Category: amazing race asia 3

Ida & Tania
Actress & Heiress

Ida Nerina
Actress, Director, Producer
44
Malaysia

Tania Khan
Property Developer
36
Malaysia

AXN Bio
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, or make that a group of 13 females who were shortchanged. Such was the case that involved Malaysians Ida Nerina, 44, and her best friend Tania Khan, 36, in, of all places, a luxury resort! Throw in a hen’s party, a burnt rug, hotel management and even the police and the mixture is a potent one that shows what these two will do to get what they deserve.

Recalls Ida, “All 13 of us were held hostage by the hotel who blamed us for a carpet burn that we did not cause. Even the police got involved. It was so traumatic.”

The ladies insisted on their innocence but the hotel refused to let them leave and even locked the gates. “Due to the trauma, we caused a ruckus on the plane,” adds Tania, a mother of an 11 year old daughter and a 10 month old baby, who despite her sheepishness at admitting the event, displays an inner strength. So just because there are now only two of them doesn’t mean their combo is any less potent. If history is anything to go by, they are not pushovers simply because of their age or reputation.

On paper, they are two very different people – Ida is a homegrown actress with 16 movies under her belt, Ida is a media star compared her more corporate driven, property developer buddy. “We’re both bubbly, dramatic, kind-hearted, fiercely loyal to our friends and klutzy. We’re often the first to jump into the deep end of any adventure,” describes Ida on their similarities.

“Tania and I just thought it would be fun to try out together too. Tania is so game for adventure and is always fun to be around and just as dramatic as I am,” says Ida.

One thing they both hope to achieve, other than taking home the top prize, is the chance to see the world from a new perspective. Ida admits, “We’ve shared some great trips together and who better to see if you can backpack the world with as neither of us have ever done it (referring to backpacking).”

Viewers if not their fellow racers are in for surprises with Tania and Ida joining the race. These fans of The Amazing Race Asia have many natural talents they can count on to stay in the game. Tania comments of this, “I’m pretty good at finding handy short-cuts to all kinds of things. I’m very friendly which always helps in getting things done when you need help.”

Hopefully, these attributes will make up for some of their shortfalls which includes indecisiveness on Tania’s part, and weak ankles for Ida, which are not good for running she says jokingly.

Underneath the playful exterior though is a person who bears grudges more than she wants to, so the other teams better not cross Ida, less she unleashes her anger on them. “I’ll scream my head off, then apologise to whoever’s in the way.”

William & Isaac
Brothers

William Hong
Sports TV Host & Agent
26
South Korea

Isaac Hong
Sports Agent
29
South Korea

AXN Bio
These brothers know how to score a goal when they spot an opening, seeing as how the siblings are a staple in the Korean football arena – They are sports commentators and football agents for professional players in what is arguably Asia’s favourite sport. William and Isaac Hong are definitely looking at bringing their A-game to The Amazing Race Asia, as this is the first time that a Korean team is participating in the race.

“Nationalism is big in Korea and William and I believe that we can be on the show, and show everyone our positive and energetic attitude,” says the older of the two Isaac, 29.

It is this attitude that has brought the brothers huge success in their lives, from when they were both actively involved in the football scene during the 2002 World Cup in South Korea, to when they, as football agents, successfully negotiated the transfer of a Korean player into the Spanish Primera Liga.

So yes, working together and counting on each other has been a backbone of their relationship, as they not only grew up together, they are now working in the same office and sharing the same apartment.

“Even though we are brothers, we have very different personalities. I guess it’s because we lived apart from one another for quite some time. However, that works out well for us, since we can look at things in different ways,” says William, 26.

And it does help that Isaac is the biggest “TARA freak” he knows of. To his credit, Isaac claims to have watched all The Amazing Race episodes ever produced, from both the US and Asian versions. Coupled with his confidence and past travel experiences to over 38 countries in the world, taking part in the race just seems right. He gushes, “TARA is my favorite TV reality show, and it is only a lifetime opportunity to be part of it.”

“Since I have been to many countries in the past time I do know the quick way to get close to the local people so I think this could be a secret weapon for me,” says Isaac.

“Winning the race would mean a lot to me since The Amazing Race is my favorite show in my life,” says Isaac, who is clearly very excited about joining the show, and being a role-model to viewers just as previous contestants were to him.

“I have learned so much from contestants that positive attitude can bring you so many great things and they taught me how to live with bigger passion and greater energy. Hopefully at the end, not only Koreans but Asian can see what two brothers are capable of doing, to achieve our ultimate goal with our positive effort.”

