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.

The Amazing Race Asia 3 - Episode 6

Home Court Advantage

Sam and Vince had a very nice and comfortable lead from the last leg and to make it easier for them, the next destination is Hong Kong which is where they’re from. They know they had the advantage so they just took it easy as they head out.

The first available flight for them is the 10:35AM and they were the only team to get in it.

Next flight is the 12:30 PM and Henry and Bernie just barely made it. AD and Fuzzie who were just minutes behind them were not so lucky and had to settle with the next flight at 1:15PM with Geoff and Tisha.

Ida and Tania who were the last team to leave got the 2PM flight.

Rugby anyone?

Upon arrival at Hong Kong, teams must travel by taxi to King’s Park Sports Ground which is the home of Hong Kong’s Rugby Football team. They had to get pass by the rugby players to reach the clue box on the other side of the field.

Sam and Vince didn’t have any problem at all as the rugby players weren’t much of an obstacle.

Teams must then travel by taxi to Central in Hong Kong Island at the corner of Hollywood Rd and Peel St. to get their next clue. Good thing they asked their driver to wait for them.

DETOUR: Get Fishy or Get Lucky?

Next task is a detour. In Get Fishy, teams must clean and gut 15 fishes at a nearby seafood market. In Get Lucky, teams must make their way on foot to Wyndham St. where they will have to open 300 fortune cookies until they find the one that will lead them to their next clue.

Sam and Vince chose to get lucky.

What About the Other Teams?

Henry and Bernie had no problems with their rugby task and had a good lead between Team Philippines and Team Singapore.

Geoff and Tisha found a good driver which they called a “racer” because he’s waring a pair of racing gloves. When they reached the field, Geoff was pretty hyper while Tisha don’t know how to go about the task. Geoff shouted at her, “Just run! They won’t hurt you, you’re too beautiful.” Hehehe. They realized though that it was a mistake to let their “racer” driver go as AD and Fuzzie arrived.

AD and Fuzzie just walked heading to the clue box which was pretty funny with all those players running around them. What a lazy duo. Hehehe. Unfortunately for them, their taxi left so they had a hard time getting another one since most drivers don’t want to travel to Hong Kong island.

Something Smells Fishy

With Henry being a chef and Bernie having experience with cleaning fishes, they quickly chose to do the Get Fishy task. They said that they don’t want to deal with tasks that involves luck after their BluRay experience in the last leg.

At this point, Sam and Vince were still cracking fortune cookies until they found the right one with only 10 cookies left in the jar. They quickly got their next clue which was to travel by taxi to Central Pier. Board the Star Ferry to Tsim Shat Sui and

take a taxi again to the Ladies Market.

Confucius Says…

Geoff and Tisha chose to do the Get Lucky task and as they started going through the cookies, AD and Fuzzie arrived.

Team Philippines found the clue before AD and Fuzzie and even before Henry and Bernie were done with their task! Excellent! Being in a jolly mood, Geoff kept goofing around saying “Confucius says, you’ve been a bad boy!” in a Chinese accent.

AD and Fuzzie eventually found the correct cookie as Henry and Bernie were just finishing with their fish task.

As Vince and Sam were on their way to the Ladies Market, Sam joked that the Malaysian girls might stop at Central shops and Tsim Shat Sui shops thus making it hard for them to catch up. Bad Sam.

ROADBLOCK: Ladies Bag

At the Ladies Market, a roadblock awaits where one must choose a handbag hanging by the clue box. They must then search the entire market for a girl with the exact same bag which will have the next clue inside.

Sam chose to do the task but in retrospect, Vince said that he should be the one to do it instead since he’s much taller.

The Race Is On For Second Place

When Geoff and Tisha arrived at the Star Ferry, they were surprised to see Henry and Bernie just behind them. Still no chance of being friendly with the Pinoys, the two teams sat apart from each other inside the ferry.

AD and Fuzzie arrived just in time as the ferry’s about to leave and they sat beside Henry and Bernie who obviously are teaming up again. This move made Geoff and Tisha focus more and not rely on other teams. They know that they’re the odd team out among the remaining teams.

At this point, Sam finally found the bag at the end of the ladies market and got their next clue.
Pit Stop

Next destination is the Pit Stop at Blake Pier in Stanley Bay. Sam and Vince got there well ahead of the next three teams who just stepped off the ferry. For being first, they won a 3-day 2-night spa vacation at Santiburi Resort.

