Amazing Race 3 to the finish

THE Amazing Race Asia 3 (Tara 3) premiered on Sept 11 on the AXN Channel and saw the last team finishing the final leg on Nov 20.

Filming actually took place in the middle of the year and saw 10 teams traverse 21,000km across seven countries and 11 cities performing back-breaking and mind-bending tasks, the outcomes of which were dependent on both luck and skills. Their adventures took them to Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City, Macau, Taipei and Oman.

Best friends from Hong Kong, Vince Chung and Sam Wu were the first to arrive at the finish in Phuket, Thailand, followed by Philippine couple Geoffry Rodriguez and Tisha Silang 45 minutes behind.

Among the celebrities who participated in Tara 3 was eighth-placed Russian beauty queen Natalie Glebova (Miss Universe 2005), the wife of Thai tennis player Paradorn Srichaphan. Her teammate, Pailin Rungratanasunthorn, was the runner-up for Miss Thailand Universe 2006.

Malaysian actress Bernie Chan and her brother Henry finished fifth.
Singapore was represented by fourth-placed Adeline Chan and Faeza Sirajudin.

Tara 3 had six official sponsors namely Caltex, MASkargo, Nokia, Singha, Sony and Standard Chartered Bank.

 

- NST Online

Champs’ soft spot for ‘Fa Mulans’ Ida and Tania

Yet, Hong Kong “supermen” — Vince Chung and Sam Wu — broke the spell and emerged tops in the highly competitive and gruelling two-month race. Their win also marked a first for the Special Autonomous Region of China.

However, they have a soft spot for Malaysia’s “girl power” team and had any other team won, they would have loved to see Ida Nerina and Tania Khan take home the grand prize of US$100,000 (approximately RM356,000).

Vince said: “Ida and Tania were so cool. They were having a great time all the way and were very positive.”

Sam said: “We’ve been fans of Tara from day one and the teams that have impressed us most are the all-girl Malaysian teams.”
The duo likened the Malaysian teams which made it to the top three — Season One champions Zabrina Fernandez and Tee Joe Jer, runners-up Vanessa and Pamela Chong of Season Two and this year’s second runners-up Ida and Tania, as the “Fa Mulans” of the modern era.

Vince said: “They personify strong and independent Asian women similar to the warrior princess Fa Mulan of the Chinese legend. They personify Malaysia as a nation of multi-coloured brothers and sisters who live in harmony and share the same dreams.”

“Like Ida and Tania, we’d love to do our very own travelogue but it would have a more culinary focus,” said Sam.

The 32-year-olds both started out as college lecturers before Vince went on to become a stand-up comedian.

Vince said: “We met three years ago and became friends due to our passion for acting, hosting, stand-up comedy, and most importantly, partying.”

Sam said: “Vince joined the first ever nationwide stand-up comedy competition, The Funniest Person in Hong Kong, and reached the finals, with my jokes.”

Both of them also possess a strange yet interesting “way with words”.

Vince, as a comedian and television host, is a “wizard of words” while Sam who excels in the online word game Prolific “plays with words”.

Vince said: “It was our common interest in seeking great adventure that brought us into Tara 3. The contest was a fun and challenging way to see the rest of Asia outside of Hong Kong.”

“And it was a great way to keep fit and healthy,” added Sam.

The duo’s “Achilles heels” are Vince’s hot temper (he got mad at Sam twice during the race) and Sam’s fear of needles and bees.

“I was hospitalised after getting stung by a hornet when I was four and since then, if anything flies near or around my head I freeze instantly,” said Sam.

Vince said: “I personify ‘fire’ in the team while Sam personifies ‘water’ drinking lots of it and cooling me down.”

He also sees himself as the more “physical” team member and Sam as the “thinker”. “That’s how we complement each other,” he said, adding that he had participated in various sports such as baseball, softball, football and swimming during his schooldays.

While Sam is far less “sporty” than Vince, he can be equally if not more single-minded in his endeavours.

Back in 2001, he worked hard to lose weight and shed 20kg to become his present 60kg size.

“It was lots of rigorous exercise, dieting and training,” he said.

Vince and Sam are great followers of their local entertainment scene and would be delighted to have a chance to act and sing alongside some of Hong Kong’s most popular stars.

Vince said: “We love Teresa Carpio. She’s one of the finest multilingual vocalists we’ve had. Her daughter T. V. Carpio is also brilliant, in the Beatles-themed film Across The Universe.”

Meanwhile, Tisha Silang failed in her bid to become Miss Philippines/Universe about decade ago due to a technicality — she was a Canadian citizen.

She admitted that Tara 3 was a far greater achievement as she finished second with her boyfriend of 3½ years, model Geoffry Rodriguez.

“Nobody would have thought that we would end up dating. We have very different personalities but have managed to make it work so far,” said Tisha.

Geoffry said it was the second time the couple had auditioned for the show and almost missed the audition deadline.

Despite their frequent squabbling especially in stressful situations coupled with Geoffry’s hot temper, both insist that their relationship has grown stronger.

Geoffry said: “We are honest about our failings and do not hide our feelings. But at the end of the day, we realise that we are all human.

“Tisha and I have had a sound relationship from the time we met.

And we have put it to the test by entering the race, winning second place and getting closer than ever.”

 

- NST Online

Partners in adventure

Ida Nerina Hussein’s and Tania Khan’s idea of living life to the fullest is to go on an adventure that tests their limits but which allows them to have a great time as well.

“The last time I did something as challenging as this (The Amazing Race Asia 3, or Tara 3) was at the obstacle courses during my schooldays,” reminisced the 44-year-old Ida.

“Me too, but it was nothing compared to this,” said her sidekick Tania.

Award-winning actress Ida, known for the films Selubung, Layar Lara, Sarah, Sepet, Gubra and most recently Wayang, may soon see her career “hotter than ever”, despite not winning the recently concluded Tara 3.
However, the duo who emerged third, insists that joining Tara 3 was a personal decision and had nothing to do with boosting her acting career.

“Tania and I have been best buddies for about a decade. I wouldn’t have gone on this adventure with anyone else for she’s a reliable travelling companion who loves challenges as much as me,” she said.

Tania, a 36-year-old manager and mother of two children aged 11 and one, said the key to their team spirit was “a common wavelength”.

She said: “We’re both bubbly, dramatic, kind-hearted, and fiercely loyal to our friends and klutzy.”

Ida added: “And we’re often the first to jump into the deep end of any adventure.”

Indeed, they are no strangers to “adventures” of another form.

Ida disclosed that she, Tania and 11 other close pals once unleashed their fury on the management of a luxury resort which “held them hostage” several holidays ago.

Ida recalled the incident saying, “hell hath no fury like 13 women shortchanged. The incident involved us, a burnt rug which was not our doing, the hotel management and the police.”

Tania added, “the hotel management blamed us and even the police got involved. It was so traumatic. We insisted we were innocent but they refused to let us leave and even locked the gates.”

The duo and their pals eventually cleared their names, but not after “causing a scene and creating ‘noise pollution’.”

Ida admitted that she can be the “lioness” that her Sarah co-star Shamsul Azhar (Shamsul Ghau Ghau) described her to be in the romantic comedy.

Underneath her playful exterior is someone who “bears grudges more than she wants to”.

“I pre-warned the other teams not to cross me lest I unleashed my anger on them. Unlike Tania, I’m the kind who screams my head off at the irritating and annoying.

“However, once the anger subsides, I’ll apologise to whoever’s in the way,” she said.

Preparing for Tara 3 meant lots of working out for the duo.

Ida said: “We got real physical at Celebrity Fitness and also did yoga. We had to hide it from our families but they soon found out what we were up to, and my mum freaked out.”

Nevertheless, Ida’s mother, businesswoman, lawyer and ex-politician Datuk Marina Yusoff gave her eldest child her full support, constantly sending her SMSes during the race.

“Determination and fighting spirit are qualities my mum and I share. Tara 3 is all about challenging your limits, not giving up and giving your all in a mission of self-discovery, and this is why she gave her blessings,” she said.

Tania said she found Tara 3 an excellent opportunity to travel around Asia, meet and learn about new people as well as keeping fit and strong.