William however, does not have such lofty ideals. His idea of celebrating would be a nice long break. “I’ll take a nice vacation somewhere where I don’t have to race around.”

Niroo & Kapil
Father & Son

Niroo Asrani
Actor
53
India

Kapil Asrani
HR executive
25
India

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

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

The good news is, Kapil managed to learn and the success fostered a great father and son relationship that has since grown beyond the familial, to that of friendship. In fact, one glance at Niroo and Kapil would conjure the image of two friends hanging out, despite the fact that the elder man, currently enjoying his time as an actor, is all of 53 years old. At 25, Kapil is less than half his father’s age, but the HR executive has the same level, if not more of the enthusiasm towards the race.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Neena & Amit
Cousins

Neena Rai
Model, Artist
24
India

Amit Rai
Real Estate Consultant
27
India

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

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

But he adds, “The prize money is very tempting too.”

And while his cousin is thrilled to experience the rush of the race, the reality TV fan also hopes that the increased profile of being on The Amazing Race Asia will boost her modeling and art career.

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

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

However, there are elements that only she can bring to the team, such as her vast airport hopping experience during her time as a flight attendant. Her game plan is to have other teams underestimate her. “I intend not show my competitive side to the other racers and let everyone think I am all beauty and no brains,” she professes.

One thing she would have to master is her patience though. “I am very impatient and tend to think negatively. And God help me with my punctuality.”

She also has to deal with a cousin who more often than not, prefers to give up on things.
“He deliberately starts giving up or loses a winning game because he is either annoyed or impatient,” she says.

As for Amit, he credits Neena for getting him hooked on the show and intends to play the role of the underdog, and of course, work on his impatience. “I intend to show the other team that we guys are good for nothing and then like tortoise win the race, slow and steady.”

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

Sam & Vince
Best Buddies

Vince Chung
Comedian & Host
32
Hong Kong

Sam Wu
University Lecturer
32
Hong Kong

AXN Bio
Both started out as teachers but in their spare time, one is a master of words while the other plays with words. Meet Vince Matthew Chung, the former primary school teacher turned full time comedian cum host, and his best bud Samuel Wu, a university lecturer who ranks as one of the top players on the online word game, Prolific.

For those wondering, Prolific is a word puzzle much like the classic Boggle game and yes, this shows how quick thinking the duo, who make up Team Hong Kong, can be. Having met three years ago while working in Hong Kong, the 32-year-olds became fast friends due to similar passions in a variety of things, from acting, hosting, stand-up comedy, and most importantly, partying.

They actually met via mutual friends at a party and things since then have been a blast. Recalls Vince jokingly, Sam “wouldn’t leave the area where the food was being served.”

This also will not be the first time that the friends have participated in a competitive event together. Vince once made it as a finalist in the first ever nationwide stand-up comedy competition, “The Funniest Person in Hong Kong”, and if you hear Sam tell the story, the jokes were all Sam’s. “I was very proud of him,” enthuses Sam. “They were all my jokes of course, but he denies it vehemently.”

One thing that does stand in their way though is their hot headed nature, which has led to confrontations. Sam too has to deal with physical fears as he is terrified of needles and bees.
He says, “I was hospitalized after getting stung in the head by a hornet when I was four and since then, I’ve had a major phobia and if anything flies near or around my head, I freeze instantly.”

This is why Sam reckons that Vince is the more physical one, whereas he is the thinking part of the group. And what is their overall strategy? Sam says it is to, “always be part of the pack, and then break away to lead the pack in the middle legs of the race”.

But what if it doesn’t work? Vince jokes, “I want to bring banana peels to throw onto the ground so that teams running behind us will slip on them.”

Yes, Vince is the more competitive of the duo, but it’s because being on top is in his blood. Vince has also joined various sports teams, from softball, baseball to football throughout his life and swam competitively from age six to university.

Don’t dismiss Sam either as he too can be single minded in his endeavors. Back in 2001, a desire to lose some weight made Sam go on a diet that saw him shed 20kg over a five month period. “I went from an obese 80kg to a 60kg, through rigorous exercising and dieting,” he recalls.

The one thing the duo will do however, is to soak up every experience on this race because this could be their last hoorah, since Vince might be leaving Hong Kong in the near future. You might say they have nothing to lose, but everything to strive for.