Race Continues at the Ladies Market

Even if Geoff and Tisha were the first to boardt a taxi from the ferry, it was Henry and Bernie who arrived first at the Ladies Market.

A few minutes later, AD and Fuzzie arrived followed shortly by Geoff and Tish. AD and Tisha chose to do the task for their respective team.

Bernie found the correct bag first well ahead of the other two girls. As they left for the Pit Stop, Henry nonchalantly mentioned to the camera that Bernie forgot to return the bag at the clue box. It’s not required though so Bernie got a free bag!

AD got her clue first before Tisha and this made Geoff kinda impatient. Fortunately, Tisha found hers shortly and they were able to catch up with AD and Fuzzie and beat them to a taxi. Hmmm, I think being pretty has its perks when hailing a cab.

What About Ida and Tania?

It was getting dark when Ida and Tania made their way to the Ladies Market. This is bad as the place tend to get crowded at night. Ida chose to do the detour quipping that Tania might have a hard time resisting going through each stalls with all those bags and trinkets around.

The placement of each team is pretty straightforward but Henry and Bernie beat the rush hour traffic giving them a bit of a lead from the 3rd team.

Good thing for Ida and Tania that this is one of the non-elimination round in the race! Yay! They had to surrender all their cash though.

Placement of each team after the 6th leg:

1st Sam and Vince (won another vacation for two)
2nd Henry and Bernie
3rd Geoff and Tisha
4th AD and Fuzzie
5th Ida and Tania (Non elimination round, surrender all money)

The Amazing Race Asia 3 - Episode 5

BluRay… Lot’s of Them

First task is to head to the Sony Style shop in New Sogo Department Store. There, teams must search from piles of BluRay discs and play them one by one till they got the disc that plays the correct clue. This is very hard since there are lots of piles and other teams can screw your system if you have one.

Ida and Tania were the first to arrive at the task but Sam and Vince found the correct disc first. They got the next clue which includes a Fast Forward and they went for it.

FAST FORWARD: Get tats!

Sam and Vince got to the Fast Forward and found out that they need to have a tattoo permanently inked on their body. It’s against Sam’s belief to have a tattoo on his body but decided to suck it up for the race.

Sam was thinking where he should put the tattoo and mentioned at the small of his back prompting Vince to reply, “That’s for girls!“.

Anyway, they got tattooed on their upper back and went on their way to the Pit Stop.

Pit Stop

The Pit Stop for this leg is the Taipei Astronomical Museum. Sam and Vince had no problems getting there and was awarded with a 3-day 2-nights vacation to Santiburi Resort on the Island of Koh Samui, Thailand for being first.

Back to the real race

Henry and Bernie found a taxi to lead them to the department store. AD and Fuzzie asked them to share the taxi fare again and Henry agreed. Mai and Oliver decided to follow the two teams from behind.

When they got to New Sogo, Ida and Tania were still going through the piles of discs. AD and Fuzzie got lucky with choosing a disc and found the correct one in just a short time.

They didn’t bother to look at the Fast Forward and just went on to the next task which is to drive to New Pingshi Coal Mine Museum located outside the city. They can’t hire a taxi this time since it will cost them at least 1,000 NT$.

Shortly after, Henry and Bernie found a disc with the clue leaving Ida and Tania and Mai and Oliver behind.

Geoff and Tisha finally left the Pit Stop and got to the department store and were able to catch up. At this point, Ida and Tania thought about asking the other teams to proceed to the next task and take the 4-hour penalty but they didn’t push through it.

Geoff’s plan is to check the discs for fingerprints and avoid those.

Ida and Tania are getting frustrated as other teams kept jumbling up the piles of disc that they’ve already finished.

ROADBLOCK: Can you dig it?

With a good sense of direction, Henry and Bernie were able to arrive at the coal museum first and was greeted by a roadblock.

In the roadblock, one must dig through coals from a mine cart in search of a souvenir. The souvenir is a big piece of silver Amazing Race coin but teams don’t know that.

Shortly after, AD and Fuzzie arrived as Henry started digging. Fuzzie performed the task for their team.

