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.

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.

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

Geoff, Tisha top Amazing Race Asia 3 HK-Macau leg

Filipino racers Geoff Rodriguez and Tisha Silang emerged the winners of the Hong Kong to Macau leg of the "Amazing Race Asia 3" after a road detour allowed them to overtake race leaders Sam Wu and Vince Chung.

Geoff and Tisha, who started second in the race, were close on the heels of the boys from Hong Kong who always managed to stay one step ahead of them. Making the race even more difficult were the other teams A.D. Chan and Fuzzie Sirajudin from Singapore, siblings Bernie and Henry Chan from Malaysia and Ida Nerina and Tania Khan, also from Malaysia.

The 26-year-old Geoff, however, made a tactical decision during a detour in Macau where they were asked to choose between Dance or Chance. In Dance, the two players had to learn and complete a lion dance to receive their next clue. In Chance, the team had to win nine hands of blackjack in a casino against a professional dealer to receive the clue.

Geoff wisely chose the Dance challenge but not without some difficulty. At one point, he even slipped and fell on the wet pavement as he tried to learn the difficult lion dance.

In the end, Team Philippines was able to finish their task ahead of Sam and Vince who had to finish their nine winning hands of blackjack. The slight time difference allowed the Filipinos to race to A-ma Cultural Village and complete one final task -- to complete the correct sequence of the Chinese Zodiac -- and on to the pit stop for the win.

For winning the Hong Kong-Macau leg, the two each won a 40-inch Sony Bravia and a Sony Playstation 3.

Over-the-top reality

Manila, Philippines - Reality shows rarely appeal to me, for on the whole I find them boring (that’s why we watch TV entertainment shows, after all, to escape from our boring “real” lives). But I make exceptions of shows that are over-the-top in concept and execution, involving high-strung folk engaged in endless intrigue and drama.

An old favorite and perennial Emmy award winner is “Amazing Race,” but lately, especially after its second season, I’ve found that the “Asian” version holds more appeal. Apart from the fact that there are Filipino racers, thereby hiking up the interest factor, I find it refreshing to “see” the world, or at least the destinations where the racers are assigned, through Asian eyes. One of the things which riled me while watching the original US version was watching racers, most of whom come from the United States, encounter the Third World and pass judgment on the people, places, scents and food they were meeting for the first time. It struck me as simply astonishing that in this globalized world, some folk could still be so sheltered and parochial as to be gobsmacked by poverty, squalor, flies, near-naked children and unfamiliar food. Why join The Amazing Race if not to see the world and all its splendors?

With many of its racers themselves coming from the Third World—save maybe for Japanese, Singaporeans and Koreans—The Amazing Race Asia (TARA) shows a more harmonious meeting between the racers and the places they are visiting. There is less “exoticizing” of poverty and less condescension from the racers, though this isn’t always the case.

During the inaugural episode of the third season of TARA, the first challenge was to find a food stall in a public market in Bangkok and there each team was expected to finish a bowl filled with, uhhmm, exotic ingredients, like fried beetles, locusts and assorted insects. I thought that since the racers were all Asian, or married to Asians, or living in Asia, everyone would find this challenge a piece of cake. Asians, after all, are known for “eating everything,” and possessing iron stomachs.

But I guess the younger generation has truly been “Westernized” not just in dress and manner but in their diet as well, as many teams couldn’t seem to get around to biting into the crisp shells and wriggly antennae and, once ingested, keep them down.

My own children, who are both young adults, couldn’t help exclaiming “yeecchh!” with each mouthful of critters. When I told them how much I loved eating camaru, the field locusts that are caught in nets spread over rice fields and then prepared adobo-style, they looked at me like I was Hannibal Lecter.

Another sort of “culture clash” surfaced in the next challenge which involved teams cleaning up dirty tourist buses. A team from Malaysia, composed of an actress and a “socialite-heiress,” was particularly annoying. At one point, the socialite was mopping the bus with a vengeance and uttering under her breath: “My maid would be so proud of me!” Noblesse oblige, indeed.

