Category: amazing race asia 3

The elimination of Jess & Lani, who left smiling and with class, in spite of being hated by two of the three remaining teams for no apparent reason, brought us down to the final three teams. Richard & Richard have been at the top of the pack all season. This is theirs to lose, but stranger things have happened on the race. Natasha & Hussein have appeared moderately competent in the last two legs, but they are the luckiest team in the history of the race, having run most of the race in second to last place only to be saved by dumb luck every time, be it producer incompetence giving one team a broken car or an extra long leg with a fake pit stop so that even being quitters with a 4 hour penalty did not harm them. Michelle & Claire really impressed me early on, with their ability to eat 275 chicken balls when everybody else could barely eat 100. I really haven’t seen much out of them since then, however, although they have been very consistent, placing third in most of the legs.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived.

First: Natasha & Hussein – 1:00PM
Second: Richard & Richard – 1:10PM
Third: Michelle & Claire – 1:13PM

Teams will now fly to Singapore, the home country for Michelle & Claire and also birthplace of Hussein. The Richards make a call from the cab to make travel arrangements, but as close as all the teams are, I don’t think it really matters. The first two teams to arrive get tickets on the first flight out, and the waitlisted Michelle & Claire later do as well, so all three teams depart on the same flight as expected, on their way to the international airport.

Natasha & Hussein have booked a flight directly to Singapore, which gives them half an hour to make their connection. That’s cutting it tight for any international flight, but at least they don’t have to deal with the TSA. The Richards had standby for this same flight but instead opted for the safe bet, which would put them in 4 hours later. Michelle & Claire hope that begging will get them on the first flight. It doesn’t.

First flight (arriving at midnight): Natasha & Hussein
Second flight (arriving at 4AM): Richard & Richard
Third flight (arriving at 10:25AM): Michelle & Claire

Their first destination is Cavenagh Bridge, where they will be greeted by traditional lion dancers. At some point we will hit an hours of operation. That point is not now.

From the bridge, they are going to Red House Seafood Restaurant, where they will have to extract 1kg of chilli crab. At least they don’t have to eat anything. The restaurant opens at 10AM. Based on the Richards taking 2.5 hours to get to the restaurant, we can surmise that Michelle & Claire will now be 3 hours behind the first two teams. They pretty much have no chance. Even if one team takes a 4 hour penalty at some point, that still puts them in second at best. This is why the Richards made the smart move of booking that sure flight 4 hours after the first one because they knew there was no way they were going to miss the flight and end up in dead last, while also realizing that there would be an hours of operation to make up the 4 hours.

I’ve been wondering where Caltex was. Teams will now go to one of four Caltex stations and get in the marked vintage car. If the car is no longer there, it has been taken by another team, so they must try another station. Obviously, this will as a result get more difficult for the trailing teams.

Although they finished the challenge first, the Richards failed to spot the closest taxi, which Natasha & Hussein managed to get as a result. This means that the closest service station car goes to them. Richard & Richard will have to try again. Of course, being in last, Michelle & Claire are probably going to see multiple attempts.

The detour is a choice between stay up and add up. In stay up, teams must ride a simulated wave for a total of 2 minutes. In add up, they will go on a reverse bungee, and while flying through the air, they will have 10 seconds to add up a series of numbers that have been provided to them just before launch.

Stay up: Natasha & Hussein, Michelle & Claire
Add up: Richard & Richard

With Natasha & Hussein racking up less than a second of time at a time, this detour may take them a while. Hussein would rather switch, but Natasha wants to stay put, not wanting to do the bungee. After a bunch of tries, they are finally getting the hang of things, with runs of 9 and 12 seconds, putting them at the halfway mark. Michelle & Claire are continuing to trail, and it doesn’t appear anything will stop that. Claire decides she sucks, so she just lets Michelle go for it because she seems to be getting it.

One of the Richards doesn’t like bungee jumping either, but this can’t be worse than what they went through in New Zealand (the bungee freefall that was actually slower than the far less scary swing on the other side). This task seems a lot easier if they can overcome it. Although the numbers are not overly simple, they do add up to less than 250. They get the first two numbers but forget the final one. Their second try, with different numbers, is correct, although they are shaken up by this rough ride. This was definitely the easier detour for teams with basic math skills who could stomach it.