Back at Sony Style

Finally, Ida and Tania found the correct disc. And just after a few minutes, Geoff and Tisha found theirs leaving Mai and Oliver behind who contemplated on quitting the task.

Lover’s Quarrel

On their way to the coal mine, Team Philippines got lost with Tisha driving and Geoff asking for directions. This resulted in a lot of heated words between the two since they’ve been on the road for quite awhile and it’s getting dark.

Tisha quipped, “We’re so over after this.”

Ida and Tania however, used their charm again and asked a police officer to escort them.

It’s already dark when Henry found the coin after a lot of digging. They can’t shake off AD and Fuzzie though as Fuzzie found hers shortly after. The other teams have yet to arrive.

DETOUR: Pick or Pail

Teams must choose between Pick or Pail.

claw In Pick, they must drive to a nearby arcade and pick 3 stuffed toys from a claw vending machine. This is the arcade game were there are plush toys inside and you must operate a claw crane to grab them.

In Pail, teams must drive to a temple and carry a pail of water from the base to the top of the temple where a monk will give them their next clue. This is hard because aside from being heavy, there’s the risk of spilling the water. If the water is below a certain level when they reach the top, they have to go back and do it again.

Both teams chose Pick.

Meanwhile…

Ida and Tania finally arrived at the coal museum with Tania set to do the task.

After some more squabbling, Geoff and Tisha found a police officer that lead them to the coal task. By the time they got there, Tania has digged through the whole cart but somehow missed the coin.

At this point, Mai and Oliver are still at Sony Style and have gone through hundreds of discs but still no clue. Yikes! They should’ve went for the 4-hour penalty.
Back at the arcade

AD and Fuzzie found the arcade first and went on with the task. By the time they got the first toy, Henry and Bernie arrived.

AD and Fuzzie completed the task first and went on to the next task which is the Pit Stop.

Henry and Bernie finished after a short while and were counting on that AD and Fuzzie will get lost on the long ride back to Taipei City.

Aided by Henry’s excellent guidance (Bernie’s driving), they got to the pit stop ahead of AD and Fuzzie for 2nd place.

Closing time

At this point, Sony Style is closing so the attendant simply gave the next clue to Mai and Oliver who are still going through the discs. Hmmm, if the store closes at 8 PM, they’ve been there for almost 6 hours. I feel sorry for them.

They decided to hire a taxi to take them to the coal museum for 1000 NT$. But on their way, their taxi broke down. What a stroke of bad luck! Exhausted and defeated, the two just decided to sleep in their car and continue in the morning.

Team Philippines vs. Team Malaysia

Tania finally found the coin but won’t show Geoff what the souvenir looked like. This frustrated Geoff but on their way out, Ida and Tania hinted that he should use his hands. They went on to do the Pail task.

At last, Geoff found the coin and got a kiss from Tisha. They got a taxi to lead them to the Pick task which they finished quickly before Ida and Tania completed theirs.

They came in 4th at the Pit Stop where Geoff exclaimed that it is the best day during the race so far. Looks like he and Tish are in good terms again.

In the morning, Allan went over to Mai and Oliver’s car, woke them up and said that they’re the last team and are eliminated.

Placement of each team after the 5th leg:

1st Sam and Vince (vacation for two)
2nd Henry and Bernie
3rd AD and Fuzzie
4th Geoff and Tisha
5th Ida and Tania
6th Oliver and Mai (eliminated)

The Amazing Race Asia 3 - Episode 4

Not a 24-hour Airport

From Hue, Vietnam, teams must fly to Taipei, Taiwan and drive to the Red Pavillion for their clue. Teams left for the airport at around 2 AM but it opens at 6 AM so everybody started on equal footing.

Ida and Tania didn’t want to sleep outside the dark airport like the others so they chose to check in a nearby hotel. Anyway, everybody was still able to board the same plane to Taipei via Ho Chi Minh first thing in the morning.

Driving in Taipei

Everybody got to their car without any problems save for Niroo and Kapil who are somehow not familiar with its advance features.

Sam and Vince knows Mandarin so they were able to ask for directions easily and got to the clue first. Niroo and Kapil went into the wrong lane thus missing the exit. Geoff and Tisha were able to find a local to lead them to the clue.