“We just thought it would be a fun-filled adventure and I’m always game for adventure,” she said.

For both, the most difficult and challenging time was the first leg of the race which took them around Bangkok, Thailand. They had to drive an off-road buggy, pound rice into paste and made two rice balls using a traditional Thai method.

They also had to consume a large bowl of Thai “delicacies” — fried bugs, frogs and scorpions, and cleaned a 22-seater bus.

“Luckily, we conquered the first leg without much fuss and it was psychologically liberating,” said Tania.

“If we could make it past the first leg, we could make it past all the other legs. That was our fighting spirit,” said Ida.

Did the duo encounter moments in which they had heated arguments?

“There were times when we annoyed each other, but we are only human, and thus we were quick to forgive and forget,” said Ida.

She added that her main weaknesses were a fear of cockroaches and weak ankles which are “not good for running”.

“Mine are indecisiveness and claustrophobia,” said Tania.

On their strong points, Tania commends Ida for her great general knowledge while Ida commends Tania for being “pretty good at finding short cuts to all kinds of things”.

Even though Ida and Tania failed to take home the top prize of US$100,000 (RM360,000), they are happy to have done their best to put Malaysia on the map by finishing third, and displaying near-flawless teamwork and positivity on the camera.

Ida and Tania each won a Nokia N96 handphone for the fourth leg and US$2,500 for the 10th.

“Malaysian women have always come out tops, second or third place in Tara,” Ida said.

“And it’s not the same in every Tara season. Things get tougher by the year,” Tania said.

Ida said Tara 3 also gave them a chance to see the world from a new perspective.

“We’ve shared some great trips together and the race would be the best as it was our chance to go backpacking together,” she said.

Tania, who discovered that she was three months pregnant recently, said if they were to experience another adventure, it would be a non-competitive yet educational and entertaining travelogue.

 

- Dennis Chua, The New Strait Times

Underdogs emerge tops on TARA3

Winning TARA3 is a priceless experience, says Hong Kong pair.

In the end, after travelling over 21,000km, dashing through seven countries and 11 cities while performing numerous back-breaking and mind-bending challenges, it all came down to a lot of luck and a little skill for the final three teams on The Amazing Race Asia 3 (TARA3).

Friends from Hong Kong, Sam Wu and Vince Chung, emerged winners even though they were the last to start on the final leg due to a four-hour penalty for not completing the final challenge the week before. Despite the setback, the boys managed to overtake Malaysians Ida Nerina and Tania Khan (who were initially in the lead) and Geoff Rodriguez and Tisha Silang from the Philippines, to arrive first on the finish mat at the final pit stop in Phuket, Thailand. And they made it a comfortable 45 minutes or so ahead of runners-up, Tish and Geoff. The Malaysians came in third.

Needless the say, Sam and Vince were ecstatic about their US$100,000 (RM363,000) win when interviewed at The Amazing Race Asia 3 finale party in Bangkok last Thursday.

“It has been totally unbelievable. Being selected for the race was great already ... but winning is really something else,” said Sam.

Added Vince, “Winning was really out of this world ... an experience money can’t ever buy.

“It was really hard coming in last at the (last) pit stop but we liked being the underdogs facing adversity. We saw it as a challenge not to give up.”

Most of the 10 teams on TARA3 (except father and son Niroo and Kapil Asrani from India and South Korean brothers William and Isaac Hong) were present at the party. Many teams from the previous seasons were also there to celebrate the end of another exciting season of the reality TV show.

For the most part of the race, the winning duo remained under the radar: they were by no means the strongest team (even though they did come first twice) nor the weakest. While they didn’t stir up any controversy, nor were terribly outstanding, Sam and Vince didn’t care about the drama that sometimes went on around them nor were they concerned about making friends. Their focus was clearly the race.

Congratulating the boys, Geoff said, “Honestly, I could not have lost to a better team. I believe it was all destined and I am really happy for Sam and Vince.”

It is hard to begrudge another team for winning, added his partner Tish, as all three teams in the final truly deserved to be there.

“We went through the same things and I think we made it to the final because we all deserved to be there.”

Although Tish and Geoff would have wanted to win themselves, the fiery couple is pleased with its second placing.

“We never ever thought we’d be in the final three. We told ourselves that we’d be happy if we made it to the final five and so we are happy that we got to the finals,” said Tish.

“And we are still together,” added Geoff, answering the question that is probably on the minds of many TARA3 fans.

“Geoff and I have been together for four years and to judge our relationship based on the one month we were on The Amazing Race Asia is just not fair. We were in such unrealistic conditions ... your feelings are all heightened and it was just a clash of personalities,” said Tish.

And what about the negative comments they received about their sometimes abrasive behaviour on the race.

“I know that most people see us as being on the dark side but that was just how we wanted to play the race and if we had not, I don’t think we would have reached the final three,” said Geoff.

Explained Tish, “We aren’t perfect but we are not immoral or bad people. A lot of people were upset that we used the yield and the U-turn but those were tools of the race and we just used them to our advantage. It was never anything personal.”

The team that did not seem to be able to get a break throughout the final leg, however, were Ida and Tania.

Their first blow was losing their lead to the Filipinos when their vehicle got stuck in the sand in the desert of Dubai for quite a while. They fell further behind when they could not make it in time for their flight to Phuket due to airport delays.

“It was really painful. We had booked our flight but the lady at the ticketing counter was away from her place for an hour and a half! I mean who leaves the counter for an hour and a half!

“It was frustrating because it was not our doing and all our magical planning went to waste,” said Tania.

Added Ida, “We knew in Dubai that we were not going to win the race but we kept on going as if we were still in it (to win).”

Despite a brief emotional breakdown at the airport, the duo completed their tasks in their usual quirky manner.

Interestingly, a month after she returned from the race (which actually concluded in the middle of the year), Tania discovered she was pregnant.

“Before leaving for the race, I kind of suspected that I might be pregnant and so I went to see a doctor who did a scan and told me I was not pregnant. So I went for the race and when I felt queasy, I put it down to the pace of the race.

“It was only a month after we got back that I realised I was four months pregnant!” said Tania.

TARA3 definitely had its moments and there were teams to like and teams to dislike. However, one can’t help but feel that “the toughest race ever” may not have been the best race ever. Perhaps it was because there were so many eliminations in the first half of the race: the first five episodes were elimination rounds and before we knew it, there were just five teams left. Part of the magic of the race is watching the dynamics between the teams and whittling down the teams so fast was quite drastic.

Still, for the millions of fans across Asia (the series has garnered a huge following – just check out the many TARA online forums and blogs), Thursdays will probably be a little boring, at least for a while. For me, being a couch racer for 11 weeks has been exhausting and I am quite glad for the respite. Until next season.

- S. Indramalar

Winners join race like 'blur sotongs'

Hong Kong team roped in 4 hours before start of race; one fired from job.

When the Hong Kong team won The Amazing Race Asia 3 last week, words like 'fairy tale' and 'it was meant to be' were thrown around by rivals and even the producers of the AXN reality series.

The underdog duo comprising Singaporean Sam Wu and Canadian Vince Chung were the least prepared competitors - and possibly the ones who made the greatest professional sacrifices - joining the race.

That's because the best buddies - both 32 and living in Hong Kong - didn't even make the final cut of the original 10 teams to be selected for the third season.

They were the 11th 'standby team', and were asked to join the race only when one of the original teams dropped out at the last minute.

They had to pack and board a flight to Bangkok for the filming in under four hours - from the time they received the surprise call in mid-May.

The preparation time given to teams usually ranges from a few days to a month, depending on the countries they're from and whether visas are required.

Vince told The New Paper over the phone from Bangkok, where the finale party was held: 'We didn't even have time to get inoculation jabs or a haircut. My laundry wasn't done, so I had to pack some stuff that wasn't even clean.'

Sam added: 'I carried a school bag, not even a proper knapsack. I didn't pack sunscreen, sunglasses or matching outfits with Hong Kong logos. That's why we looked so uncoordinated (compared with the rest). And we never finished reading the rulebook!'

Sam admitted they went in 'like blur sotongs' - and it showed in the first episode.

