In an unprecedented turn of events, the BBC's Celebrity Race Across The World was thrown into disarray during Thursday's episode, as nationwide protests and strikes in Guatemala forced two competing pairs to halt their journeys entirely.
Race Grinds to a Halt
What began as a 940km race to the second checkpoint in El Zonte, El Salvador, quickly descended into chaos for the celebrities. Anita Rani and her father Bal, who had started the leg in the lead, saw their advantage evaporate after their decision to travel through Guatemala backfired spectacularly.
They were not alone in their predicament. Roman Kemp and his sister Harleymoon, also travelling through the Central American nation, found themselves in the same dangerous situation. In a development never before seen on the show, producers made the safety-conscious decision to pause both pairs' races.
The Cause of the Crisis
The dramatic halt was triggered by escalating political unrest across Guatemala. The initial protests were sparked by government legislation introducing compulsory car insurance, a cost many citizens living in poverty simply could not afford.
This discontent rapidly escalated into a full-scale national uprising. Roads were blocked across the country, and violent clashes erupted in cities, creating an environment deemed too risky for the contestants to continue their journey.
Roman and Harleymoon received an official message explaining the situation: 'A national strike has been announced in Guatemala, any major roads have been blocked, for safety reasons, your race will be paused.'
Contestants React to Being 'Trapped'
Speaking about the surreal situation, Anita Rani described feeling 'trapped'. 'We're in lockdown in Guatemala,' she said. 'So basically, we're trapped now. So our advantage [in the race] is...[gone].'
Her father, Bal, remained remarkably philosophical about the setback. 'Nothing we can do, so why worry about it?' he reasoned. Anita, however, admitted to a more mixed reaction, stating, 'There's part of me that's absolutely like you, very philosophical about this, but there is another part of my brain that is 'oh dear'.'
The gravity of the situation hit home when Anita consulted a local woman. After reading a message on the woman's phone that stated, 'The capital is bad now, a lot of traffic, and everything is blocked, there is no passage,' Anita reacted with concern, 'Oh my god, this is bad news, right now. What if this goes on for days? What happens then? Is the race over for us?'
Viewers took to social media platform X to express their shock, with posts including: 'They've had to pause the race. OMG this has never happened before' and 'I've never seen anything like this. I would be scared if I was them.'
The Race Resumes
Fortunately for the stranded teams, the political crisis was resolved relatively quickly. The Guatemalan government backed down on the controversial car insurance legislation, leading to the protests being called off.
This allowed Anita, Bal, Roman, and Harleymoon to continue their race. In a testament to their earlier efforts, Anita and Bal managed to reach the second checkpoint first, with Roman and Harleymoon arriving in second place.
However, the lengthy delay significantly reduced their lead. The pair's 23-hour advantage was slashed to just under four hours. Meanwhile, the other contestants, Dylan Llewellyn with his mum Jackie and Molly Rainford with Tyler West, avoided the chaos entirely by planning routes that bypassed Guatemala.
Celebrity Race Across The World continues at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
