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)

The Amazing Race Asia 3 - Episode 8

Back to Macau Tower

Still in Macau, first task is for teams to head out and make their way to St. Paul Ruins.

Geoff and Tish left at around 4 AM followed by Sam and Vince a few minutes later.

At St. Paul Ruins, they got their next clue which is to go back to Macau Tower. Yup, whatever task you’re thinking that they’re gonna do there, you’re probably right.

When Geoff and Tisha arrived at the Macau Tower, they were greeted by an Hours of Operation for 8 AM. There goes the lead. The two teams had 3 hours to kill so they decided to get some rest by the entrance.

AD and Fuzzie and Henry and Bernie left the pit stop about an hour after the first two teams and they were able to catch up with them before the tower opened.

Henry commented on Sam’s new haircut given to him by Tania. Sam replied, “I look like you now.” Hehehe.

Ida and Tania left at around 8 AM so the other teams proceed to get their next clue when the tower opened. Ida and Tania just hoped that the tower will open at 10 AM (regular operating hours) but clearly that’s not the case.

ROADBLOCK: Bungy Jumping

Team’s next task is for one member to bungy jump off bungy jump off Macau Tower, which is the highest commercial bungy jump. Yep, TARA won’t let them leave Macau without doing the jump.

Geoff quickly chose Tish to do this task and Sam did it for their team. AD volunteered to do the roadblock while Henry had a hard time talking Bernie into doing the jump in which she eventually agreed.

The task is pretty straightforward and Tish finished it without any problems.

A Chopper Ride

Being first to finish the roadblock, Geoff and Tish found out that a helicopter will take them back to Hong Kong for their next task. The next task by the way is to head to MASKargo Cargo Terminal and search for a package with their name on it.

While they ride a chopper, other teams have to take the ferry back. Both Geoff and Tish were elated with their fortune and the lead that they’ll get from their chopper ride which only takes about 15 minutes.

“This is how you get to Hong Kong in style”, quipped Geoff when they landed.

A Ferry Ride

Sam finished the jump and they quickly made their way to the ferry. They missed the ferry by 3 minutes and not seeing Geoff and Tish around, they thought the Filipinos were able to board it. Still, they got into the 9 AM ferry before other teams showed up.

AD finished her jump without making any noise and so does Bernie. Henry felt bad talking Bernie into doing the roadblock and just told her that she did it with more style and finesse than Tisha. Hmmm.

Both teams were able to board the 9:30 AM ferry.

Ida and Tania got into a ferry about an hour later.

Enjoying First Place

Well ahead of the other teams, Geoff and Tisha quickly got to the cargo terminal and found their package with a letter each from their family. After shedding a little bit of tears, they went on to their next task even before other teams arrived.

Going to India

Next task is for teams to make their way to a temple that I failed to jot down in Cochin, India. They have to enter the temple grounds for a good luck blessing and their next clue. When Geoff and Tish got to the airport, they were fortunate enough to get a cancellation seat on a flight that’s just about to leave. Wow, lady luck must be smiling on them that day.

Teary Moments

When Sam and Vince got their letter, Sam got a bit emotional reading his letter from his parents. They left before teams 3 and 4 even arrived. When they reached the cargo terminal, Henry and Bernie felt the pressure being in 4th place and they were arguing on how to go about searching the terminal for their package. AD and Fuzzie were also searching for their package at that time and they found theirs first before Henry and Bernie. During their confessional, AD kept teasing Fuzzie that she cried but Fuzzie insisted that her voice just broke. Hehehe. After a few minutes, Henry and Bernie found their letters and got teary-eyed as well reading them. They left the place before Ida and Tania arrived.

Bunching at The Airport

Sam and Vince had a few hours to kill before their Cathay Pacific flight will leave for Singapore then to Mumbai. From Mumbai, they’ll have to make a connecting flight to Cochin. They saw Henry and Bernie and asked them to team up and take the same flight as theirs. Meanwhile, AD and Fuzzie found a flight straight to Mumbai then Cochin via Air India. They were joined by Ida and Tania who managed to catch up. Let’s see whose flight can take the remaining teams to Cochin first.

At Cochin, India

Geoff and Tish arrived at the temple in the evening at around 10:30 PM. However, they were greeted by another Hours of Operation for 6 AM so they decided to check into a nearby hotel to get some sleep. When Sam and Vince and Henry and Bernie arrived at Mumbai, they failed to make the connecting flight to Cochin. It was already late in the evening so they had to rush to a domestic airport to look for another flight. Ida and Tania and AD and Fuzzie managed to get to Cochin at around 4 AM. With two hours to spare, they just decided to camp outside the temple. This bodes well for Ida and Tania who caught up with 1st place. Ida was jealous at Tisha though when they showed up before 6 well-rested and clean. The three teams got their good luck blessing and proceeded onto their next task.