They got lost in Bangkok, were in last place at every challenge and came in 7th at the end of the first leg.

Sam recalled: 'We felt really disadvantaged and it was demoralising, because it hadn't quite sunk in yet.

'But from then on, we found our footing and actually became quite formidable.

Upset employers

'No one predicted Team 11 getting in at the 11th hour and winning. AXN could not have scripted it better - this is really reality TV at its best!'

To add to their initial woes, both were constantly thinking of whether they were going to end up jobless back home.

Vince had been teaching English at a primary school for five years and Sam is an English lecturer at City University.

Because they were given such short notice, the pair had to make sudden applications for one month's unpaid leave and this upset their employers.

Even more so when they couldn't give specific reasons for leaving and would be uncontactable during the whole period - due to the the non-disclosure agreement they had to sign before the show.

Both took off before their leave applications were officially approved.

Vince ended up being fired when he returned.

He said it was a 'big shock' because he thought his school wouldn't mind as he had worked there for so long.

He said: 'I was even used as a 'model teacher' in the recruitment video for the (English) programme. I was confident of my abilities and skills as a teacher, my students liked me and I got along well with the staff.

'But there are no hard feelings. The school has even said it would give me good references!'

He added: 'A lot of people like to play safe in life, but I like to take calculated risks and this was one of them. To turn down something so special and unique like The Amazing Race Asia would've been crazy!'

Currently a freelance comedian-host, Vince is looking to pursue a career in showbiz and hopes the show will give him the necessary exposure and act as a stepping stone.

Although Sam's services weren't terminated, he received a black mark on his record, which prevents him from receiving any salary increment this year.

He recalled: 'My bosses were really unhappy because I was supposed to go to Shanghai and Perth for a work trip that week but had to pull out so suddenly.

Enthusiastic students

'I hated being irresponsible and unprofessional, but luckily I managed to convince a colleague to take over my duties.'

Still, Sam agreed with Vince that it was a 'no-brainer' to join the show because it was a 'once in a lifetime experience'.

'Even if we didn't win (the cash prize worth $150,000), we'd have no regrets and it would still have been worth it.' But of course it's great that they did.

For Sam, the results have extended beyond the financial and into the educational.

He said proudly: 'My classes are all full now.

'My students actually watched the show because of me - (it's not easy to) get locals to voluntarily watch an English programme!

'They've become more enthusiastic about learning new words like 'detour' and American slang.

'So I'm really pleased I managed to motivate and inspire them and make a difference somehow.'

 

 

- Jeanmarie Tan, Electric Guide

Hong Kong team triumphs in 'Amazing Race Asia'

MUMBAI: AXN has announced that throughout the third season of its reality show The Amazing Race Asia 3, the Hong Kong team has had the honour of being the first and the last team to leave the pitstop.

They won the only fast forward in the race, incurred a penalty for not completing a challenge, and got a permanent tattoo.

Now, best buddies Vince Matthew Chung and Samuel Wu have added another achievement by being the first team from Hong Kong to win The Amazing Race Asia.

In the grand finale of the show, the 32-year-old friends edged out Malaysian mothers Ida Nerina and best friend Tania Khan as well as dating couple Tisha Silang and Geoff Rodriguez from the Philippines, to claim the top spot and the cash prize of $100,000.

The broadcaster adds that what was the most surprising of their win was that they were the dark horse in the last leg, having incurred a four-hour penalty for forfeiting a challenge in the previous leg. This put them in the last position and four hours behind the other teams when the final race started.

They say, “We felt dejected at this point as we thought we had lost the game. I’ve never been pushed to my breaking point until now. But you know what they say… The first shall be last and the last shall be first! This memorable quote was mentioned to us during the first three challenges where we were continually in last place during the very first leg in Bangkok. And so we pushed on, and I’m glad that we did,” says Vince, a comedian and host living in Hong Kong.

The show's host Allan Wu says, “Once again, this third season of The Amazing Race Asia exceeded my own expectations. We learned that anything can happen in the toughest race ever.”

 

- Indiantelevision.com Team

The 'Amazing' experience of Tisha Silang and Geoff Rodriguez

Tisha Silang and Geoff Rodriguez showed the Pinoy’s mental agility and physical strength in the season finale of AXN’s The Amazing Race Asia 3 by placing second to eventual winners Vince Chung and Sam Wu of Hong Kong. Malaysia’s Tania Khan and Ida Nerina arrived last in the pitstop.

Team Philippines has been consistently placing in the Top Three slots for two consecutive seasons. Last year, Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez placed third. They still hold the record of having the most number of pitstops won by a team in the history of the reality TV show.

Tisha and Geoff started on the right foot by placing second in the take-off point, Bangkok. Then they slowed down and faltered in the succeeding challenges. The couple was back in the race in Hong Kong and found their momentum by topping two pitstops in the Macau and India legs.

Although the race was confined to Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Macau, India and Oman, season three was the toughest because of the daunting fastforward, roadblock and detour tasks like performing the dragon dance, eating exotic street food, ascending to the Macau Tower and traversing a canyon. That’s why Tisha and Geoff cannot help but also celebrate their own victory.

“It’s true,” confirms Geoff of RP Team’s placement on the show. “We came second and hopefully Pinoys will come first in season four.”

“We were so close to winning,” says Tisha. “(What transpired) was out of our control.”

How did the Hong Kong boys who incurred a four-hour penalty from the “traverse a canyon” challenge take over?

“We got the wrong taxi driver,” shares Geoff. “It took us 36 minutes before reaching the final pitstop.”

“The driver never knew where it was,” adds Tisha.

Besides, the teams waited 10 hours to take their flight from Oman to Thailand. Thus, the four-hour penalty of the HK boys lasted and they caught up with the two other teams.

“I’m ecstatic,” says Tisha of the results. “I never expected to get ourselves to be this far in the race. We thought finishing fifth was already okay.”

“We were pressured in the beginning of the race,” adds Geoff given the performance of Marc and Rovilson last year. “It was on my mind all the time. But I never knew I would do this (the race) day after day.”

During the race, Tisha and Geoff had arguments which according to Tisha are common among couples. The two, however, assure their fans that “they are still together.”

Asked what are their plans that The Amazing Race Asia 3 is over, Geoff replies, “I will continue doing hosting. But we will see. I can’t really say what to do since Amazing was just a day over.”

“I’m not going back to showbiz,” says Tisha. “I will still do hosting and modeling. I’ll be in Canada next year to resume my studies (dental hygiene) and to take care of my dad.”

Last night, the couple graced the The Amazing Race Asia 3 party at the Centara Grand Hotel, Bangkok. They also received 40-inch Bravia flat TVs, playstations, a trip to Hong Kong, plus $1,000 each.

“It’s life changing,” says Geoff of his Amazing experience, whose game plan was to stay in the race and not to get eliminated early.

What did Tisha learn from the experience?

“That I can really do what I set on my mind,” she replies.

RP duo finish second in Amazing Race

The Philippine team of Geoff Rodriguez and Tisha Silang finished second in the third edition of The Amazing Race Asia (TARA).

After 11 legs that took them to seven countries, dating couple Geoff and Tisha came behind winners Hong Kong boys Vince and Sam, who stepped on the mat first. Friends Ida and Tania of Malaysia came in third place.

Best buddies Vince and Sam won the cash prize of 100,000 U.S. dollars.

At the start of the 11th and final leg in Muscat, Oman, Geoff and Tisha were in second place behind Ida and Tania. Although Vince and Sam began the race four hours behind the other two teams, they were able to catch up, thanks to some lucky breaks.

But if there is any consolation to Geoff and Tisha, they were able to beat the third-place finish of Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez at last season's TARA.

Tisha was crowned Bb. Pilipinas-Universe in 1998 but resigned because of her Canadian citizenship. She had a short hosting stint in the GMA-7 morning show Mornings@GMA. Tisha also and a relationship with Survivor Philippines host Paolo Bediones.

Geoff, on the other hand, was a member of the all-male group Power Boys, which also included Jordan Herrera, Greg Martin, Frank Garcia, and Jay Salas.

The Amazing Race Asia 3 started with 10 teams—which also include pairs from India, South Korea, and Thailand—but only three teams made it into the finish line.