Now’s their chance to perform some magic. At Saint James Powerstation, they will have 2 minutes to unlock their handcuffs, while performing an illusion taught by top Singapore illusionists. Richard & Richard fail once. Then twice. Natasha & Hussein arrive, so now the teams will rotate turns. Their first attempt is a failure. The Richards make it on their third try.

The road block is a tightrope walk 55 stories above the ground, from tower 1 to tower 2 of the Marina Bay Sands hotel and back.

Road block (in order of arrival): Richard, Hussein, Michelle

Richard really doesn’t seem to have any trouble with this. Earlier in the season, Hussein was unable to do a ropes course that was much lower and much shorter in distance, ultimately quitting and opting for the other detour instead. This time, he’s not even going to try. He’ll take the 4 hour penalty. Really? On the final leg of the race, you’re taking a 4 hour penalty? This is why this team should not be in the finals. His argument is simple: they’re going to finish second anyway, so why bother trying? Natasha begs him to at least try. Hearing this, he decides to at least hear the instructor out, but once he gets on the rope, it’s back to quitting again. As much grief as Natasha gives her father, he’s doing this road block because she wouldn’t. On their way to the road block, Michelle & Claire get very emotional about being so far behind everybody else, but they’re about to find out they are in second place. No possible way either team can catch the Richards, but at least there is now a battle for second. With a chance to overtake the second place position, Michelle’s able to get across without too much trouble.

The final challenge is a multiple choice quiz about the race, with questions such as the name of a church and the name of the rice war, plus race specific questions such as the fifth team to be eliminated.

The finish line is SkyPark Observation Deck at Marina Bay Sands. In one of the most predictable final standings ever, we already know how this is going to turn out, so the producers aren’t even going to try to edit it to fake us out. The Amazing Race 4 winners and $100,000 richer are Richard Hardin and Richard Herrera. After their airline struggles, Michelle & Claire recovered to place second. In third place, having quit a road block for the second time this race, are Natasha & Hussein. Jess & Lani so should have been there instead (or Ethan & Khairie or Su & Dimple).

The Amazing Race Asia season 3 ended at the end of 2008, and the delay since that time has left people wondering whether the fourth season would actually happen.

Wonder no more. AXN Asia has posted an application for The Amazing Race Asia 4. The application process runs through March 22, 2010.

Filming is set for some time between May and July. With that timeline, I’m assuming that it will air around the same time as the last one (September-November), but no details will be released until later this year.

Having ambled their way through the race, AD & Fuzzie were finally eliminated in The Amazing Race Asia 3 Episode 10. That leaves us with a final three of Geoff Rodriguez & Tisha Silang from the Philippines, Ida Nerina & Tania Khan from Malaysia, and Sam Wu & Vince Chung from Hong Kong.

Vince & Sam have had an excellent run, placing in the top three in 8 of the last 9 legs, although they did have a couple close calls (the bad flight where Henry & Bernie were eliminated instead, and the 4 hour penalty last time). Geoff & Tisha were a middle of the road team that didn’t really come on strong until the last half of the season, where they’ve proved to be one of the top teams. Ida & Tania have had a mixed run, including being saved by non-elimination legs twice following a 7 hour gap the leaders opened up on them. All three teams have had their share of success, splitting all of the last 7 first place finishes between them.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived.

First: Ida & Tania – 5:42AM
Second: Geoff & Tisha – 5:54AM
Third: Vince & Sam – 10:04aM

Teams will drive themselves to the Governorate of Muscat office, about an hour and a half away. The hours of operation is 8AM, which will allow Vince & Sam to make up about half an hour.

