Calvin's Hub » Amazing Race Asia

The Amazing Race Philippines on 2012 speculations

Calvin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:14:00 +0000

Being a huge fan of the best reality game show in the planet, I’m excited to learn that there will be a The Amazing Race Philippines coming our way soon. Here’s the teaser if you haven’t seen it yet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BFK6_Mbv9g

Well nothing much we can get from the video itself except that it will come this year and TV5 gets the exclusive rights to produce and air it (way to go MVP!). I’m seeing PLDT, Smart, and Meralco brand placement all over the show.

When’s the audition?

TV5 left us hanging here. Give us more details please TV5.

So who’s going to host the show?

No info on this one yet but rumors are circulating that Aga Muhlach might be the one getting the gig. Frankly, I’m not excited to have him call the shots. Give us somebody relatively unknown. How about one of the TARA4 teams? There’s the Riches, Jess and Lani. Or what about Marc or Rovilson?

If this Wikipedia entry is to be believed? We might be looking at a trio of hosts which I honestly don’t think is a good idea. One is Joaquin Valdez, Miriam Quiambao’s co-host of 100% Pinoy. Then there’s Jed Montero, a former volleyball player from UP. Rounding up the trio is Fille Cainglet of the Ateneo de Manila Lady Eagles. Hmmm… Aga Muhlach is more believable.

Outside the country or within the country?

The TAR franchise was successful in other local adaptations, like Israel’s Race to the Million and The Amazing Race: China Rush, which is also hosted by TARA’s Allan Wu.

In Israel, the teams get to travel outside the country, but in China, they just went all-over the country which has a lot of far and interesting places anyway. I think for the Amazing Race Philippines, locations within the country will suffice but I wonder how TV5 will handle competing brands accidentally showing up in the background. Hehehe.

What about TARA5?

With this introduction of the Amazing Race Philippines, the future of TARA5 airing this year might be bleak. If you remember, TARA4 got pushed back to make way for the first Amazing Race Israel. We also have to consider that Allan Wu might be going back to host China Rush 3. I really do hope we get to see TARA5 this year since the first episode will take place here in the Philippines.

*Thanks for the tip Jerylle!

Had a nice chat with Rich Hardin of TARA 4

Calvin — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 12:23:35 +0000

Yesterday, Tia and I were quite fortunate to be invited to a small victory lunch along with other bloggers for The Amazing Race Asia 4 champs, Rich Herrera and Rich Hardin, at the Basix Restaurant in Dusit Thani.

Unfortunately, Rich Herrera (RHER) couldn’t make it as he was in Gen. Santos City taping an episode of his upcoming show which he is hosting. It was the other half of the Philippine Team champs, Rich Hardin (RHAR) and his lovely fiancé, Andrea, who joined us for lunch.

Seated beside Rich, I was able to ask a lot of questions pertaining to the race. I also had a chat with Andrea while Rich was being interviewed by the media. If you missed the segment in 24 Oras, here is a link to the video.

Here are some interesting tidbits I learned about the race that fans of TARA and the Riches may want to read.

Rich and Andrea has been together for almost two years. He proposed to her during the finale viewing party at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Andrea told me that she really didn’t see it coming. They had to redo the proposal thing again though because the media was not able to get a good photo of it.
Andrea is a real fan of TARA. She even auditioned during the first season. Would be great if she and Ultimate Disc teammate Reema Chanco could join someday. Or maybe a Rich and Andrea team-up.
Teams cannot inform anyone about them being accepted to the race. What was Rich’s reason to Andrea? He told her that he and Rich are going to the US to be a lifeguard. He left her his mobile phone and said nothing else. Andrea didn’t know what to think. She has no clue as to where her bf was and Rich can’t contact her for one whole month.
The only time teams get to eat a decent meal was at the pit stop and during the 12-hour mandatory rest period. During the race, most teams conserve their money by skipping food. RHER volunteered to eat the bug in Brisbane because he was really hungry.
One day, after the race (before the show aired), both Riches appeared at Andrea’s office bald and much thinner. They asked her to take them to a Wendy’s. Hehehe.
I’ve been wondering why the Riches didn’t hire a taxi while in Korea (Episode 10) like what Hussein and Natasha did that earned them the top spot. It was not shown in TV but they were the last team (2 hours behind) to leave Lombok, Indonesia and they spent a huge chunk of their money for their boat trip to Jakarta.
Only the Riches did the reverse bungee jump at the finale. Although RHAR wants to do the surf thing, RHER has lived in Singapore for quite a time and he knows that they could save more time going to Clark Quay than in Sentosa.
During the TARA event at SM North, Rich Herrera admitted that he didn’t want to do the race again. Once was enough. Rich Hardin told me that RHER was traumatized by the race. It doesn’t show much on TV but RHER can’t stand airports. RHAR needs to do a lot of convincing if we want to see them in a TARA All-Star. If ever there’s going to be a TARA All-Star, he said that RHER and Marc Nelson could team up and do the race topless. Hahaha. While he and Rovilson can partner up and be the goofy team.
RHER can survive without sleeping. RHAR needs his sleep and a bath or two, or even five everyday.
Not known to most people but aside from being physically fit and active, one of their advantage is that they complement each other. RHER is good at what he does as long as he’s focused on one thing. Main reason why he is good at roadblocks. RHAR handles the multi-tasking stuff. RHAR drives, while RHER studies the map.