The race began in Bangkok, Thailand and it ended in Phuket, Thailand. In between, the teams were able to go to Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, India, and Oman.

TARA is hosted by Allan Wu.

Malaysians Ida and Tania lose lead after missing flight in finals of Amazing Race Asia

BANGKOK: They may not have won The Amazing Race Asia 3 but Malay­sians Ida Nerina and Tania Khan are still happy they made it to the finals.

The two, dubbed the actress and the heiress in the race, came in third in a heart-stopping and unpredictable finale.

The race was won by Sam Wu and Vince Chung from Hong Kong while Geoff Rodriguez and Tisha Silang from the Philippines came in second.

“I think it was only frustrating because we fell behind, not of our own doing but because of a third party. All our magical planning went to waste,” said Tania.

Tania and Ida were leading in the beginning but lost crucial time when they missed their flight to Phuket, the final destination of The Amazing Race Asia 3.

Previously, in The Amazing Race Asia 2, the Malaysian team consisting of sisters Pamela and Vanessa Chong came in second, and in the first season, Malaysians Joe Jer and Zabrina walked away as champions.

The two contestants from Hong Kong walked away with the US$100,000 (RM365,000) cash prize. Sam and Vince were overjoyed with their win.

“It’s out of this world and an experience money can’t buy,” said Vince.

“It’s been totally unbelievable and we’ve had such wonderful experiences,” said Sam.

The Amazing Race Asia 3 saw 10 teams from all over Asia participate in gruelling challenges, covering over 20,000km in more than seven countries, such as Vietnam, Taiwan, China, India, Oman and Thailand, where the race began and ended.

Chan siblings are out but not down

Put your hands up if you were as shocked as I was when siblings Bernie and Henry Chan were eliminated from The Amazing Race Asia in episode eight, three weeks ago.

Try as we might to figure out what went wrong with them – were they fighting too much? Did they run out of steam? Couldn’t they have taken an earlier flight?– it was still a shame to see the two go. They were, after all, among the stronger teams on the race, having arrived first at the pit stop twice (Episodes Two and Three) and they seemed to have a good dynamic going.

“It was just one of those things. We actually arrived in Mumbai earlier than the other teams and were on the same connecting flight to Cochin but we were held up and we missed it. It was just bad luck,” explained Henry.

So, it wasn’t the bickering that slowed them down?

“Well, we were actually arguing with each other all along but I guess when they edited it, they played up (our arguments) on the last two episodes,” he said.

Naturally, the duo were gutted by their untimely elimination.

“It feels like being dumped. Really, it does. It’s like you had this amazing love affair and you were suddenly left high and dry. There was no closure.

“And once you are eliminated you are taken away (eliminated teams are sequestered in a secret location) and you don’t get to see the remaining teams. So we had two weeks of just being ‘locked away’ ... we really had post race blues,” recalled Bernie.

As sad as they were, the siblings reckon it was harder for their family and friends to watch and accept their elimination.

“My mum was very upset and my aunt was close to tears and the kids were devastated. Watching it over we were not really devastated because we had a long time to get over it. It seemed that everyone else took it harder. Even my hairdresser called me up!

“People were taking bets that we had won the race and we couldn’t say anything. We knew there were people rooting for us but we did not expect them to be so upset,” she said.

The duo have no regrets about the way they ran the race.

“I am very proud of Henry and myself and the way we ran the race. I am sorry if some were disappointed with us ... but that’s who we are. What you saw of us on TV ... that’s who we really are,” said Bernie.

“Yeah. It (the race) was really tough ... it’s 10 times harder than what you see on screen,” said Henry.

Bernie cited the hot weather in Hue, Vietnam.

“When we were looking for the pit stop at the Unesco World Heritage Site, it was 40°C and we all felt like fainting. Everyone had sunstroke and although it was so near (the end) it was really difficult,” explained Bernie.

They may not have made it to the end but the siblings have definitely gained a lot from being on the race.

“We had fun and we learnt that we have it in us to do anything,” she concluded.

Final episode of The Amazing Race Asia 3 tonight

The Amazing Race Asia 3 - Episode 11

Still in Muscat, Oman

Ida and Tania left the pit stop at 5:42 AM with Geoff and Tish trailing behind by ten minutes. Their first task is to drive to the Office of the Governorate of Muscat.

Upon reaching the site, they encountered an Hours of Operation for 8 AM. Not a problem since Sam and Vince are still hours behind.

Camel Crossing

Next task is for teams to drive to Said’s Camel Farm and transfer 10 camels into a holding pen.

Geoff and Tish were just following Ida and Tania. But they managed to get way ahead and still able to grab something to eat. Maybe Geoff and Tish stopped and ate somewhere?

At around 10 AM, Sam and Vince left the Pit Stop.

Ida and Tania were the first to arrive at the camel farm and finished the task even before other teams arrived.

ROADBLOCK: Locate Key

Teams must then drive to a nearby sandy area and a team member must use a metal detector under the scorching sun to locate a key buried in the sand that will unlock the clue box. There are only 7 correct keys out of 70 and the the sand is really hot.

While on their way, Ida and Tania already felt the heat of the sun and Ida even commented that she didn’t wish her worst enemy to be stuck under it.

Unknowingly, Geoff and Tish’s vehicle got stuck in the sand so Geoff did a lot of pushing to get them out. When they got to the farm, they quickly transferred the camels and head to the roadblock where they met and Sam and Vince along the way. Team Hong Kong’s catching up.

Tania did the roadblock and was clearly having trouble working under the heat. She even stopped to rest and get hydrated. Anyway, she found the correct key even before Geoff and Tish arrived.

Sticky Situation

After a few more difficultness maneuvering their vehicle, Geoff and Tish arrived at the roadblock. They saw Ida and Tania having trouble getting their vehicle out of the sand. They’re at a disadvantage because they lack the power to push their vehicle.

Tish did the roadblock. I wonder why she didn’t wear any gloves for the hot sand.

Back at the camels, Sam and Vince were unfortunate to be stuck with the most uncooperative camels of the bunch. The camels kept running around and dragging the boys who had a hard time with the task.

Tisha found the correct key and they quickly went to their next destination. They manage to overtook Ida and Tania who still can’t get their vehicle out of the sand.

Finally, the Malaysians asked help from the locals to help them with their vehicle and were on their way out as well. I wonder why they didn’t think of that at first?

On their way out, they saw Sam and Vince who also had the problem of being stuck in the sand.

Phuket Here We Come

Teams must then fly to Phuket, Thailand then travel by taxi to Sam Poh Kong Temple to get their next clue.

At the airport, Ida and Tania caught up with Geoff and Tish. There are only a few flights available from Oman going to Phuket so Ida and Tania took a gamble by flying to Dubai on an earlier trip and get a connecting flight from there.

Geoff and Tish took a flight that will take them to Dubai -> Bangkok -> Phuket. Geoff was disappointed when Sam and Vince managed to make the same flight as theirs.

In Dubai, Ida and Tania missed their connecting flight! Uh oh! They had no choice but to get another flight to Phuket via Singapore.

When their flight arrived at Phuket, Geoff and Tish got a head start from seating at the front. Geoff was getting cocky knowing that they’re number one. They arrived at the temple first and got their clue.

Sam and Vince were just minutes behind.

Ice Cold Task and Karma

Teams must get to the Thai Trade Food Ice Factory at the port in Siray Island. Once there, they have to search for a small Amazing Race ice cube buried in a barrel full of ice shavings.

Karma bit Geoff and Tish as their taxi driver told them that he didn’t know where the ice factory is.

Sam and Vince got to the factory first and were surprised to see three untouched barrels of ice. They quickly went on to the task and found the cube for their next clue before other teams arrived. They’re on the lead!

Get to Lam Hin Pier

Teams must make their way to Lam Hin Pier to get their next clue.

Sam and Vince were glad to be ahead but their driver told them that their taxi just ran out of fuel. Not near any gas station, their driver was able to call in a friend so they could transfer taxis. Whew.

Finally, Geoff and Tish got to the ice factory but were clearly frustrated at their driver. They found the cube and their clue and were glad that their driver knew where their next destination is.