From there, they will head to Said’s Camel Farm in Al Abyad to transfer 10 camels to a holding pit. Geoff & Tisha had planned to follow Ida & Tania, but they don’t want to stop for breakfast like Ida & Tania do, so they just apparently get lost instead. And then they get stuck in the sand. Geoff manages to get them out and decides to do the driving in the sand. All the girls think the camels are cute, but Geoff just doesn’t want to be spit on. The camels don’t seem too fond of him either. As Geoff & Tisha are heading to the road block, they pass Vince & Sam going the other way.

The road block is to drive to Hubra Sands and use a metal detector to find a key buried (fortunately not very deep) in the sand. Only 7 of the 70+ keys will actually open the clue box, and teams will be digging with temperatures well over 100F degrees.

Road block (in order of arrival): Tania, Tisha, Sam

As Ida & Tania are leaving the road block (and stuck in the sand), they see Geoff & Tisha (who get stuck in the sand again). Both teams manage to get free. Then Ida & Tania get stuck again. Geoff & Tisha finish the road block, which gives them the lead. One of the locals gets Ida & Tania free. Both teams pass Vince & Sam as they’re leaving. Vince warns Sam not to stop in sand, but he doesn’t listen and gets stuck, too.

Once they finish the road block, teams will fly to their final destination Phuket, Thailand. Given the time they’re leaving, the distance they’ll be travelling, and where they’re travelling from (there are likely to be few flights, all of which will include potentially lengthy layovers), the airport could be a great equalizer or could just simply put one team out of reach. Vince & Sam manage to catch up and get the same flight as Geoff & Tisha. It’s unclear why Ida & Tania did not, as they’re opting to go via Singapore rather than Bangkok.

First flight (Muscat to Dubai to Bangkok to Phuket for a total of 6160km): Geoff & Tisha, Vince & Sam
Second flight (to Dubai, where they will try their luck): Ida & Tania

When Ida & Tania arrive in Dubai, the service they receive from the ticket agents is poor, and they miss the flight they’d hoped to get to Singapore. After some begging, they manage to get a later flight to Phuket via Singapore, for a total of 6400km. When the other two teams land, there’s daylight, an indication that Ida & Tania’s hopes of winning are gone.

If teams thought the road block was too hot, they now get to go to an ice factory to dig through a barrel of ice shavings for an ice cube. Geoff & Tisha have the lead out of the airport, but they get a cab driver who doesn’t have a clue, whereas Vince & Sam get a cab driver who has a rough idea.

From there, they will go to the Lam Hin Pier. Vince & Sam catch another break. Their cab driver came to pick them up with an empty gas tank, but his friend was behind them, so they just switch cabs. As for Geoff & Tisha, their cab driver at least knows where this place is. The task here is to take a traditional longtail Thai fishing boat to search for a fisherman.

The detour is a choice between pull or plunge. In pull, teams must pull up as many as 900 oyster lines until they find the marked oyster shell. In plunge, teams must search the sea floor for a giant clam shell that contains a pearl. It looks like the entire race hinges on this detour, unless Vince & Sam have managed to get an insurmountable lead.

Pull: Vince & Sam (switched from plunge), Geoff & Tisha
Plunge: Ida & Tania

As they’re heading to the detour (and not getting anywhere because they can’t figure out how to row), Geoff & Tisha see that Vince & Sam have finished.

The last task for the race is to dig through a marked area and find a buried treasure chest containing $100,000. The question now becomes just how difficult this digging task is. We’ve seen in the past where digging tasks have cost teams the race (The Amazing Race 5 and The Amazing Race Asia 1) because they couldn’t find anything for hours. It will presumably still be between Vince & Sam and Geoff & Tisha, unless it’s so difficult that somehow Ida & Tania can manage to catch up.

Both teams have found their treasure chests. Now they just need to dig them out.

First: Vince & Sam
Second: Geoff & Tisha
Third: Ida & Tania

The Amazing Race 3 winners are Vince & Sam. I’d suggest it’s a bit tainted by the fact that they quit a task just one leg ago and would have been eliminated if AD & Fuzzie weren’t still in the race, but that notwithstanding, they have run perhaps the best race of any of the teams.

Given the continued ratings success of The Amazing Race Asia, it’s safe to assume we will see The Amazing Race Asia 4 this time next year. In the meantime, stick around for live recaps of the US version, currently The Amazing Race 13.