DETOUR: Shoot or Shape

tangram Their next task is a detour. In Shoot, teams must drive to the miniature museum and look for a tiny clue placed within miniature settings on display and shoot it with a camera. In Shape, they have to drive to the night market to form 4 specific shapes using tangrams, an old chinese puzzle.

Everybody chose to do “Shoot” but most had trouble finding the museum. Henry and Bernie were stopped by a police for an illegal U-turn.

Mai and Oliver found the museum first by taking in a local passenger to guide them.

Car Problems

Niroo and Kapil can’t seem to remove the keys from the ignition so they can’t leave the car easily. One must be left behind with the car while the other asks for direction. Funny thing happened when Kapil tried to stop a car to get in thinking it was Niroo driving. Turned out to be a wrong car.

Blessing In Disguise

AD and Fuzzie, when asking for direction were mistakenly informed by the locals that the museum is already closed so they had no choice but to do “Shape.” It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as they finished the task way before the others.

Back at the Museum

All the teams caught up at the museum except for Niroo and Kapil who were still lost and AD and Fuzzie who were on to the next task. Everybody had a hard time looking for the clue.

Eventually, Oliver found it first but did not reveal the location to the other teams.

However, when Sam finally found the clue, he had a Eureka moment and accidentally shouted it out. Everybody heard him and they all gather to take a shot of the clue.

Niroo and Kapil are getting frustrated at their car to the point that they want to quit and head back home without finishing. After the commercial, they found the museum and were allowed to leave the keys in the car while they do their task.

Braille Power

The teams’ next task is to drive to the Institute for the Blind and learn Braille. One member is blindfolded to feel the Braille dots. He must then dictate the Braille code to his partner who will decipher the message using a Braille code guide. It’s kinda tricky if you and your partner don’t have a strategy on how to communicate the Braille dots.

AD and Fuzzie got lost again so it was Mai and Oliver who were the first to arrive at the institute. They didn’t encounter any problems and were able to finish even before the others arrived.

Next task is to drive to Shenkeng and find a restaurant for their next clue. They hired a taxi to lead the way to Shenkeng.

Next to arrive at the institute were Ida and Tania followed by Henry and Bernie then Sam and Vince.

Sam and Vince finished promptly and they got the clue with the USD20,000 check to give to the institute.

Geoff and Tisha finally arrived and were able to finish the task ahead of the two Malaysian teams. Go Pinoys!! Henry is getting a bit frustrated at Bernie as Ida and Tania finally finished their task leaving them behind.

Still no sign of AD and Fuzzie.

Drive to Shenkeng

Here’s where it gets weird. Mai and Oliver were clearly ahead but Ida and Tania managed to catch up with them with their own taxi guide. Mai and Oliver’s taxi was so slow and even managed to miss the exit so they had to turn back.

Ida and Tania eventually arrived first at the next task which is a roadblock.

ROADBLOCK: Stinky Tofu

In this roadblock, one of the team members must eat a large bowl of stinky tofu. It looked really ordinary but it’s really disgusting. According to Wikipedia, “it consists of tofu, which has been marinated in a brine made from fermented milk, vegetables, and meat for as long as several months”.

Ida who loves tofu can’t help but to tear up while eating. Looked like she’s being tortured.

Mai and Oliver finally arrived followed by Sam and Vince. As expected, Oliver was the one who did the task. Even he had trouble with his food but kept his tough image.

Ida kept throwing up. I guess she won’t eat tofu for a very long time after that.

Vince had no problem eating disgusting food prompting Mai to exclaim, “Are you a monster or something?”. Sam replied, “We Chinese eat almost anything”.

No sign of Geoff and Tisha yet.

Back at the Institute for the Blind

AD and Fuzzie finally arrived and so does Niroo and Kapil. They managed to catch up with Henry and Bernie who eventually finished the task. AD and Fuzzie finished right after them. Both teams teamed up and hired a taxi to lead them to ShenKeng.

Geoff and Tisha managed to get lost and had to ask the local police to lead them to the restaurant in Shenkeng.

Ida finally finished her food and they were still ahead of the others onto the next task which is the Pit Stop.

A few minutes later, Oliver finished his food followed shortly by Vince even before the rest of the teams arrived.

Pit Stop

The next pit stop is at the Taipei City Hall Square.