Ida and Tania finally arrived at Phuket and rushed to get their clue.

Floating Fisherman

At Lam Hin Pier, teams must ride a long-tail boat and look for a marked fisherman fishing in the middle of the sea. He will give them their next clue.

Sam and Vince arrived first and had no problems getting to the fisherman. They got their clue and were on their way to the next task.

Geoff and Tish got to the pier and went out to the sea. Geoff who seems not to be bothered losing their lead took his time taking the clue from the fisherman. Arrrghhh, stop horsing around.

DETOUR: Pull or Plunge

Teams must make their way via the long-tail boat to a nearby beach for a detour.

In Pull, teams must kayak to a nearby oyster farm and pull the oyster lines till they find the marked shell. They will exchange the shell for their next clue back at the beach.

In Plunge, teams must snorkel and search for a giant clamshell with a pearl inside and exchange it for the clue.

Sam and Vince chose Plunge. When they started doing the task, they found out that it’s hard to search the murky water along with the strong current so they decided to switch to Pull.

We’re Done

On their way to the beach, Geoff and Tish chose to do Pull since Tish is not good in swimming. Geoff was confident that they can catch up with Sam and Vince if they chose to do Pull since he thought they would have a hard time with the kayak. He’s pretty confident with their kayak skills.

When they got to the beach, they saw that Sam and Vince were still at the oyster farm. They quickly got to the kayak but realized that rowing it was harder than they thought. They were just going in circles and even flipped their kayak.

They gave up rowing for a while with Geoff’s temper flaring up. Geoff even mentioned that they’re done. Done with their relationship or done with the race? Either way, they just gave up. Sheesh.

Sam and Vince found the marked shell while Geoff and Tish are still stuck in their kayak. Geoff and Tish got dejected when they saw Sam and Vince heading back while they are still just sitting on their kayak.

Buried Treasure

Teams must get to nearby Rang Yai Beach and dig the sand for a buried treasure chest. They must then carry the chest towards the finish line.

Geoff and Tish eventually found the correct oyster shell and got their clue.

Ida and Tania knew that they were far behind so they just enjoyed the rest of the race. They efficiently did the ice task and then enjoyed the boat ride searching for the fisherman.

Sam and Vince had to do a lot of digging with their hands. The chest was buried deep in the sand and they had to clear lots of sand around it.

The editing crew made it look like that Geoff and Tish can still catch up. However, when they got to Rang Yai Beach, Sam and Vince are nowhere to be seen. Or are the buried treasure locations far apart from each other?  Anyway, both Geoff and Tish are still not in speaking terms and they just went on digging.

Ida and Tania did the Plunge task which I think is the easier one. They were goofing around while snorkeling with Tania even lifting up an anchor. They just laughed when they saw that the giant clamshell was placed in shallow waters so there’s no need for swimming.

Towards the Finish Line

Sam and Vince were able to dig the chest out first and carry it towards the finish line where the other eliminated teams are waiting.

When they step on the mat, Allan declared that they’re the official winners of The Amazing Race Asia 3. Congratulations guys! You did well overcoming your disadvantage at the start of the race. Too bad it’s at the expense of our team, hehehe.

Meanwhile, Geoff didn’t allow Tish to help with the chest and just carried it all by himself towards the finish line for second place. He didn’t even allow Tish to kiss him on the lips and just presented his cheek. It’s really sad to be second but we’re still proud of you guys! Who knew you’d go this far right?

Final showdown in Amazing Race Asia

The Amazing Race Asia heats up with every fan cheering for their favourites to win tomorrow.

Watching the penultimate leg of The Amazing Race Asia was bittersweet: sweet that Malaysian mums Tania and Ida (the heiress and the actress) were the first team to reach the pit stop and thus make it to the finale, and bitter because my personal favourites, Singaporean slackers AD and Fuzzie, floundered and literally gave up at the very last minute.

And, as if to add insult to injury, the obnoxious Filipinos (whom I hate more than cod liver oil – and that’s saying a lot) made it to the finale, too. Where is the justice?

Oh well, no point crying over spilt milk. Let’s just see what we can expect in the finale. After racing in 10 cities in six countries (Bangkok and Chiang Mai in Thailand; Ho Chi Minh city and Hue in Vietnam; Taipei, Taiwan; Hong Kong and Macau in China; Cochin and Pune in India; and Muscat in Oman) the three teams (Ida and Tania, Geoff and Tish and Sam and Vince) will battle it out in the final leg of the race which will end in Bangkok.

Let’s review the performances of all three and place our bets on who we think will win the race, starting with our very own anak Malaysia, Ida and Tania.

The city girls started the race shakily. They came in fifth and sixth in the first two legs of the race and though they did not seem hopeless or helpless, it was unclear whether or not they had it in them to make it much further.

It’s hard to pin point what their weaknesses are because, to be frank, they seem to have more strengths than weaknesses.

They are smart and make good decisions. They get along well with each other and the other contestants so there are no arguments to slow them down. They get into their tasks pretty easily and get them done fast too.

They also have quite a good sense of direction as they hardly ever get lost. They also have awfully good luck: the two legs they ended up last were predetermined non-elimination legs!

What could slow them down? Well, they don’t seem to be as competitive as some of the others ... there isn’t that urgency to get ahead of everyone else or to out manoeuvre the other teams.

Hopefully, in the last leg they will be more wily (not nasty or underhanded, though) and get the better of their rivals.

Moving on to team two: Geoff and Tish. What can I say? These two were dislikable from the get go. What’s so dislikable about them?

Geoff is obnoxious and Tish not only puts up with him but joins in. He is disparaging and rude to the taxi drivers and the various locals who hand them their clues (like last week, after counting the limes Geoff was sarcastic when the man in the souk was slow in handing him their next clue) and is even nasty to his girlfriend Tish.

Their strengths? Unfortunately, they are a pretty strong team. They’ve been consistent throughout the race: they’ve made it first twice and they’ve never been last.

Their weaknesses? Their constant bickering slows them down and well, they aren’t always the sharpest tools in the box – fancy thinking that Gandhi was born in 1977. Geez.

Finally, we have Sam and Vince. These two have also fared pretty well in the race so far. Even though they don’t really stand out, they’ve come in first twice and they’ve been second three times! They are quick and work well together.

However, Sam may be the weak link as he has the potential to give up when faced with uncomfortable situations: he was reluctant to get a tattoo and he gave up in last week’s roadblock. It was hard, no doubt, but what if he is faced with an equally tough task in the final. Is he going to give up again?

Also, they tend to form alliances (why they teamed up with the Filipinos is beyond me) and then not follow through. If you believe in karma, they may just get deep-sixed!

We can speculate and we can hope, but the only way you are going to find out who won is to tune in to the finale of The Amazing Race Asia 3 tomorrow on AXN (Astro channel 701) at 9pm.

Chan siblings are out but not down

Put your hands up if you were as shocked as I was when siblings Bernie and Henry Chan were eliminated from The Amazing Race Asia in episode eight, three weeks ago.

Try as we might to figure out what went wrong with them – were they fighting too much? Did they run out of steam? Couldn’t they have taken an earlier flight?– it was still a shame to see the two go. They were, after all, among the stronger teams on the race, having arrived first at the pit stop twice (Episodes Two and Three) and they seemed to have a good dynamic going.

“It was just one of those things. We actually arrived in Mumbai earlier than the other teams and were on the same connecting flight to Cochin but we were held up and we missed it. It was just bad luck,” explained Henry.

So, it wasn’t the bickering that slowed them down?

“Well, we were actually arguing with each other all along but I guess when they edited it, they played up (our arguments) on the last two episodes,” he said.

Naturally, the duo were gutted by their untimely elimination.

“It feels like being dumped. Really, it does. It’s like you had this amazing love affair and you were suddenly left high and dry. There was no closure.

“And once you are eliminated you are taken away (eliminated teams are sequestered in a secret location) and you don’t get to see the remaining teams. So we had two weeks of just being ‘locked away’ ... we really had post race blues,” recalled Bernie.

As sad as they were, the siblings reckon it was harder for their family and friends to watch and accept their elimination.