Their performance at the detour followed by being U-turned led to AD & Fuzzie being last in The Amazing Race Asia 3 Episode 9, but they were non-eliminated and lived to see another day.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived.

First: Vince & Sam – 12:01AM
Second: Ida & Tania – 12:17AM
Third: Geoff & Tisha – 1:14AM
Fourth: AD & Fuzzie – 2:40AM

The next destination is Bhaja Caves, 60km outside of Pune. Based on the times, they’ll obviously hit an hours of operation. It opens at 8:15. This will give everybody a bit of time to rest but also makes sure they’re all together to begin the task.

Apparently, they came all the way out to the caves and hit an hours of operation only to be told they have to go back to Pune and go to the train station to see a statue of Mahatma Gandhi. As we’ve seen in prior seasons of TAR, these trains are jam packed, but it doesn’t seem too traumatic. In order to proceed, they need to know the year Mahatma Gandhi was born when they get to Standard Chartered Bank. Ida & Tania wrote down everything… except what they needed to know. AD & Fuzzie didn’t even go to the statue and instead went straight to the bank. Both of these teams just ask the locals, who know right away. Vince & Sam got the year the statue was put up rather than the year Gandhi was born, as did Geoff & Tisha. Vince & Sam found out the correct year from their taxi driver before arriving. This appears to be quite the simple question for the locals, as three teams didn’t even complete the task correctly but got the answer right anyway. Geoff & Tisha, however, entered an incorrect answer three times, insistent that Gandhi was born in 1977, which means they receive a 10 minute penalty.

From there, teams are told to go to Muscat, Oman. All teams get on the same flight from Pune via Mumbai, a journey of over 1700km.

The first stop in Oman is Al Alam Palace. The teams are warned to beware of wild animals, including camels, donkeys, and goats, while driving. Tish never drives a manual car (one of the fundamental skills needed for the race at some point or another) and just took lessons before leaving for the race.

After arriving at the palace, teams are told to drive 140km to Nizwa Fort. Hours of operation again, this time 7:00, which once again lets everybody catch up. There they must search multiple clue boxes for the right one. Fuzzie says she has no motivation but isn’t giving up, although it sounds like they already gave up last leg.

From there they will go to Mutrah Souq. Is it here that we’re finally going to see an actual task? Anticipating an intersection, Geoff & Tisha get a cab and split it with Vince & Sam. Both teams wish to continue working together on the detour.

The detour is a choice between carpet or count it. In carpet, teams must match a unique piece of the design on carpets with photos on their camera. In count it, teams must count the exact number of dried limes. Neither is a very appealing task, but counting tasks normally drive people mad.

Count it: Ida & Tania, Vince & Sam, AD & Fuzzie, Geoff & Tisha (switched from count it to carpet to count it to carpet to count it)

Ida & Tania guess incorrectly, and they’re followed by an incorrect guess by Vince & Sam. And then Geoff & Tisha. Geoff wants to switch tasks, but Tisha wants to give it another shot. I wouldn’t bother if it were me. Counting 1500 or 2000 of an object has been the downfall of many a team. He gets his way and they switch. Ida & Tania are incorrect the second time. AD & Fuzzie are wrong on their first try. Vince & Sam are wrong on their first try as well. Immediately upon arrival at the next detour, Tisha repeatedly tells Geoff it’s the wrong choice. This time she gets her way, and they switch back to counting. On their second guess, Vince & Sam are correct. They don’t bother telling their allies what answer they got. Geoff & Tisha’s second guess is incorrect. She agrees to switch back to the rugs. Hopefully this time she’ll make more of an effort at it instead of dismissing it as a bad idea. Ida & Tania are correct on their next guess, and it appears that the baskets don’t have the same number of limes, so the boys wouldn’t have been able to help Geoff & Tisha anyway. Oh, and by the way, Geoff & Tisha are on their way back to count again. AD & Fuzzie count incorrectly but just guess one lower and get it correct. Geoff & Tisha finally manage to finish the detour.

