward to the hub of İzmir in order to head to Ortaca, costing them significant time. They were then held up in the city of Antalya, pushing them to the back of the pack and leading them to their elimination.
Mark and Margo, for speed reasons, travelled by bus to Ankara and then utilised Turkey's YHT high-speed trains to get to Konya. They stayed in Konya to sightsee for a while, then made a straight shot for Gaziantep and Halfeti. Similarly, Andrew and Molly tried to go as directly as possible, travelling via the coastal cities of Antalya and Adana, spending time in the former.
Jo and Kush, leaving 31 hours behind Katie and Harrison, were very worried about the impending elimination, and opted to disregard budget concerns and to travel as fast as possible, going by bus via Alanya to Mersin and then spending 10% of their total budget on taxis from Mersin to Gaziantep to Halfeti, pushing them into third place. OrderTeamsRouteTime behind leadersMoney left1 Katie & HarrisonIstanbul → Eskişehir → Göreme (Cappadocia) → Gaziantep → Halfeti → Rumkale valign="top" 56%2 Mark & MargoIstanbul → Ankara → Konya → Gaziantep → Halfeti → Rumkale 9h 44m 57%3 Jo & KushIstanbul → Alanya → Mersin → Gaziantep → Halfeti → Rumkale10h 22m 47%4 Andrew & MollyIstanbul → Antalya → Adana → Gaziantep → Halfeti → Rumkale 13h 58m 57% 5 Puja & Roshni Istanbul → İzmir → Ortaca → Antalya → Halfeti → Rumkale 26h 07m
Leg 4: Halfeti, Turkey → Tbilisi, Georgia
Upon leaving the checkpoint, teams were informed the next one would be Tbilisi, Georgia. All teams initially took a minibus to the hub of Şanlıurfa.
Katie and Harrison were the first team to leave, however they were hindered by the lack of overnight transport out of Halfeti, having to stay another night. They then waited for an overnight bus in Şanlıurfa to the northern city of Samsun, in the hopes of cheap accommodation and swift onward transport along the Black Sea into Georgia. Staying at a homestay, they then took a bus to the town of Hopa near the Georgian border, however there they were again hindered, having to stay two nights due to the lack of buses across the border, thus driving them to last place.
Mark and Margo immediately decided to route themselves via Van in order to see some Van cats, heading directly there. They went thence to the eastern border crossing at Vale and to the city of Akhaltsikhe, where Mark fell ill, forcing them to stop for nearly a day. In order to make up some time, they took a costly taxi on to the capital, meaning despite their hindrance they came in first.
Jo and Kush took the same minibus as Mark & Margo as far as Şanlıurfa, then headed east to Mardin, where they were able to find free accommodation in exchange for work. They then headed to the city of Susuz near the border, where they worked before crossing the border and taking a taxi from Vale to Tbilisi, arriving just behind Mark and Margo.
Finally, Andrew and Molly had a more tumultuous leg due to arguments and forced rerouting. From Şanlıurfa, Andrew wanted to go to Mount Nemrut, which they did. From there, they headed to the hub of Tatvan, where they then got conflicting information on the fastest route into Georgia, deciding to head to Erzurum the next morning and thence to Hopa. However, on the bus from Erzurum to Hopa they were advised by the driver to instead disembark in Rize and get an overnight bus from there to Tbilisi. This they did, eventually ending up third. OrderTeamsRouteTime behind leadersMoney left1 Mark & MargoHalfeti → Şanlıurfa → Van → Ardahan → Akhaltsikhe → Tbilisi valign="top" 42%2 Jo & KushHalfeti → Şanlıurfa → Mardin → Susuz → Posof → Vale → Tbilisi 1h 30m3 Andrew & MollyHalfeti → Şanlıurfa → Mt Nemrut → Tatvan → Erzurum → Rize → Tbilisi 10h 31m 46%4 Katie & HarrisonHalfeti → Şanlıurfa → Samsun → Hopa → Tbilisi 19h 53m 45%
Leg 5: Tbilisi, Georgia → Zaamin National Park, Uzbekistan