“My mum was very upset and my aunt was close to tears and the kids were devastated. Watching it over we were not really devastated because we had a long time to get over it. It seemed that everyone else took it harder. Even my hairdresser called me up!

“People were taking bets that we had won the race and we couldn’t say anything. We knew there were people rooting for us but we did not expect them to be so upset,” she said.

The duo have no regrets about the way they ran the race.

“I am very proud of Henry and myself and the way we ran the race. I am sorry if some were disappointed with us ... but that’s who we are. What you saw of us on TV ... that’s who we really are,” said Bernie.

“Yeah. It (the race) was really tough ... it’s 10 times harder than what you see on screen,” said Henry.

Bernie cited the hot weather in Hue, Vietnam.

“When we were looking for the pit stop at the Unesco World Heritage Site, it was 40°C and we all felt like fainting. Everyone had sunstroke and although it was so near (the end) it was really difficult,” explained Bernie.

They may not have made it to the end but the siblings have definitely gained a lot from being on the race.

“We had fun and we learnt that we have it in us to do anything,” she concluded.

The Amazing Race Asia 3 - Episode 10

Bhaja Caves

First task is for teams to travel by taxi to Bhaja Caves 60 km. out of Pune.

Sam and Vince left at 12 midnight and the last team, AD and Fuzzie, left almost 3 hours later. What I found funny here is that there are already taxis waiting outside the Pit Stop even at those hours.

When Sam and Vince got to the caves, they encountered an Hours of Operation for 7 AM so they decided to find a nearby motel to get some more rest. All teams looked for a place to rest as well with AD and Fuzzie being the unfortunate ones to find a room with no electricity and looked like a cell. At least they were able to catch up with the others.

In the morning, teams had no problems getting their next clue.

Mahatma Gandhi Born on 1977??

Teams must then travel by train back to Pune and locate the Statue of Mahatma Gandhi. They must take down notes from the statue then make their way to a nearby Standard Chartered ATM where they need to enter a PIN code to get their next clue. If they entered the wrong code, they have to take a 10-minute penalty to get their clue. Cool task I must say.

Everybody traveled in the same cramped train but Ida and Tania found the statue first which is near the station. When they arrived at the ATM, they found out that the PIN code is asking for the birthyear of Gandhi. They weren’t paying attention at the details on the statue so they just asked the locals for the answer. Fortunately, almost everyone knew the answer and they got their next clue.

AD and Fuzzie took a rickshaw and accidentally skipped the statue and headed straight to the ATM. Must’ve read the clue wrong but since they don’t want to go back, they just asked the locals for the answer and got their clue as well.

Geoff and Tisha and Sam and Vince got lost searching and had to go back near the station. They got their notes and went to the ATM. Sam and Vince got the correct answer and their clue.

When it’s time for Geoff and Tish to punch in the code, they entered 1977 which is the year the statue was inaugurated (correct me if I’m wrong). C’mon guys 1977? Trish would be older than him then. Ida and Tania had a good laugh at this booboo during their confession.

Going to Muscat, Oman

After India, teams must travel by plane to Muscat, Oman for their next clue. TARA didn’t show any scenes in the airport so I guess another bunching happened there. Good for Team Philippines.

All 4 teams arrived in Muscat in the evening and found their vehicles and their clue.

Al Alam Palace

Teams must then drive themselves to Al Alam Palace for their next clue.

Sam and Vince got a local to guide them there. Ida and Tania found a guide as well while Team Singapore and Team Philippines just relied on their map.

Ida and Tania managed to get to the palace first for their clue which is more driving but this time to Nizwah Fort.

AD and Fuzzie got lost but Geoff and Tish happened to be just behind them who are equally lost.

Sam and Vince got to the palace next and their guide offered to lead them to their next task as well. Lucky guys.

Clue Hunting at Nizwah Fort

Ida and Tania arrived at the fort first (late at night) but encountered another Hours of Operation for 7 AM. All teams bunched up again here but TARA didn’t show where they slept.

In the morning, they got their task which is to search the huge place for their next clue.

Vince and Sam found the clue box first with Ida and Tania close behind. When they read their clue, they realized that the place is littered with lots of clue boxes with only one box having the correct clues.

Ida and Tania found the correct box first and quickly went to their next task which is to drive to Mutrah Souq.

Sam and Vince found the correct clue next followed shortly by Geoff and Tisha. Outside, they decided to team up and split the taxi that will lead them to their next destination. Tisha is anticipating an intersection so the team up might be beneficial if there’s really one.

DETOUR: Carpet or Count It

In Mutrah Souq, teams must choose between Carpet or Count It.

For the Carpet task, teams must make their way to a nearby carpet shop where they will get a camera with a photo of an intricate carpet design. They must search the whole place for the carpet with the matching design.

In Count It, teams must get to a nearby novelty shop and count a sack of dry limes and get the correct number for their next clue.

I really hate counting tasks especially if there are more than a thousand things to count but the carpet one is not easy either. This is one tough detour.

Ida and Tania arrived first and chose to count.

Sam and Vince and Geoff and Tish chose count as well and talked about teaming up so they can compare answers. Uhhh, usually tasks like this involve different answers so there’s no point. Just a side note, Team Philippines came prepared with a calculator.

AD and Fuzzie caught up with the other teams counting as Ida and Tania got the wrong answer on their first attempt. Sam and Vince got their first try wrong as well.

Make Up Your Mind

When Geoff and Tish got their answer wrong, Geoff made a decision to switch to the Carpet task with Tish not totally agreeing.

Geoff gave themselves 20 minutes to finish the Carpet task. But instead of focusing with the task at hand, the two kept on bickering among themselves saying that switching was a mistake. After a few half-hearted searches, they gave up and went back to the Count task.

Ida and Tania are clearly fatigued on their third try counting. AD and Fuzzie got it wrong as well on their 1st try.

Sam and Vince finally nailed the correct number on their third attempt and left for their next task.

Geoff grumbled when Sam and Vince left them thinking of their supposed-to-be team-up. Anyway, when they got the same number as their 1st attempt, they decided to switch to the Carpet task again. Groan.

Ida and Tania finally managed to get it right on their 3rd attempt.

Back at the Carpet task, Geoff and Tish are still having trouble with the task after searching through dozens of carpets and it’s really affecting their temper. They gave up and went back to the Count task yet again! You guys are really killing yourselves.

AD and Fuzzie finally got the correct answer as Geoff and Tish just got started with their counting, feeling the pressure.

Team Philippines Doomed?

Next task is for teams to travel to Wadi Tanuf which is 2.5 hours south of Muscat.

Sam and Vince who were the first to leave the Detour kinda got lost. The locals weren’t much of a help either as they don’t know where exactly the place is. AD and Fuzzie are having trouble as well with their map is not being too detailed.

When Sam and Vince reached a rocky area, they really thought that they are lost but look who came up behind them, Ida and Tania! Sam was really happy to see another team and both decided to work together to find the place.

However, they still can’t figure out where the place is and look who managed to catch up with them? Geoff and Tish followed by AD and Fuzzie! The 4 teams are together again and Team Philippines are back in the race.

ROADBLOCK: Traverse Canyon

When the teams arrived at Wadi Tanuf, they encountered a Roadblock which requires a team member to traverse a canyon. Now exactly knowing how to do the task, Sam, Ida, Geoff and Fuzzie did the roadblock for their respective teams.

When they got to the canyon, they found out that they have to rappel horizontally on a zip line and get the clue on the other end then pull themselves back again.

Two teams can do the task at the same time so Sam and Ida went first. Both managed to get to the end without any problem, however pulling themselves back proved to be difficult for Sam who was stuck halfway.

Ida finished the roadblock ahead of Sam and got the next clue.

Pit Stop

The Pit Stop for this leg is just near the roadblock and when Ida and Tania checked in first, they were informed by Allan that they were the first of the final three teams. Good job girls! They also won $2500 each courtesy of Standard Chartered. Sweet!

Who Would Give Up First?

Geoff is up next and was clearly psyched to do the task. He quickly got the clue on the other end and made his way back lightning fast like a wild animal. They got their clue and checked in at the Pit Stop for 2nd place. Great job Geoff! You redeemed yourself.