Ida and Tania charmed their way on having a police escort and got to the Pit Stop first where they each won a Nokia N96 phone. Sam and Vince managed to arrive before Mai and Oliver with the help of a local who they smuggled into their car.
Meanwhile…

Henry and Bernie and AD and Fuzzie finally arrived at the restaurant. Still no sign of Geoff and Tisha. Yikes!

Henry didn’t have any problem eating the stinky tofu even if AD kept on belching as she eats. Henry made some funny remarks during this time. They’re becoming my favorite team this season. They finished their food almost at the same time.

Finally, the Philippine team! Tisha did the stinky task with nose clips. Man, they seem to be well prepared on this race. She finished her food even before the last team arrived.

When Niroo and Kapil arrived, they didn’t bother doing the task and opted for the 4-hour penalty at the Pit Stop. Bleh.

Placement of each team after the 4th leg:

1st Ida and Tania (Nokia N96 phones each)
2nd Sam and Vince
3rd Mai and Oliver
4th Henry and Bernie
5th AD and Fuzzie
6th Geoff and Tisha
7th Niroo and Kapil (eliminated)

The Amazing Race Asia 3 - Episode 3

Are you kidding me? A 25-hour Bus Ride?

Henry and Bernie head out first at 5 AM. The first task is to travel to the city of Hue by bus. When they arrived at the bus station, they couldn’t believe that it would take around 25 hours to get there. Not only that, the buses are not the luxurious type and they will be traveling with boxes and sacks of goods so it’s gonna be a bit cramped.

Here’s how the distribution of buses went:

Bus 1 had Henry and Bernie and Niroo and Kapil. Niroo thought it’s going to take only 1 and a half hours since TARA let them ride on such buses. Not only that, they encountered a flat tire and had to wait for awhile on the side of the road allowing Bus 2 to pass them.

Bus 2 is an air-conditioned one with three teams on board. Sam and Vince, AD and Fuzzie and Geoff and Tisha.

Bus 3 is also air-conditioned with only Ida and Tania as the team on it.

Bus 4 had Mai and Oliver and the Beauty Queens. Not only were they last but they also encountered a flat tire as well.

Finally Arrived at Hue!

After an uncomfortable bus ride, Bus 1 managed to arrive first followed by Bus 3 at around 6 AM. Henry and Bernie got to the clue box first. The teams must walk on foot towards the local Caltex service facility which opens at 9:30 AM. This allowed the other teams to catch up except for those in the last bus.

They could’ve caught up but they got lost looking for the service center. The 4 Thailanders headed onto the wrong direction before they found out that the service center is just near the clue box.

Automobile Maintenance

At the service center, teams must choose a jeep where they must put on some tires and change the oil. I thought all-girl team would have some difficulties here but Ida and Tania and AD and Fuzzie didn’t seem to have any problem.

As usual, Mai’s role is to just hand over the tools to Oliver who knows his way with cars. Pailin however has to do most of the work as Natalie doesn’t even want to help lift the tires. Anybody here thinks that Oliver and Pailin should be the one to team up?

Sam and Vince finished first followed by Niroo and Kapil. Henry and Bernie went third and the beauty queens were the last to finish.

Let’s Ride Them Jeeps

Teams must then ride their jeep along with the driver to Khai Dinh Tomb to find the next clue.

Henry and Bernie were unlucky with their jeep when it broke down and they had to push for it to start.

Anyway, Niroo and Kapil were the first to get to the tomb with the other teams arriving shortly.

ROADBLOCK: Coin Collecting

In this roadblock, a racer must ride the jeep again to a nearby ancient grounds. Once there, he must search the grounds for 7 different coins each representing an emperor and bring it back for the next clue. This will allow the other team member to rest for awhile in the shade.

Niroo, Vince, Henry, Ida, AD, Geoff, Oliver and Natalie head out for the roadblock while their other halves rested nearby. This was the time when the teams confronted Tisha about Geoff saying that he was being mean or rude to them. Poor Tisha.

The coins were laid out on stone benches with a brief story about the emperor. Niroo was the first to collect all coins and went back. He got the next clue which is to arrange the coins in the order of the reign of the emperor it represents.

Henry and Vince however, didn’t take any chances as they wrote the info on each emperor. Same goes with AD and Geoff. Going back, Henry’s jeep won’t start so he had to push it again. Good thing Bernie didn’t do the roadblock.

