The stakes are higher than ever on tomorrow night's Race Across the World as the teams find out they are at risk of being eliminated from the competition.

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The news of the looming elimination spurs on each of the pairs, with all of them pushing even harder to make it to the finish line to avoid coming in last place, but Alfie and Owen make the decision to take some time out for Alfie to remember his late mother whilst in Vietnam.

In truly emotional scenes, the pair see hundreds of lanterns floating on a canal in the city and Alfie opens up about how the lantern symbol reminds him of his mother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer and died when he was five years old.

"In Hoi An there are a lot of lanterns around which is an item which is very close to my heart," he says. "I was just thinking about maybe taking a minute to myself."

The locals of Hoi An consider their light to be a symbol of life, and release them onto the river to pay respects to their ancestors.

Alfie and Owen at the start of Race Across the World. They are both stood in front of someone wearing backpacks and athletic clothing.
Alfie and Owen on Race Across the World. BBC/Studio Lambert/Pete Dadds

Alfie continued: "When my mum passed away, we set one off every year with a message attached. So, to be able to reignite that would be incredible.

"This is kind of the first opportunity on the race that I have had to think about my mum, and I'm just inundated with emotion that I have just not felt, genuinely, since I was a little kid. I just want that sensation of being able to see her again."

You can watch the full clip here.

Tomorrow's episode will test the teams like never before as they have to make it to Phnom Penh, and the team who arrive last will be eliminated from the race.

There are two options the teams can choose from: Stick to the popular route along the Vietnam coast and follow the Mekong River into Cambodia. Or, travelling across country and aim to get to the Cambodian border as soon as possible.

Viewers will have to tune into tomorrow's episode to see how the teams manage.

Race Across the World season 4 continues on Wednesday 25th April at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

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Authors

Katelyn MensahEntertainment and Factual Writer

Katelyn Mensah is the Entertainment and Factual Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.

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