Jo and Kush’s journey on Race Across the World
When 19-year-old best friends Jo Diop and Kush Burman applied for Race Across the World in 2025, there was no way of knowing that, by the end of the year, they would have served drinks at a circumcision party in Kazakhstan, taught a Kyrgyz man the meaning of “boss” and taken an army of geese for a walk in Turkey. Such is the weird and wonderful experience of travelling 12,000 kilometres across the world, reports BritPanorama.
The Scousers are the youngest pair in this year’s race, though they are certain that their youth has been a help, rather than a hindrance, along the way. “People are more inclined to help – or at least give you their attention,” says Jo. “I think the other teams underestimated us as well, just because we’re not as experienced in travel. It was nice being the underdog.”
The childhood friends have become fan favourites over the past eight weeks, impressing with an emotional maturity, intelligence, and sense of self beyond their years. While Jo has had a more relaxed attitude to the race, Kush can be highly strung and anxious, but rather than causing tension, their differences have made them the perfect, supportive teammates.
The race got off to a good start for the lads. They completed the first journey to Fiskardo, Greece, in second place, 20 hours and 12 minutes behind then-race leaders Katie and Harrison. But it all fell apart on the next leg to Istanbul. After taking work with local fishermen to top up their budget (and not realising that it meant working throughout the night), the pair arrived in the Turkish seaside town of Ayvalik to find out all the buses to Istanbul had already sold out. They finally arrived at the checkpoint in last place, with the threat of elimination hanging over them for leg three. “We were completely defeated,” says Jo.
“When the highs are high, you feel so confident. But when the lows are low, you feel so at risk,” says Kush. “But you have to embrace every emotion to the fullest because it’s all you have to guide you. As much as you have to trust other people, you have to trust yourself as well.”
In tonight’s final episode, viewers will watch them race their competition towards the final checkpoint – the first team there will win the life-changing grand prize of £20,000. This year’s route (which began in Italy and took the racers through Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan) has been one of the toughest in Race Across the World history. In Mongolia, where the race ends and temperatures can drop to minus 30 at night, there aren’t even any road maps.
“You have to trust what people say and the advice they give you,” says Jo. “You have no other guide apart from the word of the locals. Even if they offer to use their phone for Google Maps, there are roads on the maps that don’t even exist. We were walking blind at that point.”
As they’ve traveled further East and English has become harder to come by, communication has become tougher. “The language barrier was the most frustrating because you can tell that people are trying their hardest to help, but they just can’t get through,” says Kush. “Sometimes they’ll say a slightly wrong phrase, and it can throw everything off. Production staff are no help in those situations, either. “We weren’t allowed any help,” says Jo. “It’s a case of if we can’t get any information from someone, we just have to go and ask someone else.”
Even at just 19, the boys aren’t scared to ask questions and get involved in local cultures. They attribute this to growing up in Liverpool. “It’s quite a social place to live, and I guess we’re both quite confident. Speaking to strangers isn’t really as big a deal as it might feel for some people,” says Kush. “Once you realise how willing to help people are and how generous they are, it becomes a lot less scary to come up to people.” This generosity of spirit, no matter where the racers are in the world, is one of the many things that makes Race Across the World such wonderful, heartwarming television.
It’s been an emotional, soul-baring journey for everyone in the race, but particularly Kush. A visit to a dojo in Kazakhstan brought up memories of his father, who he revealed had taken his own life during lockdown. “I still think about him all the time. Being on this journey has brought back little moments and I wish I could sort of show him who I am now,” he told the camera. “When I was 14, I didn’t know who I was and I was still a child. I made a lot of mistakes when I was younger.”
Speaking now, he expresses no regrets about showing such strong emotions on national television. “You can’t really plan what to talk about in the race, but I’m happy to show emotions,” he says. “Even anger and sadness are important emotions to experience and feel. Two months of travelling is too long to put on a brave face for. At some point you will crack.”
That emotional maturity is a far cry from the usual depiction of teenage boys in the media. Are they like that at home, too? They giggle. “In the grand scheme of things, we’re still kids,” says Kush. “But I think we found a good balance.”
Another highlight of watching Jo and Kush make their way to Mongolia has been glimpsing their brotherhood. “It made me realise how resilient and committed Kush can be,” says Jo. “It shocks me, the things he can do. Some things I wouldn’t even consider doing to make something work, but he’ll just do it and then we’re on the next part of our journey.”
“Bro, you’re making me blush,” retorts Kush, before adding: “One thing I took from Jo is his optimism. He’s got a ‘it’s not over until it’s over’ mindset, but I catastrophise a lot. That helped me to enjoy the journey more – just when I’m about to overthink things, he’ll remind me to enjoy it and embrace it.”
Since that second leg slip-up in Turkey, the boys have steadily made their way back to first place and, going into tonight’s final, are at the front of the pack. “Arriving first to a checkpoint is just relief,” says Kush. “It’s like looking at your paycheck after a long shift. Hard work pays off.”
“The choices we made were such a gamble,” says Jo. “It’s high risk, high reward. When you think you’ve made the wrong choice and then end up winning, it makes it even more special.”
The boys are under strict instruction not to give anything away about the final, but their excitement is palpable as they hint at the journey’s conclusion. “It gets very competitive and very tense,” says Jo. “It’s make or break. It all comes down to this one last leg.”
‘Race Across the World’ concludes tonight at 8pm on BBC One