Elephant Bath Time

Teams must make their way to the elephant washing ground in Kumablam where they have to wash an elephant using dried coconut shells. Geoff and Tisha’s taxi (they asked to be fetched at 6 am in the morning) was waiting for them outside the temple grounds while Ida and Tania’s taxi was late. When their taxi arrived, they asked the driver to call for another one for AD and Fuzzie. How kind of them. However, Geoff and Tish went back to the hotel to ask for directions but they are still confident that they’re ahead. Ida and Tania’s driver however knows the way to the elephant and he got them there first. They quickly finished cleaning the elephant and got their next clue. Geoff and Tisha arrived at the washing ground and were clearly surprised to see Ida and Tania heading off to the opposite direction. They can’t believe that they got there first and finished so fast.

DETOUR: Fish or Fill

In Fish, teams must make their way to a nearby pier and deliver 6 fishes to a seafood restaurant by foot. In Fill, teams must complete an intricate geometric design by filling it with colored rice. Ida and Tania chose to do “Fill”. When Geoff and Tish finished washing the elephant, they chose “Fish”. Seems like they have no patience for little things and chose to rely on their physical strength and stamina. AD and Fuzzie expectedly, chose “Fill” as well. They said that they want to avoid physical and smelly tasks if possible. Meanwhile, Sam and Vince and Henry and Bernie just arrived at the temple and quickly finished their task. They were still toe to toe finishing the elephant task but had to part ways afterwards when Sam and Vince chose to do “Fish” and Henry and Bernie went with the more cultural task.
Race for First

Ida and Tania’s motorcab had to stop for petrol going to the “Fill” task while Geoff and Tisha arrived at their “Fish” task first. The Pinoys were surprised to find out how big the fishes were (looks like swordfish). They can only carry one each so they have to make three trips. Anyway, they still finished the task before Ida and Tania were done with their rice fill task which they did without any problems. On to the next task.

Pit Stop

Next task is for teams to get to Bolgatty Palace which is the pit stop for this race.

Geoff and Tisha’s taxi had the advantage over Ida and Tania who were only riding a motorcab. Even after all those Hours of Operation encounters, Team Philippines prevailed again and won themselves a trip for 2 to Hong Kong with $1000 to spend. Way to go guys! You did it again!

Ida and Tania being second on this leg had to wait for 30 minutes before they can check in.

AD and Fuzzie who were not far behind were able to check in before Ida and Tania’s 30 minutes were up for 2nd place.

But after a short while, Allan motioned Ida and Tania to come to the mat and announced that they are back in the race in 3rd place. Yay for Ida and Tania!
The Latecomers

Meanwhile at the “Fish” task, Vince sense the urgency of their position and manned up carrying two fishes at once while Sam carries one. This allowed them to finish the task in just two trips.

Henry and Bernie can’t do anything to make their task faster so they just did the best that they can. Unfortunately, it’s not enough as Sam and Vince managed to get the 4th place and they got the boot instead.

Here’s the placement of each team after the 8th leg:

1st Geoff and Tisha (Trip for 2 to Hong Kong with $1000)
2nd AD and Fuzzie
3rd Ida and Tania
4th Sam and Vince
5th Henry and Bernie (eliminated)

AXN to launch 3rd season of Amazing Race Asia on 11 Sept

Mumbai, India: The third season of the adventure-based reality show The Amazing Race Asia 3 is set to kick off on AXN on 11 September. The show will air every Thursday at 10 pm.

As has been the case in the past, 10 teams linked by a relationship, will travel to various locations across Asia and the winner gets $100,000.

AXN, Animax India senior VP, business head Rohit Bhandari notes that this time there are two Indian teams – a father son duo and an ex air-hostess and her cousin. “What makes this edition exciting is that the tasks are more difficult. We are pushing the event as being ‘The Toughest Race Ever’.

The fatigue level was so high that even one of the production crewmembers was hospitalised. There are shorter rest periods while a faster pace between challenges thrown to teams at a more intense speed.

Bhandari says that the USP of this show is that it takes viewers across different locations. “Other reality shows tend to be studio based and are song and dance talent shows. To do well on The Amazing Race Asia, one requires physical stamina and mental agility. So, to win this race is harder than most other reality competitions. It takes a lot more character. We also look for character among participants. From India we got around 550 entries, this time compared with around 460 for the previous edition. Across Asia we got around 5000 entries. The participants must have the ability to generate excitement for our viewers.”

The other contestants include two teams each from Thailand, Malaysia and India, and one team each from Singapore, Philippines and Hong Kong.

Malaysia and Singapore had won the first two seasons respectively.

Bhandari adds that the show will turn in a profit this year. The partners for the show, which include hotels, will help defray production costs to an extent. Maskargo, which is the air cargo division of Malaysia Airlines, is one of the partners as well as an advertiser. The other companies that have come in as sponsors are Nokia, Standard Chartered Bank, Caltex, Singha Beer, Sony Electronics and Sony HD World.

Bhandari says that products are integrated into the show. For instance, participants use a Nokia phone to navigate their way to the next location. Mascargo is used to transport equipment while Caltex is used in a Go Kart Challenge.