Natalie & Pailin
Beauty Queens

Pailin Rungratanasunthorn
Miss Earth Thailand 2006
25
Thailand

Natalie Glebova
Miss Universe 2005
26
Thailand

AXN Bio
No Amazing Race season is without its resident eye candy but with leggy beauties Pailin and Natalie, their team has one credential none of the previous good looking teams in race history ever had – being in a Miss Universe pageant and winning one!

25 year old Pailin Rungratanasunthorn was the first runner up in 2006 Miss Thailand Universe and represented her country as Miss Thailand Earth 2006 as well.

As for her good friend Natalie Glebova, the 26-year-old actually was a Miss Universe. Natalie took home the gleaming crown and title from the competition held in Bangkok, Thailand in 2005. The Russian Canadian beauty originally from Tuapse, Russia represented Canada in her winning event and is the second Canadian to claim the title.

It is no wonder that beauty pageants are part of their blood, having met in the 2006 Miss Thailand Universe pageant and becoming fast friends after that. Pailin was also one of Natalie’s bridesmaids when she married Thailand’s highest ranked tennis player, Paradorn Srichaphan, in November 2007.

But beauty is not the only thing that links the Thailand team together. Both have acute business sense as they are running their own business. Pailin’s company makes toys, t-shirts and gifts for sale online, while Natalie’s company sells beauty products across Thailand.

Describing herself, Pailin notes of her decision to participate in The Amazing Race, “I am really competitive and I want to do something where I can put my energy in it.”

Agreeing, Natalie adds, “We’re both very competitive and cannot stand to lose. We love to travel, love to do adrenaline like things, love to experience new cultures and learn.”

And with both their credentials, travelling has become second nature to them. Pailin has travelled to Japan, China, South Africa, and Egypt while Natalie, other than gracing beauty pageants around the world, has attended the G8 Summit in New York, and as a HIV/AIDS awareness advocate, has travelled extensively to India and Africa.

Having spent their formative years in the beauty circuit, the damsels know a bit about what it takes to stay ahead. And having seen the show on television, the duo is also gunning to experience the thrills and tumbles that only the race can deliver. Exclaims Natalie, “We love to try new things. Give us bungee jumping, parachuting, paragliding and parasailing any day!”

She adds, “We are competitive, we’re in shape and we’re going to kick ass.”

The girls have started preparing for the trek around the world based on what the previous Amazing Race Asia seasons were like. Surprisingly, their strategy for winning is to be the underdog and “fly under the radar”. “Let’s hope that no one will take us too seriously so we won’t be recognized as a threat until it’s too late!”

The Amazing Race Asia 3 premieres Thursday September 11 on AXN. The 10 teams that will be racing around the world are:

A.D. & Fuzzie
Friends for 15 Years

A.D. Chan
Freelance Writer, Director
34
Singapore

Faeza (Fuzzie) Sirajudin
Teacher
34
Singapore

Geoff & Tisha
Dating Couple

Geoff Rodriguez
Model
26
Philippines

Tisha Silang
Business Development Manager
32
Philippines

Henry & Bernie
Brother and Sister

Bernie Chan
TV Host, Actress
39
Malaysia

Henry Chan
Chef
43
Malaysia

Ida & Tania
Actress & Heiress

Ida Nerina
Actress, Director, Producer
44
Malaysia

Tania Khan
Property Developer
36
Malaysia

Mai & Oliver
Friends

Visa Sarasas (Mai)
Actress & Model
24
Thailand

Oliver Faivre
Model & Student
26
Thailand

Natalie & Pailin
Beauty Queens

Pailin Rungratanasunthorn
Miss Earth Thailand 2006
25
Thailand

Natalie Glebova
Miss Universe 2005
26
Thailand

Neena & Amit
Cousins

Neena Rai
Model, Artist
24
India

Amit Rai
Real Estate Consultant
27
India

Niroo & Kapil
Father & Son

Niroo Asrani
Actor
53
India

Kapil Asrani
HR executive
25
India

Sam & Vince
Best Buddies

Vince Chung
Comedian & Host
32
Hong Kong

Sam Wu
University Lecturer
32
Hong Kong

William & Isaac
Brothers

William Hong
Sports TV Host & Agent
26
South Korea

Isaac Hong
Sports Agent
29
South Korea

With the elimination of Ann & Diane in The Amazing Race 2 Episode 12, we’re now down to the final three teams: Rovilson Fernandez & Marc Nelson of the Philippines, Vanessa Chong & Pamela Chong of Malaysia, and Collin Low & Adrian Yap of Singapore. This season has really been a story of the complete dominance of Rovilson & Marc, although unlike everybody else, Adrian & Collin have given them a run for their money. While it can be suggested that these two teams had it too easy, I’d argue they could take on the best players and still perform strongly.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived.