Sam was really exhausted and helpless as he saw Geoff zipped pass by him. Vince kept on pushing him telling him not to give up. He must be thinking to himself that he should be the one doing the roadblock.

It’s time for Fuzzie to traverse the canyon. Uh oh, I wonder why AD didn’t insist on doing the roadblock.

Still stuck halfway, Sam chose to give up and take a 4-hour penalty to put themselves in a perfect spot where they could be eliminated.

When Fuzzie saw Sam gave up, she thought they were home free even if she finish the task in half an hour. However, on her way back, she can’t muster any strength to pull herself any more so she gave up as well effectively eliminating themselves and saving Sam and Vince.

Placement after the 10th leg:

1st - Ida and Tania ($2500 each)
2nd - Geoff and Tish
3rd - Sam and Vince
4th - AD and Fuzzie (eliminated)

RP couple is in the final leg of Amazing Race Asia 3

Dating couple Geoff Rodriguez and Tisha Silang of the Philippines made it to the final leg of Amazing Race Asia 3 after finishing second in tonight's episode. Tisha and Geoff will join Malaysia's Ida and Tania, who stepped on the mat first, and Hong Kong boys Vince and Sam, who came in third place, in the 11th and final leg.

The finale episode of Amazing Race Asia 3 will be aired next Thursday, November 20, in AXN.

Amazing Race Asia 3 is the third installment of the popular reality game show, which is actually a spin-off of the Emmy award-winning reality show Amazing Race. It is hosted by Singapore-based Chinese-American actor Allan Wu.

Geoff and Tisha now have the chance to become the first team from the Philippines to win Amazing Race Asia and the $100,000 cash prize. They will also have the chance to erase or at least duplicate the third-place finish of Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez last season.

Geoff and Tisha are actually good friends with Marc and Rovilson.

At the start of the 10th leg, Geoff and Tisha were in third place; behind the teams from Hong Kong and Malaysia. In fourth place was A.D. and Fuzzie of Singapore.

Geoff and Tisha were actually behind most of the 10th leg when they made some crucial errors. First was when they failed to answer correctly the year Mahatma Gandhi, India's major spiritual and political leader, was born (1869). Then, in Detour (a task that all teams must perform), both Geoff and Tisha had a hard time counting the exact number of nuts inside a sack.

Luckily, all teams got lost going to the Roadblock (a task that only one member of the team can pefrorm) in Muscat, Oman, so Geoff and Tisha arrived there the same time as the other teams. Geoff also finished the Roadblock easily that enabled them to came in second, behind the team from Malaysia.

The team from Singapore, which finished last, got eliminated.

Amazing Race Asia 3 started with ten teams from different Asian countries, including India, South Korea, and Thailand. After each leg, one team gets eliminated except for the pre-determined non-eimination legs.

Tisha was crowned Bb. Pilipinas-Universe in 1998 but resigned due to her Canadian citizenship. She also tried hosting before in some shows of GMA-7, including Mornings@GMA. Tisha also had a relationship with TV host Paolo Bediones.

Geoff, on the other hand, was a member of the all-male group Powerboys, which also included Jordan Herrera, Frank Garcia, Greg martin, and Jay Salas.

Team Philippines, take three

We haven’t had much luck in The Amazing Race Asia. In Season 1, Jeena & Ernie were the first team to be eliminated ever, with Aubrey & Jacqueline following closely at their heels as the second. In Season 2, Henry & Terri entertained us immensely with their real-life drama, but, after several strokes of extraordinary luck, they were booted out on the eight leg, with Marc & Rovilson almost making it at third place. But good news! Team Philippines is still in the running in Season 3 of The Amazing Race Asia—at least until tonight, when the final leg will air at 9pm on AXN.

The ninth out of 10 legs brought the remaining four teams—Geoff & Tisha (Team Philippines), Sam & Vince (Team Hong Kong), Ida & Tania (Team Malaysia) and A.D. & Fuzzie (Team Singapore)—to Pune, in West India. Geoff & Tisha had been leading the pack, despite not having any alliances with any of the other teams, but constant spats seem to have weighed them down a little, not to mention cost them a lot of fans. The rest of the teams don’t like them. As a matter of fact, in the TARA interviews of eliminated teams, nobody seems to be rooting for Team Philippines at all. It’s safe to say they’re no Marc & Rovilson in terms of likeability, and yet they’re not as fascinating as constantly-on-the-warpath-with-each-other Henry & Terri either.

Former Powerboy Geoff Rodriguez can be a pain—a trait he readily admits to—so it’s a good thing Tisha’s a couple of years older and knows how to handle his tantrums. Still, there’s no denying they still come on strong. And it’s still great to see them holding on to the Philippine flag—even if neither of them are Filipinos, strictly speaking.

The ninth leg was made interesting by a new marker: the U-Turn. Getting the U-Turn markers means the team would have to go back to the Detour task they chose not to do and complete it. In this leg, Geoff & Tisha chose to U-Turn A.D. & Fuzzie.

Geoff & Tisha themselves were close to getting the U-Turn from Ida & Tania, who, unfortunately for them, didn’t have their picture to post, thereby keeping them from doing so. It could be a good sign for Team Philippines—or it could be a trigger of the notorious Amazing Race karma that could hit them in tonight’s tenth and final leg.

I came across some interesting theories as to who will win in TARA 3. Based on the trends from previous seasons, it could be Sam & Vince or Geoff & Tisha. During TARA 2, Colin & Adrian appeared in a major Sony commercial before they came out as the official winners. Sam & Vince already have a full-length Sony TV ad out. However, Henry & Bernie (Team Malaysia 2), who were eliminated in the 8th leg, also came out with a Sony ad shortly afterwards.

There are several spoiler theories that point to Geoff & Tisha. First of all, the TARA 1 launch party was held in Malaysia, and Team Malaysia won. On the other hand, the TARA 2 launch party was held in Singapore, and Team Singapore won. The TARA 3 launch party was held in Makati, Philippines. Apart from that, rumors circulating in forums—you just have to love online forums—say that Geoff & Tisha appeared in a taped episode of local sports talk show Hard Ball with hosts Bill Velasco, Jinno Rufino and Boyet Sison. Jinno supposedly started congratulating Tisha before saying, “Ooops!” and the other hosts reprimanded him, with Bill reminding him of the non-disclosure clause.

I didn’t see that episode myself—as if there’d ever be a chance of me watching a sports show—so I don’t know how true that is. What I do know is that the non-disclosure agreement, when broken, comes with a $5 million penalty.

Whether or not the theories carry any weight, we really don’t have long to wait. Let’s see if the Philippine flag will be unfurled yet again on the way to the TARA finish line tonight. And let’s see if Team Philippines will finally finish first.

 

- Althea Lauren Ricardo, Philstar

Tisha Silang and Geoff Rodriguez: Race of their life

If you’ve been following the exciting last few episodes of “The Amazing Race Asia 3,” you know that real-life couple Tisha Silang and Geoff Rodriguez have had their share of arriving first in the pit stops.

In this exclusive chitchat with Super, the couple dishes out status quotes on the race that “has changed everything.”

On their relationship

Tisha: I think during the first couple of episodes, we were still trying to get used to racing together.

Geoff: I agree. As the race has gone on, we’ve learned so much more about each other.

T: Now that we’re near the end, we’ve put all the fighting out of the way.

G: Besides, it’s normal for relationships.

T: With dating, sometimes you don’t really get to know anything about the other person. This race has changed everything.

On the competition

T: All the teams are pretty much neck and neck at this point. And we don’t have an alliance with anybody.

G: You know, looking back, we knew we weren’t the most liked—we were likely to be yielded anytime.

On arriving first at the pit stop for the very first time

G: The word to describe that would be refreshing. See, we had a chance to place first in the first episode of the race and we gave it away. Placing first now was more rewarding. We were on a total high.

T: I was just relieved. It was kinda like a validation of—

G: —of our relationship.

T: That if we could just keep the bickering aside, we could do anything.

G: This whole thing was just great for us.

Be there on the finish line. Catch “TAR 3” on AXN every Thursday at 9 p.m.

