The wholesome ways previous winners of Race Across The World spent the prize money

Great, now I’m crying


Race Across The World is wholesome by nature. It’s all about family members or friends reconnecting and working together through travel. The way previous winners of Race Across The World have chosen to spend their money just proves this even more.

Winners of Love Island have said they spent their money on designer clothes and trainers, and they all become huge public figures. Winners of Race Across The World are just like you and I, and are there for the experience, and have ended up giving away their money to charities, and spending it on their friends and families, albeit with small gifts to themselves, too.

I definitely don’t need to tell you, but Race Across The World is far superior to any other show – and the winners being such lovely people truly encompasses that. Here’s how the winners spent the £20k prize fund they received for winning the race.

Tony and Elaine, series one

Race Across The World series one winners

via BBC

Retired PE teachers Elaine and Tony were inspired by their three children all taking gap years to join Race Across The World, and their series saw them travel from London to Singapore in a bid to win the money.

After the show, they spent the prize fund on an electric bike each, which took the majority of their money, and they split the rest between giving some to family members and the rest to charity.

“We invited our grandkids and three children to watch the final episodes, they didn’t know we’d won so we cracked open all the champagne and got the cash out and we chucked it all up the air,” they said at the time. “The kids got what they could and we gave some to charity.”

Jamiul and Emon, series two

Race Across The World series two winners

via BBC

Uncle and nephew Emon and Jamiul were crowned winners of series two of the show, after trekking across South America. They announced they’d be donating half of the £20k prize fund to charity, after being so affected by seeing the conditions children were living in during their trip.

It’s been reported they actually ended up pledging 75 per cent of the money to charity, and decided to give the remaining £5k to Emon’s family orphanage in Bangladesh. Their plans were altered slightly by Covid, but the pair told The Mirror the money will still get to their chosen charities.

“Initially we did want to go back [to South America] in August to hand out the money into the orphanages to the kids of Sao Paulo,” Emon said. “We need to see what Boris says and then we can start travelling again. Ideally we’d like to go back and physically hand over the money ourselves to see how it’s been spent and how its going to help them.

“There are a few organisations I’ve researched already who I’d like to get in touch with. I’d prefer to see exactly what they want to do as it’s such a large sum of money and can go a long way in South America. I want to see the best use of it.”

Related stories recommended by this writer:

Dummy runs and strict rules: The biggest production secrets behind Race Across The World

• Three years after their journey, where is the cast of Race Across The World series two now?

This is exactly what all the Love Island winners spent their prize money on