As the teams arrived back at the tomb, Niroo was begging the others to help him out but everyone is busy with their task. Henry was the first to arrange the coins in the correct order and got the next clue. He gave his notes to Vince who was having a bit of trouble. He said it’s a sign of gratitude to Vince for lending him his pen. You’re a good guy Henry.

At this point, Niroo rode his jeep again back at the ancient grounds to take down notes. AD finished the task next and gave her coins in the correct order to Ida. Vince finally got his coins right but didn’t bother to mess the order up prompting Sam to say that they’re not a happy family.

DETOUR: Sticks or Stalks?

The next task is a detour where teams must choose whether to create 10 incense sticks by rolling the sticks thinly on some clay (takes skill and patience), or thresh a bunch of rice stalks (hard work under the sun).

Henry and Bernie got to the incense making task first followed shortly by the others who also chose “stick”. Geoff doesn’t have the patience for the task after a few tries so they switched to “stalks”.

Back at the Detour Task

Back at the tomb, Natalie had to go back to the ancient grounds to get the correct order while Pailin waits patiently. Oliver finally got his coins right as Niroo just got back from taking notes.
Bad Jeep

Henry and Bernie finished the stick task first and went to the next task where they had to ride their jeep again to Quoc Hoc Park to search for the next clue.

When they got to their jeep, they saw the hood open with their driver trying to fix it. This cost them time as Sam and Vince were able to finish their sticks and went past by them. When they finally managed to get it to start, AD and Fuzzie and Ida and Tania also just finished their task.

Sorry Pailin

At this point, Natalie just got back to the tomb but still can’t arrange the coins correctly even after going back to the ancient grounds to jot down notes. Niroo finished the task as Natalie went to a corner and sulked.

She finally decided not to complete the task and just take the 4-hour penalty when they reach the Pit Stop. When she got the next clue, Pailin was ecstatic only to find out that Natalie didn’t complete the task. What a letdown for Pailin who can’t do anything about it anymore.

Can’t Find the Clue

When the teams arrived at Quoc Hoc Park, they scattered to find the clue. They were looking for a clue box not knowing that the clues are on some cyclos parked near the entrance.

Sam and Vince were the first to saw where the clues are but the others quickly noticed them.

Cycling to the Pit Stop

cyclo Their next task is to ride a cyclo to the Pit Stop at Hue Citadel. A cyclo is some sort of reversed trike where the passengers seats at the front and the driver pedals from behind. It’s pretty hard to maneuver and some teams didn’t know how to use the brakes.

Geoff’s temper flared up as they try to maneuver the cyclo. Luckily for Tisha she’s already used to his temper.

Henry bumped a vehicle along the road and their cyclo flipped over. Good thing Bernie was alright. They quickly gathered their belongings and went on their way.

After a bit of argument on how to handle the cyclo, Fuzzie sat down really tired and wanting to give up.

Vince was having a hard time too and lashed out on Sam who just let him be and allowed him cool down a bit. Good for them.

At the Pit Stop

Nothing dramatic here. Henry and Bernie arrived first again and won themselves a Sony HD cam each. Sam and Vince were a close second followed shortly by Ida and Tania.

Expectedly, Pailin and Natalie were the last team to arrive and were eliminated.

Position of each team after the 2nd leg:

1st Henry and Bernie (won 2 Sony HD cam)
2nd Sam and Vince
3rd Ida and Tania
4th AD and Fuzzie
5th Geoff and Tisha (still 5th)
6th Mai and Oliver
7th Niroo and Kapil
8th Pailin and Natalie (eliminated)

The Amazing Race Asia 3 - Episode 2

Flight of the Gibbon

Their first task is to travel to the village of Mae Kompong and do the Flight of the Gibbon Treetop Adventure where they will ride zip lines over the rainforest.

Mai and Oliver found a willing passerby to let them stay in her house for the night thinking that the venue won’t open till morning. Geoff and Tisha and Henry and Bernie took their time going there as well.

The rest of the teams who left at around midnight headed straight to the Flight of the Gibbon immediately. Sam and Vince got there first and was able to get the first slot! It seems that the task can only be done by one team at a time. Oops too bad for Mai and Oliver.