The next stop is Wadi Tanuf, two and a half hours away. Nobody is having any luck finding this place. The locals don’t seem to know where it is, the map doesn’t match the road and vice versa, and half of what they’re seeing isn’t in English anyway. Hopelessly lost Vince & Sam decide to follow hopelessly lost Ida & Tania. Geoff & Tisha eventually run into those teams, and they’re also lost. And then AD & Fuzzie run into everybody else. They all manage to find it together.

The road block is to tyrolean traverse across a canyon. Teams three and four must wait for the first two teams to finish.

Road block (in order of arrival): Sam, Ida, Geoff, Fuzzie

The pit stop for this leg of the race is nearby, and they will travel there on foot, meaning it all comes down to the road block placement. Ida makes it through the road block fairly quickly. Geoff flies through it in seemingly a matter of seconds. Sam eventually gives up and agrees to take a 4 hour penalty. Their only prayer now is that Fuzzie also gives up. Unsurprisingly, she quits as well.

First: Ida & Tania (win $2,500US each)
Second: Geoff & Tisha
Third: Vince & Sam
Eliminated: AD & Fuzzie

Vince & Sam lucked out, as they probably would have been eliminated against almost any other team. All things considered, AD & Fuzzie did quite well despite their lack of ability in physical challenges and ambling through the race, but it caught up with them eventually.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Amazing Race Asia 3 episode 11, where we will find out who The Amazing Race Asia 3 winner is, and don’t forget the live blogs of The Amazing Race 13.

After listening to Vince & Sam’s bad flight path, Henry & Bernie lagged behind the rest of the teams and were eliminated in The Amazing Race Asia 3 Episode 8.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived.

First: Geoff & Tisha – 9:41PM
Second: AD & Fuzzie – 9:50PM
Third: Ida & Tania – 10:11PM
Fourth: Vince & Sam – 10:15PM

Teams must make their way to Pune, India, 120km away from Mumbai. Despite the way it appeared last time, the last two teams actually weren’t that far behind, and all teams are on the same flight back to Mumbai. The teams get taxis to their next destination in Pune. Geoff says that he can be very annoying in the morning, which he hopes will give his driver the motivation to want to get rid of him as quickly as possible. None of the drivers seem to have any idea where they’re going, but they hope the stadium is famous enough that they’ll be able to overcome this problem.

Ida & Tania have the best luck and arrive at the stadium first where they’ll need to play cricket. They are unable to complete the task in 36 swings and must wait 10 minutes before receiving their clue. Geoff & Tisha and Vince & Sam, who have been going together since the taxi counter, are both dropped off at the wrong clue box, so they’ll need to get another taxi and go back (at least they know exactly where they’re going next). They are still the second and third teams to arrive at the stadium, with about 7 minutes left on Ida & Tania’s clock, which runs out before either team is finished. Softball player Vince is able to finish the task. AD & Fuzzie are the last team to arrive, just as Geoff & Tisha are meeting the same fate as the moms and having to wait for 10 minutes before receiving their clue. Strangely, AD manages to complete this sports task, which leaves Geoff & Tisha in last by about 2 minutes.

In need of a sponsorship opportunity, the next destination will be reached by using the maps application on their Nokia phones. Vince & Sam and Geoff & Tisha already know where they’re going since it’s back where they were before. Despite this, Geoff & Tisha go in a circle and end up back at the stadium again. Then their phone keeps telling them to turn left, which is eventually a circle if you do it long enough.

The road block is to search the phetas of 50 men who will be wandering the grounds. Seems simple enough.

Road block (in order of arrival): Ida, Vince, Fuzzie, Tisha

From there, teams head to the Sony World showroom in Aundh, where they must convince a local on the street to tell a joke (in English) to be recorded on their Sony Handycams. Speaking of sponsorship opportunities, when do we stop at a Caltex? Simply finding someone to tell a joke in English is not enough. They must get it approved as being funny by a panel of judges. Somehow they approve a joke about an ant’s underwear and an elephant, so I’m not sure how picky they are.