First: Rovilson & Marc (5:09am)
Second: Adrian & Collin (5:25am)
Third: Pamela & Vanessa (5:34am)

Teams must drive themselves to District Six Museum in Cape Town, the home of the first black South African community, who were forcibly removed from their homes during apartheid.

Pamela & Vanessa point out something I had not realized previously. The teams remaining are the only teams to win a leg. Marc & Rovilson have placed first an astonishing 9 times (with three second place finishes). Adrian & Collin, who usually placed second behind them, managed to come in first two times. And way back in episode 1, before their various nervous breakdowns, Pamela & Vanessa won the first leg and came off as one of the early strong contenders.

The museum opens at 8am, and the drive there is long enough that the first team to arrive, Rovilson & Marc, don’t have to wait for the hours of operation. Once there, they need to figure out a computer password from a list of streets. Once they get that, they must read one paragraph about the history from the walls of the museum.

The detour is a choice between search or assemble. In search, teams must make their way through Scratch Patch and search through hundreds of semi-precious stones to find the designated race rocks. In assemble, teams must go to Bishop’s Wires & Bead Craft, where they will learn how to make a South African wire art radio.

Radio: Rovilson & Marc (after trying search), Vanessa & Pamela
Search: Adrian & Collin (turns out to be not as hard as it sounds)

From there, teams will drive to the soccer field at FC Kapstadt next to the construction site for the 2010 World Cup soccer stadium, where they will need to score three goals from the penalty line.

After that, they’ll drive to the Atlantis Dunes and ride quad bikes along a flagged course to search for a clue. There are 18 possible checkpoints. One has a clue. The others have an hourglass that must run out before they can move on. This game of dumb luck is potentially the opportunity the trailing two teams have been waiting for. Rovilson & Marc take the time to perfect their sand angels and sand breakdancing. Adrian & Collin are using the fact that they’re in second to their advantage, as they’re avoiding anywhere they believe Rovilson & Marc have already been. Having spent some time spying on Adrian & Collin’s strategy, once they do get the clue, Rovilson & Marc decide to wait and pretend it’s an hourglass. They don’t buy the acting, though, and grab the clue a few minutes afterward (after recovering from a wipeout).

Once they’re done playing in the sand, they’ll drive to Cape Point and go by Funicular to the Upper Station then walk to the Cape Point Historic Lighthouse. They have to tell the lighthouse keeper the country they think they’ll be travelling to next to get their next clue. When they arrive, Rovilson & Marc miss the point of the clue, allowing Adrian & Collin to take the lead. They find out they will be travelling to Singapore next, which gives them the home country advantage.

The airport is the great equalizer and makes the rest of the leg moot. All three teams are on the same flight to Singapore, 9700km away. The first stop is the Raffles Statue at the Asian Civilizations Museum. They will now head to Tanjong Beach at Sentosa Island by taxi. Rovilson & Marc, mere seconds ahead of Adrian & Collin, catch a break. They kept their taxi waiting while they read their clue, but the other guys didn’t.

The road block is to place the flags of the countries they have visited on the race in order. This turned out to be the difference between losing and winning for the hippies in The Amazing Race 9.

Road block (in order of arrival): Rovilson, Vanessa, Adrian

Rather than choosing to pick the person who would have done better, Rovilson & Marc stick with their strategy of alternating road blocks. While that’s worked well for them thus far, now’s not the best time for it. Eventually, the other two teams catch up, so the race comes down to who can finish it first. Adrian, who had a book of flags when he was younger, takes the lead by finishing the task first. Vanessa gets it next. Rovilson finishes, but it’s not looking so good.

The final pitstop for this leg of the race is the Rainbow Bridge at the Chinese Garden.

First: Adrian & Collin
Second: Vanessa & Pamela
Third: Rovilson & Marc

And The Amazing Race Asia 2 winners are Adrian & Collin. While they were a good team, it’s hard not to feel that Rovilson & Marc should have won this race after dominating it so much. Still, they ran a good race having won almost every leg, and they took the time to stop and smell the roses along the way, making them perhaps the most entertaining team from any season of The Amazing Race.

With the success of the first two seasons, it’s likely we will see The Amazing Race Asia 3. Applications are currently being accepted and are due February 25, 2008. Filming is expected to begin later this year. As with this season, stay tuned to dingoRUE for recaps.