 

- James Gabrillo, Philippine Daily Inquirer

The Amazing Race Asia 3 - Episode 9

Still in India

Teams started in Cochin and their first task is to go to Pune so they have to travel by plane back to Mumbai to get there. Then in Pune, they have to find the Jawaharlal Nehru Cricket Stadium for their next task.

The last team, Sam and Vince, left around 30 minutes after the first team and all of them met at the airport and got in the same flight to Mumbai.

From Mumbai to Pune

When they landed in Mumbai, all teams except for Ida and Tania went to the pre-paid taxi counter to get a taxi that will take them to Pune.

Not wanting to waste any time, Ida and Tania went outside to get a taxi of their own. Fortunately, they found a willing driver who knows where the stadium is and they were on their way ahead of the other teams.

Sam and Vince’s driver doesn’t know where the stadium is and was just following Geoff and Tisha’s taxi, who unfortunately doesn’t know the way either. Some blind leading the blind going on here. AD and Fuzzie’s cabbie also doesn’t know the way but they’re on their own.

Ida and Tania were the first to arrive at the cricket stadium.

Let’s Play Some Cricket

Next task is to play some cricket. They have to hit the ball with the cricket paddle onto some boards on the other end of the field. If they fail to hit the boards in 36 tries, they will have to wait for 10 minutes before they receive their next clue.

Ida and Tania suited up and started to play.

Let’s Not Get Ahead of Ourselves

Sam and Vince and Geoff and Tish are duking it out but unfortunately, their drivers still don’t know how to get to the stadium. While cruising around, they saw a TARA clue box so both teams hopped off their taxis and raced to get the clue.

I guess they got a hint from their cameraman that they’re at the wrong place because it turned out that the clue box that they saw is for a future task.

Anyway, they boarded a couple of auto-rickshaw to take them to the stadium.

Back at the Cricket Stadium

Ida and Tania had difficulties hitting the ball hard enough to reach the other end and eventually used up all their tries. They took the 10-minute penalty and while waiting, they saw Sam and Vince and Geoff and Tish arrive at the stadium. No sign of AD and Fuzzie yet.

Geoff’s problem is that he never play any sport (kinda hard to believe for an athletic looking guy) while Vince played a bit of softball.

Finally, Ida and Tania’s 10-minutes are up and they received their next clue. A few minutes later, Vince hit the ball hard enough and finished the task for their next clue.

Geoff and Tish are hopeless in any sport involving balls and they’re clearly having a hard time even just hitting them.

Meanwhile, AD and Fuzzie finally arrived as Geoff and Tish began their 10-minute wait.

Navigate with GPS

Teams’ next task is to use a Nokia 6210 Navigator to guide a rickshaw driver to their next destination which is at Shaniwar Wada (where S&V and G&T ended up before). Ida and Tania had no problem getting there well ahead of the other teams for their next task.

Meanwhile, AD was able to hit the ball towards the other end to finish the task while Geoff and Tish were still waiting. But they didn’t have to wait long enough to get their clue and managed to catch up with AD and Fuzzie outside the stadium.

ROADBLOCK: Pheta Finding

Next task is a roadblock where a team member must search the correct pheta (traditional headwear for Indian men) among 50 men walking around the Shaniwar Wada. Once they found a pheta with the word “correct” printed on it, the man will hand them the clue.

It’s kinda confusing since the men are walking around so you might end up looking at the same pheta again. There are only four correct phetas and the last team to get there would be at a slight disadvantage (1 out of 47 chance to get it right).

Anyway, Ida found a correct pheta and got their next clue before the other teams arrived.

Travelling in a Circle

Geoff and Tish admitted that they left their brain at the stadium when they did the navigation task. They didn’t know how to work the navigator and ended up following the direction towards their starting point, which is back to the stadium. Huge mistake and waste of time.

Sam and Vince arrived at Shaniwar Wada and Vince found a correct pheta in time. AD and Fuzzie arrived shortly after and Fuzzie finished the task before Geoff and Tish arrived.

Joke Time

The next task is for teams to travel by rickshaw to the Sony World showroom in Auda. They will each get a Sony HD cam and must go outside and record a person telling a joke. They must then return to the showroom and show the joke to a panel of judges who will decide if it’s funny enough for them to give the next clue. Not a good idea for task in my opinion.

Anyway, Ida and Tania got a joke quickly but it was soooo lame (”Two Sardarjis are playing chess.” That’s it.) that the judges did not approve of the joke. However, second try was funnier and the judges agreed and gave them their next clue.

Shortly after, Sam and Vince arrived and got a good joke on the first try that was promptly approved by the judges.

Meanwhile, Geoff and Tish finally arrived at the pheta place and Tish took some time before she got the correct one with a bit of help. The guy with the correct pheta was smiling at her.

DETOUR: Push or Crush

In Push, teams must go to a pottery shop and deliver 70 unbroken pots to a store in Mahatma Phule Mandai Market which is 1 km away using a cart.

In Crush, teams must go to the same market and must crush some sugarcanes and make them into juice to sell to bystanders. They must earn 200 rupees with a glass of juice costing 5 rupees each.

Ida and Tania chose Push while Sam and Vince chose Crush.

At this point, AD and Fuzzie had their first joke denied. 2nd one was bad as well and this allowed Geoff and Tish to catch up but got a poor joke on their first try. 3rd try was good for AD and Fuzzie but Geoff and Tish who were standing just behind them got their 2nd joke approved as well. Neck and neck for the 3rd and 4th team and both chose to do Crush.

Ida and Tania had a hard time maneuvering the cart while avoiding cars and potholes.

However, Sam and Vince had no problems crushing and selling sugarcane juice. They saw Ida and Tania pass by them going to their destination with 2 of their pots falling off their cart. Good thing they brought extra pots.

Sam and Vince were able to earn 200 rupees before the girls finished delivering their goods. When they got their clue, they saw that it featured a U-Turn.

The Dreaded U-Turn

For those of you who do not know, U-Turn’s only appear after a detour task. Any team can force another team behind them to take a U-Turn in which they have to do the other detour task before they can proceed.

Sam and Vince got to the U-Turn first but chose not to use it and went on to their next task. Actually, Sam thought of using it on Ida and Tania but Vince convinced him otherwise thinking that they might already be ahead of them. Uh oh, this doesn’t bode well for Geoff and Tish.

Twist of Fate

When Ida and Tania got to the U-Turn, they quickly thought of using it on Geoff and Tish who are battling it out with AD and Fuzzie. Then TARA paused for a commercial. Say goodbye to Team Philippines.

When TARA continued, Ida found out that they didn’t have their photo with them so they can’t use the U-Turn on anybody. Whew, close call for Geoff and Tish and nice use of a commercial.

Now whoever reaches the U-Turn next should automatically U-Turn the last team to gain some lead.

Pit Stop

Next task is for teams to make their way to the Pit Stop at Gokhale Institute.

Sam and Vince got there first and won a Nokia N96 each. Ida and Tania followed suit after a short while.

Who Will Get U-Turned?

AD and Fuzzie arrived at the sugarcane task before Geoff and Tish and they had the lead in terms of money earned. However, Fuzzie grew really tired and had to rest for a bit while Geoff and Tish are quickly gaining on them.

Eventually, Geoff and Tish managed to finish and get their clue first but AD and Fuzzie also finished shortly after. It’s a battle on who can get to the U-Turn box first.

AD and Fuzzie were hanging on to the thought of Ida and Tania U-Turning Geoff and Tish or else it’ll be over for them.

When Geoff and Tish arrived at the U-Turn box, they were really surprised that their photo was not posted. They quickly did what they had to do and U-Turned AD and Fuzzie.

When AD and Fuzzie arrived at the U-Turn, they got confused and thought that Geoff and Tish managed to get there before Ida and Tania. Already tired, they still went to the Push task and finished it.

When they got to the Pit Stop, they thought that it would be the end of the line for them but Allan announce that it was another non-elimination leg. However, they have to come in first on the next leg or suffer a time penalty.

Team placement after the 9th leg:

1st - Sam and Vince (Nokia N96 each)
2nd - Ida and Tania
3rd - Geoff and Tish
4th - AD and Fuzzie (not eliminated but have to check in 1st or get 30-minute penalty)