The detour is a choice between push or crush. In push, teams will load a cart with at least 75 clay pots and deliver at least 70 unbroken to a market 1km away (in traffic). In crush, teams will crush enough sugarcane sticks to produce at least 40 glasses of sugarcane juice, which they must sell to earn a minimum of 200 rupees. The physical task seems a lot wiser than having to sell 40 glasses of juice, although there is a pretty massive crowd in the area. The sugarcane task turns out to be somewhat physical as well, which wipes out AD & Fuzzie, giving Geoff & Tisha new hope, as they’re now neck and neck going for last.

Push: Ida & Tania,
Crush: Vince & Sam, AD & Fuzzie, Geoff & Tisha

Teams are warned there’s a U-turn ahead. Sam wants to U-turn Ida & Tania, but Vince doesn’t want to U-turn anyone and thinks they’re in second anyway, so they decide against it. Ida & Tania, however, have decided to use it to U-turn Geoff & Tisha, but they can’t since they forgot to bring their own picture with them. Geoff & Tisha, shocked that nobody’s U-turned them, take advantage of the slight lead they’ve opened up over AD & Fuzzie and U-turn them. An already exhausted AD & Fuzzie must now go back and complete the pottery task.

The pit stop for this leg of the race is the Gokhale Institute. A U-turn right directly before a pit stop? What a stupid idea, but at least it’s pretty obvious this is a non-elimination leg.

First: Vince & Sam (win N96 Nokia phones)
Second: Ida & Tania
Third: Geoff & Tisha
Non-eliminated: AD & Fuzzie

As expected, AD & Fuzzie have been non-eliminated, which means they must come in first next time or receive a 30 minute penalty.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Amazing Race Asia 3 episode 10, and don’t forget the live blogs of The Amazing Race 13.

Ida & Tania once again arrived in last in The Amazing Race 3 Episode 7, to be greeted by another non-elimination leg.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived.

First: Geoff & Tisha – 4:04AM
Second: Vince & Sam – 4:14AM
Third: AD & Fuzzie – 5:40AM
Fourth: Henry & Bernie – 6:04AM
Fifth: Ida & Tania – 8:13AM

The first stop of this leg is the ruins of St. Paul, which is now a World Heritage site. From there, they will head back to Macau Tower, where they hit an 8AM hours of operation, which bunches up the first four teams. They know they’re up for something extreme at the Macau Tower. Ida & Tania appear to be about an hour behind still, and they’ll get a penalty if they’re not first at the end of the leg.

The road block is to bungee jump off the tower at 320m. Bernie very reluctantly agrees since Henry doesn’t want to do it either. Tisha knew before they even got there that it would be an extreme stunt but volunteers anyway.

Road block: Tisha, Sam, AD, Bernie, Tania

As the first team to complete the challenge (apparently reading the clue 10 seconds before anybody else counts for something), Geoff & Tisha get a helicopter to Hong Kong. The other teams will travel there by ferry.

Helicopter: Geoff & Tisha
First ferry (9:30): Vince & Sam, AD & Fuzzie, Henry & Bernie
Second ferry (10:15): Ida & Tania

When they arrive in Hong Kong, they search through boxes to find letters from home (a seemingly simple task, though you wouldn’t know it based on Henry & Bernie’s arguing), and once they’re done reading, they’re told to go to Cochin, India. An airport is the break Ida & Tania needed, but they still have to hope for another team to stumble.

First flight (late morning via Singapore): Geoff & Tisha
Second flight (via Mumbai): Ida & Tania, AD & Fuzzie
Third flight (via Singapore connecting in Mumbai): Vince & Sam, Henry & Bernie

Henry & Bernie and Vince & Sam miss their connecting flight but are still able to get another flight from Mumbai to Cochin at the domestic terminal. This is enough of a delay to put them behind the others, though, particularly as they had a lengthy and poorly planned initial flight path to begin with.

Upon arriving in India, teams will receive a good luck blessing. Too bad the priest won’t be there until 6AM. Geoff & Tisha particularly get hit here, having arrived around 10:30, but Ida & Tania and AD & Fuzzie only have about 2 hours to kill.