Bhandari rules out the possibility of doing an Amazing Race in India. That is because it would get repetitious after the second season, as one would have to keep visiting the same locations.

“We are, however, looking at possibly doing an adventure reality show sometime around the festive season. We are also to take a decision on whether we would air the show or just do it as an on ground activity to bring the AXN experience closer to fans. Things like the cost factor and how fast we can possibly air the show on television also come into the equation. Our aim going forward is to look at new concepts instead of merely going back to things that have been done before like Guinness World Records,” Bhandari quips.

Niroo and Kapil

Life is about taking chances and sometimes, having to learn fast when thrown into the deep end. For father and son team Niroo and Kapil Asrani, the latter cannot be more true, or literal.

As a child, Kapil wanted to learn how to swim and his father did it the only way he knew how, by picking up his son and tossing him into the pool. "The way my dad had thrown me into the swimming pool in order to teach me how to swim, it communicates a lot about the person he is," recalls Kapil with affection.

The good news is, Kapil managed to learn and the success fostered a great father and son relationship that has since grown beyond the familial, to that of friendship. In fact, one glance at Niroo and Kapil would conjure the image of two friends hanging out, despite the fact that the elder man, currently enjoying his time as an actor, is all of 53 years old.

At 25, Kapil is less than half his father's age, but the HR executive has the same level, if not more of the enthusiasm towards the race.

One of the reasons Kapil wanted to take part, aside from seeing the world in the race format, is to bond more with his father. This probably explains why the duo has yet to plan on race strategies and would rather run the race one step at a time.

Explains Kapil, "Our strategy is to go by gut feeling and take each thing as it comes. If you are prepared for anything, everything comes easy." And Daddy concurs on this point. "We do not like to copy. We will cross the river when we reach there."

When it comes to challenges, Kapil has no problem with Dad taking control, because he is used to it, but not in the way you think. Outside of the family, the duo is also part of the same acting company, where Niroo serves as actor cum director, with his son as one of the actors. Notes Kapil, "Although we share a father-son relationship, we are more like friends. That's rare to see in such a relationship."

This act of following the father stems from the fact that on the one occasion Kapil never listened and allowed his overconfidence to take over, his actions "messed up a show", says Niroo. Those days are gone and Kapil has grown into his own as an actor, and his proudest moment as a father and director was when Kapil won accolades during a performance directed by Niroo.

Despite having a short fuse, Kapil is looking to keep cool under pressure. His strengths, he says, is to enjoy even a stressful situation, depend on his communication skills and rely the ability to think on his feet.

Balancing him will be Niroo, who despite his recent acting foray, is an engineer by trade. "My engineering background, my analytical skills, & my sense of direction are my true strengths," he notes. And if they win, the duo is also looking at the prize money to expand their theatre group. "We will utilise this money in building a theatre stage which I want to build in the name of my mentor," say Niroo.

Neena and Amit

If one half of this team can "betray" even family to get what he wants, what chance do the other teams have? Take Amit Rai, 27, for instance. One thing he has never forgiven his cousin, Neena Rai, 24, who used to be an air hostess, for is never introducing him to any of her model and air stewardess friends. So rather than rely on family help, he took matters into his own hands.

"I stole her mobile phone and took down all the numbers of her model friends, and called them up as a model-coordinator," quips the media and real estate consultant. Now, whether he got lucky with those numbers is another thing, as his only goal now is to represent India and if he wins The Amazing Race Asia, make Indians everywhere proud of his achievements.

But he adds, "The prize money is very tempting too." And while his cousin is thrilled to experience the rush of the race, the reality TV fan also hopes that the increased profile of being on The Amazing Race Asia will boost her modeling and art career.

Having known each other all their lives, and having spent the better half of that time seeing the better and worse of each other, the duo believe they are ready for whatever the competition throws at them. In fact, watching them together, it seems they too have a need to outdo each other, and are behaving more like siblings than first cousins. They say, "We have gone though life, education and stress together and we have this bond."

But with family, there is always the drama to expect. Summing it up, Neena explains, "We both are poles apart in everything but still get along like a house on fire. We both are melodramatic people as well. While my reaction to a particular situation could be loud, his reaction to calm me down is even louder."

However, there are elements that only she can bring to the team, such as her vast airport hopping experience during her time as a flight attendant. Her game plan is to have other teams underestimate her. "I intend not show my competitive side to the other racers and let everyone think I am all beauty and no brains," she professes.
One thing she would have to master is her patience though. "I am very impatient and tend to think negatively. And God help me with my punctuality." She also has to deal with a cousin who more often than not, prefers to give up on things.

"He deliberately starts giving up or loses a winning game because he is either annoyed or impatient," she says.  As for Amit, he credits Neena for getting him hooked on the show and intends to play the role of the underdog, and of course, work on his impatience. "I intend to show the other team that we guys are good for nothing and then like tortoise win the race, slow and steady."

His intent is to stay chilled out, calm and focused, while having fun. "I can handle stress and people who are under stress," he says.