It’s a point of pride among Filipino viewers that the Philippine team, former beauty queen Tisha Silang and her boyfriend Geoff Rodriguez, placed second at the end of the episode after a well-fought race that they played with integrity. This, after the local team in the last season: Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez, consistently ended up in first place in every episode (though they finished third overall) in the last season, winning over new fans.

This year’s version is said to be the most grueling race ever, and I for one look forward to many exciting shows and amusing confrontations.

New Zealand boy and Canadian girl are RP’s bet in TARA

Though most couples strive for harmony believing that it ultimately makes for a good foundation to a solid relationship, there are those who think otherwise.

Geoff Rodriguez and Tisha Silang, after three blissful years of being together, are eager to rock the boat and test their relationship. And they’re doing it on international television.

The couple is among nine others in The Amazing Race Asia, or TARA.

“Tisha and I have had a sound relationship, from the time we have met. And now we are testing that by entering the race”, the 26-year-old Rodriguez confirms.

Silang, 32, admits too much of unanimity is a cause of concern for both of them.

“We never really fight. The past three years was just a great big ball. By joining the race we’d get to know more of each other.”

The couple says their relationship is a classic example of “opposite attracts.”

”Nobody would have thought that we would end up dating. We have very different personalities but [we] have managed to make it work so far,” notes Silang.

”Hopefully, this will continue during the race”, Geoff adds smiling.

This is the second time that the couple has auditioned for the show. The couple missed the deadline the first time. They almost missed the deadline for this season too.

“We were in such a rush to submit the video. I can’t say we did anything really spectacular”, Silang discloses. Some find it ironic that the two are to represent the Philippines.

Silang is a Canadian by citizenship, which 10 years ago caused her to give up her title as Bb. Pilipinas-Universe.

Geoff Rodriguez (whose real name is Geoff Briz) is from New Zealand who came to Manila a decade ago to seek opportunities in modeling. He is now an occasional actor and model, but mostly a fixture in social events that require model types.

The Amazing Race Asia, is apparently not keen on citizenships among its participants. There is. [Other non-Asians representing an Asian country in the race like Silang and Briz (we mean Rodirguez), like Natalie Glebova, representing Thailand, and Vince Chung, representing Hong Kong. Sam Wu, Chung’s partner, is originally from Singapore .

According to Rodriguez, another big reason they joined the contest is to “counter the loss of the team from the Philippines in the previous season”.

Last season, the team from the Philippines placed third. Australian Marc Nelson (who has been living in the Philippines for years) and buddy Rovilson Fernandez nearly topped the race but bogged down in the last task.

“Our plan is simple—we will just have fun. What I offer this team is unpredictability—that’ll keep the others guessing”, Rodriguez shares.

Silang counters, “Yeah, and I will be the one who will keep him from making a fool of himself.”

Allan Wu returns to hosting duties, as he guides teams along their adventure to reach the finishing mat to take home the $100,000 prize.

Tisha, Geoff join Amazing Race Asia 3

Couple Tisha Silang and Geoff Rodriguez is the Philippines' representative in the next season of Amazing Race Asia.

Tisha was crowned in 1998 as Binibining Pilipinas Universe but resigned because of her Canadian citizenship. Geoff meanwhile is a model and actor who was a member of defunct male group "Powerboys."

What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers

Tisha also had a past relationship with Survivor Philippines' host Paolo Bediones.

Lovers Tisha and Geoff are two of the 10 brand new contenders in Amazing Race Asia 3 who will vie for the US$100,000 prize.

The two have been a couple for three and a half years. In their short biography in the official website of Amazing Race 3, the two described their relationship as "the classic definition of opposites attract."

"We have very different personalities but we have managed to make it work so far," Tisha said.

This would be the second time the couple auditioned for the show.

The two said they are pressured not only because they will be competing with other brawny players from different Asian countries but also because of the stint of Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez during the Season 2 of Amazing Race Asia where the two finished third-overall.

"We have huge shoes to fill after the stint that Marc and Rovilson pulled off," Geoff said.

The two expect more intense and tougher challenges in this latest season but they said their love and determination will guide them through the obstacles.

This season brings together the usual siblings, father and son team, cousins, and lovers.