The next stop is the elephant washing grounds in Kumbalam, where they must wash an elephant using the traditional method (apparently there’s more than one way to wash an elephant). Geoff & Tisha are back in the lead, as the others are waiting for their cabs. That lead is short lived, though, as Ida & Tania somehow take the lead, apparently through a better driver.

The detour is a choice between fish or fill. In fish, teams must deliver six fish each weighing 20kg. In fill, teams must complete a geometric design using colored rice. Physical task versus mental task, typically the physical is better.

Fill: Ida & Tania, AD & Fuzzie, Henry & Bernie
Fish: Geoff & Tisha, Vince & Sam

The pit stop for this leg of the race is the Bolgatty Palace, one of the oldest Dutch palaces outside of Holland.

First: Geoff & Tisha (win a trip to Hong Kong, tickets to a tennis tournament final, and $1,000 to spend)
Second: AD & Fuzzie
Third: Ida & Tania (finished second before the penalty)
Fourth: Vince & Sam
Eliminated: Henry & Bernie

Henry & Bernie ran a pretty good race, but following Vince & Sam on a bad flight was ultimately their undoing (taking the mental task over the physical task didn’t help them any). Ida & Tania recovered quite nicely following a couple legs way at the back of the pack and showed some strength this time around.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Amazing Race Asia 3 episode 9, and don’t forget the live blogs of The Amazing Race 13.

Ida and Tania arrived hours late to pit stop but were saved by non-elimination in The Amazing Race Asia 3 Episode 6.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived.

First: Vince & Sam – 5:47AM
Second: Henry & Bernie – 6:53AM
Third: Geoff & Tisha – 7:12AM
Fourth: AD & Fuzzie – 7:24AM
Fifth: Ida & Tania – 9:57AM

The taking away of people’s money has never had an impact on the race before, which is one reason it was removed from the American version, and it’s unlikely to impact Ida & Tania here. The other teams will be donating to their cause. They’ll be able to beg for the rest should it be necessary.

The first stop of the leg is a goldfish market and then an aquarium. Hours of operation at the aquarium begin at 11, so they’ve got some time to kill. They wait hours for the shop to open so that they can turn over their fish and receive a clue. Why the clue could not have been in a clue box I’m not clear, but it has allowed all four lead teams to be even, and Ida & Tania are not far behind.

Teams will travel by ferry to Macau, China, where they will be going by pedicab to the fountain in Senado Square. Locals Sam & Vince know that walking to the ferry terminal will be quicker than going by taxi, so they are able to arrive first, giving them a 10-15 minute advantage. Geoff & Tisha are the only one of the other teams to notice there’s a ferry that leaves 5 minutes before the other one.

First ferry: Vince & Sam
Second ferry: Geoff & Tisha
Third ferry: AD & Fuzzie, Henry & Bernie
Fourth ferry: Ida & Tania

With a yield ahead, teams are going to the Macau Tower. Sam & Vince do not yield, as they don’t need it at this time, particularly as they still have the home country advantage. Geoff & Tisha have chosen to yield Henry & Bernie, considering that the teams are joining forces against them. That 5 minutes proved to be a bigger deal than it may have seemed initially. With how far behind Ida & Tania are, it’s probably a waste to use this now rather than in a later leg, though. Henry doesn’t hide that he hates them (more) when he gets to the road block.

The road block is to climb the mast of the 10th tallest tower in the world.

Road block (in order of arrival): Vince, Geoff, Fuzzie, Bernie, Tania

Vince and Geoff finish in the same order they arrived, but Fuzzie struggles, allowing Bernie to pass her. Tania arrives before the third and fourth place teams have left. After Bernie leaves, the sky falls in, a bad thing when you’re trying to climb a high tower outdoors. The good news for Fuzzie is that, due to the lightning, she does not need to complete the outdoor portion of the task, nor does Tania, although, ultimately, this seems to cost Tania since Fuzzie was still trying to recover from the first part of her climb and had still not begun to climb the outside part.

