Race Across The World's James robbed as siblings run low on cash
Race Across The World fans feared for a moment that James and Betty would be out the race
What did you miss?
Race Across The World's James was robbed of his money belt while racing with his sister Betty in gut-punching scenes that aired on Wednesday.
The Race Across The World siblings face the hardest moment in the race for them so far. When they are about to get on the move, the siblings were horrified to discover that James' money belt was missing from his person in Cambodia. The suspense builds as it is revealed the money belt contains cash as well as the brother's passport.
At first, viewers were left fearing James had lost all of their money - meaning the brother and sister would be out of the race. Among the comments, one person wrote: "Betty and James have lost all their money #RaceAcrossTheWorld."
Then the younger brother ran back to the scene where they last were and he is handed back the money belt but in a gutting twist the Cambodian cash is all gone. Luckily, the siblings could continue with the race because James' passport is still there.
What, how and why?
The narrator said: "With the smallest budget of the remaining teams, on the last few legs every penny will count for Betty and James."
Initially the brother and sister plan to splash all the cash on an overnight bus to get to Battambang, in Cambodia on the night. But they have to take an entirely different route when they discover the money belt is missing. "Oh my god," James exclaimed as he looked over to his sister Betty.
Responsive to her brother's worries, Betty tried to find out what had happened. "What?" Betty asked. "What?" Then James thumped his chest to point to where his money belt should have been. "Wait, wait, wait," Betty begged to the driver before they got on the move. "Stop," James agreed with his sister.
As the panic took hold of the siblings, Betty explained what was going on. "He's put his money belt off," she said.
"Where is it?" Asked James.
"You put it on the ground," Betty said.
"I had it on my arm," James said.
As James run back to the scene, Betty explained the drama of the situation in a piece to camera. "So when we were looking at the map, James took his money belt off," she said. "It had our only Cambodian money in it. He also has his own passport."
At the place where he lost the money belt, James was handed it back by a stranger and he is delighted. Celebrating a bit too soon, Betty exclaimed: "I think he's got it!"
Tensions reach boiling point when James realised the money is missing from his belt and he swore. Watching on, worried Betty said: "S***." She added: "If he lost his passport, we're out because we can't get into Thailand."
"You ok?" Betty asked her brother as he approached. "Is it empty?"
The suspense continued. "Sorry," James said as he gave Betty a bear hug.
"What's happened?" The older sister asked, worried, not knowing whether James has his passport or the money in his belt.
"Sorry," he repeated. James has yet to reveal what is or isn't in his money bag, making Betty increasingly worry. "What's happened?" She asked for a second time.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"No, no. What's happened?"
Then Betty - and the viewers - find out what has happened. "The money is gone," James finally said. "It's only my passport in here. There was a 100,000 Cambodian and that was the last Cambodian money we had." They lost £26.04 in English equivalent, taking them down to 38% of the budget remaining from 39%.
Viewers shared their shock on social media. "OMG did they get robbed lmao #raceacrosstheworld," one viewer said.
Others added: "Did he say 'hurry up, we're in a race' to the people helping them? And then left his moneybelt behind and had currency stolen? #RaceAcrossTheWorld."
"I thought they had lost all their money but with the exchange rate it was like £26 #RaceAcrossTheWorld."
"He's lucky he got his passport back and only lost 1% of their Cambodian money! #RaceAcrossTheWorld."
"Not me thinking James lost all their money but it was only 1% of their budget #RaceAcrossTheWorld."
On-screen, immediately the older sister shared her relief. She said: "I was sh**ing about your passport." Moving on from what's happened, Betty showed great kindness and forgiveness when she handed her brother some more money to take hold of. "I still trust you," she told him
Fans were pleased to see Betty forgiving her brother. One person wrote: "Loved how forgiving and chilled Betty was of her brother James for losing his money. #RaceAcrossTheWorld."
How did it end for the siblings?
Elsewhere in the episode, the siblings counted out all their money to see how they are doing with the budget. They discover they have spent a lot of money - leaving them with 34% of their budget left, just £938.
With money tight, the brother and sister take action by answering a job advert. Betty revealed they are being paid about "one pound something an hour" as they pick up the animal poo and wash one of the water buffalos on a farm. Then they head to the checkpoint.
At the end of the leg, the siblings managed to turn it around and they kept their place in third. Despite their set backs, the brother and sister proved they were still in the running for the race. "Leg four started very very rocky," Betty said.
James agreed with his sister as they reflected on the money belt incident. He said: "It couldn't have started much worse."