In the morning, the first team to finish the task was Sam and Vince followed by AD and Fuzzie then by Ida and Tania who were onto the next task. Expectedly, Mai and Oliver finished last.
ROADBLOCK: Paintball

Next task is to go to a banana plantation to search for a backpack somewhere which has the clues in it. However, they have to avoid getting hit by paintball snipers hidden in the area or else they have to go back to the starting point.

Even though Sam and Vince finished the previous task first, they were unlucky with their taxi driver who got lost. Same with AD and Fuzzie and the rest who just followed the lead taxi. Geoff and Tisha got a good driver and they were the first to arrive at the plantation with a comfortable lead.

Geoff who was in a good mood for being first set off to the plantation in search for the backpack. Problem with being first is that all snipers are focused on you so he wasn’t able to get past them and quickly lost their lead… and his cool.

Guess who arrived second? Mai and Oliver!

Anyway, the rest of the team finally arrived and the first to finish was Ida with a nice lead from the others. She was followed by Fuzzie despite being a big target. Mai finished 3rd and Bernie was 4th who was bruised badly by a paintball. Guess who finished last? Sam and Vince!

Going to Vietnam

Next task is to go to the Saigon Opera House in Ho Chi Minh City for their next clue.

Ida and Tania arrived at the airport first and were able to secure the first earliest flight to Vietnam via Bangkok before other teams could arrive.

Next fastest flight is via Siem Reap, Cambodia. Henry/Bernie, AD/Fuzzie, Geoff/Tisha, Niroo/Kapil and Sam/Vince boarded that flight.

Even though Mai and Oliver arrived at the airport early, they weren’t aware of the plane to Cambodia. They got a ticket to Vietnam via Bangkok but it will leave Bangkok in the morning. Fortunately for them, they were joined by the Beauty Queens and the Koreans.

Ida and Tania arrived in Ho Chi Minh early in the evening well ahead of the others and promptly find their next clue.

Let’s Play a Video Game

Their next task is to go to Saigon Pho Cafe and play a Nokie space racing game called System Rush. Each member must complete a level to get their next clue.

No problem for Ida and Tania who got their clue even before the second batch of teams landed in Vietnam.

Where’s The Flower Vendor?

Teams must then make their way to Ben Thanh Market where they will get their next clue from a flower vendor.

Since it was already late, Ida and Tania were informed by the locals at the market that the flower stall opens at 7 AM so they just called it a night and check in into a hotel.

Second Batch Has Finally Arrived

The next batch of teams finally landed at Ho Chi Minh City. Only AD and Fuzzie had problems locating the Saigon Opera House so they were left behind by the others.

Vince and Sam had no problems with their video game. Tisha and Bernie had a bit of difficulty with theirs while their male counterparts just waited unable to do anything.

Henry or Geoff?

Here’s the difference between the two during the task. While Tisha is having troubles completing the game, Geoff kept on goading her to the point that Tisha is getting annoyed.

Henry however, just allowed Bernie to concentrate even though it’s frustrating him every time Bernie had to start all over again. Henry was kinda amusing as he made funny faces at the camera out of frustration.

Anyway, Geoff and Tisha finished ahead of  Henry and Bernie. When they got to the market, they saw the Hours of Operation sign on the flower stall that actually opens at 6 AM!

Not good for Ida and Tania. Sam and Vince somehow missed the sign as well.

Meanwhile, Back in Bangkok

The Koreans and the Thailanders are stuck in Bangkok waiting for their flight to Vietnam at 9 AM in the morning. Only Pailin and Natalie chose to stay at the airport where Natalie broke down crying not able to bear the thought of her sleeping inside an airport.

It’s A Brand New Day

At 6 AM, the first teams to get the clue and leave for the next task were Geoff and Tisha, Niroo and Kapil and AD and Fuzzie. So far so good for the Pinoys.

They’re to travel to Cai Be Bus Terminal where they will get their next clue.

DETOUR: Sampan or Some Walk

Next task is a detour. In Sampan, teams must fill a boat with fruits and transport it to a fruit vendor via the river. In Some Walk, teams must find a chicken coop and capture 20 chickens to put into baskets. They must then carry the baskets and deliver them to a nearby market.

Rowing is tricky and very hard but Geoff and Tisha, AD and Fuzzie still chose to do it. Tania has phobia handling chickens so they chose to row as well.

