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

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

Amazing Race Asia Season 3 on AXN

HONG KONG - AXN on Friday launched the third season of "Amazing Race Asia" in Hong Kong, counting on local relevance to compel Asian viewers to watch, said Jack Lim, vp advertising sales and marketing at parent Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Shot in Asia and Europe, the series featured contestants from Hong Kong, Thailand, India, Korea, Singapore and the Philippines. The Asian promotional tour of Season 3 began in Hong Kong, after Bangkok, the original starting point, was ruled out because of political turmoil in the Thai capital.

"The performance of (boxing reality series) 'Contender Asia' and previous seasons of 'Amazing Race Asia' has surpassed expectations," Lim told The Hollywood Reporter.

Ratings in Asian markets for these two shows were higher than the ratings for the original U.S. versions when they were shown in Asia, "proving that original programming is the way forward for the network," he said.

In addition to running on AXN, the two previous seasons of "Amazing Race Asia" were syndicated to China, Malaysia and New Zealand. "Contender Asia" also has a broad appeal outside Asia in Sweden and Australia, Lim said.

Apart from adapting for Asia "Contender" and "Amazing Race" for AXN, SPE has been producing local content, including the animated TV movie "LaMB" for Animax.

Francesca and Sandy

Still in the early stages of their relationship, Sandy and Francesca (living in Hong Kong) are taking the brave step of entering The Amazing Race Asia, hoping to discover how well it will stand up to pressure. This attractive couple (he's a personal trainer, she's a model) have more than just good looks, and hopefully their perseverance and refusal to ever quit will stand them in good stead.

Sandy and Francesca make a very attractive couple. Both living in Hong Kong, Francesca is a model, while Sandy works as a personal trainer. Both are in good shape physically and are very personable and have an interesting relationship.

Having only been a dating couple for a few months, taking on the challenge of The Amazing Race Asia is a very brave step for them!

They have known each other for about a year, although when they met for the first time at an event, they merely became friends. It was only later on that they got together romantically, an arrangement that had been going on for about four months when the opportunity arose to take part in The Amazing Race Asia.

It takes a couple with great strength and fortitude to want to subject their fledgling relationship to that sort of pressure, and the fact that they both decided to take part in the Race is a testament to their courage. Certainly, they recognise that their relationship is still in its early stages.

"Our relationship is still very fiery. It has its ups and downs," says Sandy. "Most of the time, it's good. No, I'd say it's great".

"But it's much more stable now than it was at the beginning," says Francesca.