The Amazing Race Asia 3 premieres this September exclusively on AXN.

Geoff and Tisha

You can call this her second chance. A technicality led to her resignation as Miss Philippines Universe 10 years ago and Tisha Silang is making sure that history does not repeat itself.

In 1998, Tisha won the Miss Philippines Universe crown but had to give it up because of her Canadian citizenship. While that win has remained the proudest moment of her life, she's hoping that taking part in The Amazing Race Asia will trump that.

Joining her is her boyfriend of three and a half years, Geoff, and by all accounts, participating, much less winning the race will be an uphill battle says the couple. For one thing, their relationship is the classic definition of opposites attract.

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

Quips Geoff on the first time they were introduced by a mutual friend," I was interested in Tisha for obvious reasons. And Tisha wasn't interested, for obvious reasons."

This is also the second time that the couple has auditioned for the show and the couple almost missed the deadline too. "We were in such a rush to submit the video I can't say we did anything really spectacular," Tisha admits.
The last and most important reason against them has to do with their horrible track record when it comes to traveling.

While on vacation in Boracay, the couple missed not once, two but three consecutive flights back home to Manila. And by that time, they were broke as well. Tisha says with a laugh, "And now we want to race together...should be interesting." Fingers are crossed but hopefully, the two won't be making the same mistake again, especially on the show.

"Missing a flight, I think that is the most embarrassing thing you can do while traveling," admits Geoff. But rather than to lay blame, the couple made the best of their situation. "Tisha was shooting for FHM and we were supposed to be there only for the weekend. By then we had spent all out money in re-booking and extension fees. But time flies when you're in love and having a ball."

And the other reason for wanting to be in the race is of course, to counter the loss of Team Philippines from the previous season, jokes Geoff. Marc and Rovilson came in third in the last show. He says, "We have huge shoes to fill after the stint that Marc and Rovilson pulled off."

Nonetheless, the couple is certain that they will bring to the race the love and respect that has been the foundation of their relationship. Geoff says, "Tisha and I have had a sound relationship, from the time we have met. And now we are testing our relationship, by entering the race."

Marc and Rovilson

No Amazing Race show can be without its hunk factor and that is where Marc and Rovilson from the Philippines come in. This is one team with the two flamboyant individuals, who dish out a mixture of comedy and ego with a ton of sass. Both TV hosts by day, Rovilson also works as a magazine editor while Marc is a model, whose face, and rather well toned body, has graced the cover of many magazines.

From the get-go, the combination of Marc and Rovilson, is a potent mixture that cannot be taken seriously. Otherwise, you will miss out on the constant ribbing dished out by the friends of four years, as they lovingly slam each other with put down and insults, all in the name of friendship.

Even before the race, Rovilson is very sure that his Aussie buddy will do something disappointing during the competition while Marc is deathly afraid that his American friend will show his true nature in the competition, which happens to be constantly late for everything.

"But I've learned to accept him as a friend, even with his faults. Plus, I tell him to turn up an hour before he actually needs to be there," Marc quips.

At the same time, Rovilson happily describes his friend as someone who lets his female co-host do all the dirty work on television, and also hosts beauty pageants for a living.
Such is the basis of a friendship that started with a mutual friend 4 years ago, which showed both men that they were not that different, as both love a good laugh, and share an equally wicked sense of humor. So what exactly is the biggest difference between them both?

As Marc puts it with a straight face, "I've got hair."

Marc is looking forward to the joy of hamming it up with his buddy on screen, and challenging themselves to win. In fact, this is his main reason for competing on the show. "We are the most competitive when we are giving each other a hard time," he points out, subtly revealing that it is not purely about the fun and games when it comes to the top prize.

So, given their sharp wit, outgoing personality and an ability to dish out as well as they can take, who is the better TV host between the two of them? A laughing Marc believes he has that title in the bag. Pointing to his partner, "Even if I have to lug your lazy fat arse all over television, people will get to see who the best TV host is."

A sly Rovilson counters, "As long as you promise not to bring your stunt double." And Rovilson makes this promise to viewers of the show, "We promise you the most animated, exciting, lovable, huggable and most fun team on The Amazing Race Asia."