Niroo and Kapil chose to capture chickens and so does Henry and Bernie who found the chicken coop first.

Meanwhile, Sam and Vince got kicked out of their bus on their way to Cai Be. They lost some time walking on the road until they were able to hitch a ride.

Hard Headed Geoff

Geoff and Tisha had difficulties loading the baskets of fruits on the boat and Geoff was clearly exasperated at the situation. When they finally finished loading the fruits, he’s finding it hard to control the boat with the oars. Out of frustration, he smashed a fruit (was it a watermelon) onto his head and broke it open.

AD and Fuzzie and Ida and Tania were not having fun as well and they decided to switch and do the chicken task instead. Geoff and Tisha followed suit. Sam and Vince were able to catch up as well at this time.

Chicken Run

The chicken task is no cakewalk either. Bernie had a hard time carrying the baskets on her back. Getting lost on their way to the market vendor did not help the tension between her partner either. Same goes with Niroo who was not physically fit to carry a heavy load in such a distance.

Anyway, Henry and Bernie were the first to finish the detour and got their next clue. By this time, you could see that the teams are really, really tired.

Time For A Bit Of Charity

Unfortunately, it’s not yet the Pit Stop. Instead, they must travel back to Ho Chi Minh City by bus to this church with a long, weird name where Red Cross volunteers are waiting. Each volunteer represents a charitable organization and teams were given $500 each to buy things needed for the charity.

Back at Chicken Task

Back in Cai Be, Geoff took Ida and Tania’s chicken baskets by mistake. Or was it intentional since Ida’s baskets were full of small chickens? Anyway, Ida chased Geoff and he had to go back to switch baskets. Tisha was really tired at this point and Geoff was getting impatient.

Sam and Vince were able to catch up with Niroo and Kapil so they left for the next task at the same time.

Ida and Tania and AD and Fuzzie boarded the same van leaving Geoff and Tisha behind.

Whistleblower

When Geoff and Tisha arrived at the bus terminal, Geoff kept blowing his whistle looking for a driver. Tisha who was already tired wasn’t in the mood to argue anymore and just let Geoff do his thing.

Last Three Teams to Vietnam

Nothing special to report here. The beauty queens were the last to finish the video game. On their way to Cai Be, Natalie broke down again. It seems that she can’t bear being dirty and wants to quit the race. She called being dirty the lowest form of existence.

A Friend in Need

Back at the church with the long, weird name; Henry for some reason suddenly broke down crying as they were just about to leave for their charity. He said that its because of the stress and that he’s really tired.

Anyway, they bought a couple of sacks of rice and some food for their charity and got their next clue well ahead of the others.

Pit Stop

Yup! Finally it’s the pit stop where teams must make their way to the Museum of Vietnamese History for a well-deserved rest.

Henry and Bernie arrived first and won themselves a year’s supply of petrol from Caltex. Good job guys! You deserved to be first!

So What Did The Others Bought For Their Charity?

Sam and Vince raided a supermarket and bought groceries. AD and Fuzzie had it easy just buying a keyboard (piano) with their money. Geoff and Tisha, did some more heavy lifting to add to their frustration as they had to buy baskets of vegetables. The Indians also bought some groceries. Ditto for Ida and Tania.

And The Last Three Teams?

All three teams went to do the chicken task since it’s too late and dark for rowing. As usual, Oliver did all the work gathering the chickens while Mai just stood there crying and made a good job being practically useless.

Same goes with Isaac who can’t bear handling chickens. They were left behind by the other teams considering that they should breeze through the task for being fit for heavy lifting. Got beaten by three girls and a guy.

Poor Volunteers

Pity the volunteers for having to wait all evening for the last three teams. Anyway, Mai and Oliver just bough a laptop with their money. Pailin and Natalie simply gave the money to the head of their chosen charity.

Lagging behind, the Koreans still had to buy some groceries and arrived at the Pit Stop last and were eliminated.

Position of each team after the 2nd leg:

1st Henry and Bernie (won a year’s supply of petrol from Caltex)
2nd AD and Fuzzie
3rd Sam and Vince
4th Niroo and Kapil
5th Geoff and Tisha
6th Ida and Tania
7th Pailin and Natalie
8th Mai and Oliver
9th Isaac and William (eliminated)

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.