From the road block, teams will complete a dragon boat course at Sai Van Lake, where Geoff & Tisha narrow the lead down to a couple minutes. Ida & Tania, who appeared to be making things interesting and closing the gap, get taken to the wrong place by their cab driver.

The detour is a choice between dance or chance. In dance, teams must complete a lion dance routine correctly, which turns out to be further complicated by the slippery conditions caused by the rain. In chance, teams must get dressed in formalwear and play blackjack until they win 9 times.

Chance: Vince & Sam, Henry & Bernie, AD & Fuzzie, Ida & Tania
Dance: Geoff & Tisha

By the time Ida & Tania arrive at the casino, AD & Fuzzie have completed 7 of their 9 winning hands.

The Ama Cultural Village in Coloane is the pit stop for this leg of the race. Before they are granted access, teams will need to complete the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac. Geoff & Tisha are the first to arrive after a quick detour finish. Despite their earlier lead, Henry & Bernie are the fourth ones to arrive following difficulty getting a cab. The zodiac could have changed the race, but it ultimately didn’t have any impact on placement.

First: Geoff & Tisha (each win a 40 inch HDTV and a PS3)
Second: Vince & Sam
Third: AD & Fuzzie
Fourth: Henry & Bernie
Non-eliminated: Ida & Tania

The leg turned out to be a lot closer than I would have expected thanks to the beginning hours of operation, but Ida & Tania have arrived in last. This again is a non-elimination leg, though. If they are not first in the next leg, they will receive a 30 minute penalty.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Amazing Race Asia 3 episode 8, and don’t forget the live blogs of The Amazing Race 13.

Mai & Oliver had a run of bad luck in The Amazing Race Asia 3 Episode 5, were ultimately unable to complete the leg, and were eliminated.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived.

First: Vince & Sam – 6:11AM
Second: Henry & Bernie – 10:07AM
Third: AD & Fuzzie – 10:09AM
Fourth: Geoff & Tisha – 11:36AM
Fifth: Ida & Tania – 1:30PM

Teams will be flying to Hong Kong, China. Vince & Sam are happy to have the hometown advantage to go along with their big lead. Geoff & Tisha realize they’re all alone on the race.

First flight: Vince & Sam
Second flight: Henry & Bernie
Third flight: AD & Fuzzie, Geoff & Tisha
Fourth flight: Ida & Tania

All flights are direct and within about 4 hours of each other.

When they arrive in Hong Kong, teams will head from King’s Park to Central, Hong Kong, the main business district. The first trick is finding a cab. Geoff & Tisha let their good cab driver go when they’re getting the first clue, while AD & Fuzzie can’t seem to find a cab driver willing to go to Central.

The detour is a choice between get fishy or get lucky. In get fishy, teams must clean, gut, and scale 15 fish. In get lucky, teams must bite open fortune cookies until they find the right fortune. The dumb luck tasks are typically a bad idea, but it turns out this time the fortune cookie task is easier.

Get lucky: Sam & Vince, Geoff & Tisha, AD & Fuzzie, Ida & Tania
Get fishy: Henry & Bernie

The next stop is the Ladies Market via ferry from Central Pier. The three teams in the middle are on the same ferry. Geoff & Tisha stay on their own, while the other two teams sit together. The road block is to choose a handbag and search the market to find a woman who’s carrying the matching handbag.

Road block (in order of arrival): Sam, Bernie, AD, Tisha, Ida

The pit stop for this leg of the race is Blake Pier at Stanley Bay, a popular seaside town in Hong Kong.

First: Vince & Sam (win a spa getaway in Thailand)
Second: Henry & Bernie
Third: Geoff & Tisha
Fourth: AD & Fuzzie
Non-eliminated: Ida & Tania

This was a pretty obvious leg. One team way out in front, three somewhere in the middle, and one way in the back, but it was apparent there had to be a NEL since there haven’t been any yet. Ida & Tania have been non-eliminated, but they’ll need a friendlier leg next time if they hope to stay in the race. It’s mugging time, as Allan asks them for all their money.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Amazing Race Asia 3 episode 7, and don’t forget the live blogs of The Amazing Race 13.