The Racers are off to six new countries in the second episode of Race Around The World – and for Jayden, his destination is Peru. The marine biologist has been to Peru before, but this time, he’s chasing a story with “some pretty immediate danger”.
“My usual storytelling approach is talk s–t to everyone, let them know what I’m doing, and have a whole lot of fun along the way,” he says. “I had plenty of fun, but I had to keep most of what I was doing to myself because of the cartel links. You can never be too careful in these small towns where word travels fast, and I couldn’t have people knowing what I was there for.”
Meanwhile, author and comedian Lucinda is off to Jamaica – and this week, she’s determined to stop second-guessing herself and her idea.
“This show is full-on!” she explains. “So I went into this one thinking, ‘Damn, lock in, diva!’”
Lucinda reveals that just as she was doing her last bit of filming, she bumped into legendary singer Grace Jones.
“It was beyond surreal to find myself on a beautiful deserted beach at sunset, chopping it up with her,” Lucinda says. “She also said my video idea sounded ‘wicked’, so I’m taking that to the grave!”
As for Mikaela, she’s in South Korea.
“I’ve had South Korea on my radar as a place to travel to for a while now, especially with its booming film industry and insanely cool fashion scene,” she says. “I was in awe walking past high-tech skyscrapers, yet turning the corner to see an ancient traditional palace. It’s an awesome city that gives you total cultural whiplash.”
Joining regular judge John Safran as guest judges this week are filmmaker and YouTuber Danny Philippou and Oscar-nominated director Bruce Beresford.
“It’s really fascinating to see the feedback they’re getting each week from the different judges, and you can tell when they’ve taken it on and they’ve tried something new,” host Zan Rowe tells TV WEEK. “They did their bootcamp for two weeks, but this hundred days is like hardcore film training school. You’ve got Bruce Beresford giving you feedback! It’s an incredible opportunity.”
But Zan says John, who was the breakout star of the original Race Around The World, has a unique perspective.
“He’s the only one of those judges who’s experienced this wild show. No one else knows what it’s like. It’s really great to see his feedback in particular because he just really gets it.”
Catch Race Around The World on Sunday at 7.30pm on ABC TV or ABC iview.
