Andrew & Syeon

This result-oriented boyfriend and girlfriend have already developed strategies for the game. Putting their eighteen-month-old relationship under pressure is one way to see how strong it is, and these two are confident that they have what it takes and have enough in common to make it work.

Andrew and Syeon from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, already have a strategy.

"Every team needs a leader," says Syeon, "And if there are two leaders, then you just wind up arguing."

The solution is that there is only one leader. Andrew is the leader, and in any situation during the race, he will make the final decision (after a short debate, if necessary).

This sort of foresight should make for a very interesting game, particularly since it lays the blame squarely in Andrew's lap if he makes bad decisions.

But this is an interesting couple all around, another example of cross-cultural dynamics at play. While Andrew is a true-blue "Malaysian Sensation" (as he describes himself), his girlfriend Syeon is of a Korean-Australian background.

They two have known each other for three years, having met while snowboarding in Jindabyne, Australia. Friends at first, their correspondence turned into a long distance relationship while she was in London and he was in KL, and they've been together for about eighteen months now. They describe their relationship as interesting, fun and … childish. They think it's important that they have many common values and principles, partly because it lends strength to their relationship, but also because they feel that it will help them to be in sync during the Race.