Ok I think that’s all I remembered. Thanks Rich and Andrea for taking the time to be with us. It was a blast hanging out with you two.

Being a TARA fan who followed each episode, it was real fun chatting with Rich and Andrea. Too bad Rich Herrera wasn’t around. I’m hoping there’s a chance that I could meet them again early next year. Maybe Jess and Lani too.

Thank you Az and Ms. Joyce Ramirez of PRAsia for the invite! Thank you Tia for taking photos.

Where was Lani in the Amazing Race Asia 4 Finale?

Calvin — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 02:25:37 +0000

A lot of TARA 4 fans (especially the Lani fans) are asking where Lani Pillinger was during the finale of the race. When the Riches walked up to the mat, all the eliminated racers were there except for Lani.

See Jess standing by herself? So where was Lani? Well the short unofficial answer is that she wasn’t able to come because she broke her collarbone sometime during the race. Thanks to the folks who pointed me to this direction.

Looking into that angle, here’s what we discovered from interviews.

This interview from Showbiz and Style in Inquirer tells us she broke a collarbone while trying to finish a race.

FASHION MODEL Lani Pillinger, member of one of two Philippine teams in “The Amazing Race Asia Season 4,” said she broke a collarbone while trying to finish the race.

“I had never broken a bone in my life,” Pillinger, 27, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer during a media gathering at a hotel in Marina Bay, Singapore. “That’s probably the worst thing that’s happened to us during the race,” added Jacinta James, 27, Pillinger’s best friend and teammate.

Of course it doesn’t explicitly tells us it was the reason she couldn’t make it to the final episode.

However, if that is the case the most likely time she broke her collarbone was in their archery task in South Korea during the 10th episode where they got eliminated.

There’s also this interview from Total Fitness when Jess and Lani were asked about their preparation for the race. Lani said she broke her collarbone prior to the race.

LANI: Hmmm, I did start going to the gym a lot more prior to the race, but my broken collar bone held me back for a while there. Also, I took a note out of Marc Nelson and Rovilson’s book and tried to learn the different flags of each Asian country. Hahaha! Good thinking! So, what was the most challenging task given to you?

In the first interview, Lani said she had never broken a bone in her life prior to during the race. But we also learned that she already broke it prior to the race. Hmm.

Well even so, we now have an answer as to why Lani wasn’t able to join the other racers to greet the final three. Of course, until we hear it from Lani or Jess themselves we can’t be too sure right? So there’s your unofficial answer.

The Amazing Race Asia 4 Episode 11 – Finale

Calvin — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:20:58 +0000

It’s now or never as we head to our last leg of the race.

Will the Philippines finally win the race after being really close the past two seasons? I hope so. The teams are in Singapore this evening for the viewing party, does that mean Michelle and Claire won the race? Don’t count out Hussein and Natasha as they suddenly looked formidable after a surprise 1st place finish in the last leg.

Let’s find out who will be The Amazing Race Asia 4 winners. Go Team Philippines!

Fly to Singapore

Teams must fly to Singapore and travel by taxi to Cavenagh Bridge where they will find lion dancers who have their next clue. Good for Michelle and Claire as they will be racing on their home court.

Hussein and Natasha set out to the airport at 1 PM. Every lead counts here because there are still lots of flight in the middle of the day. The Richards started 10 minutes after but eventually, all three teams caught up with each other at the airport.

There was no direct flight to Singapore so teams had fly to Gimpo airport then take a taxi to Incheon International Airport to make the 7:45 PM direct flight to Singapore. It will be a tight connection since teams will be arriving at Gimpo at 6:30 PM.

Getting stressed at the airport

Arriving at Gimpo, the Richards got kinda hold up a bit at the taxi bay as they failed to board the next taxi on the line. Still, they arrived at the international airport ahead of Michelle and Claire. Not wanting to wait as chance passengers on the next flight out, they booked tickets for a more definite but later flight.

Hussein and Natasha were the only team who managed to board the first flight out of South Korea that will arrive in Singapore at 12 midnight. I’m hoping for an Hours of Operation here.

Michelle and Claire didn’t make it to the first flight. They also wasn’t able to get a ticket on the next flight and they were stuck at the ticket counter pleading their case.

The Richards took the next flight via Shanghai which will arrive in Singapore at 4 AM.

Claire was getting frustrated after they were being passed around from one counter to another. She lost it and they end up arguing. Oh no. Bad start for the girls.

Hussein and Natasha managed to get the clue at Cavenagh Bridge without any problem.

Chili Crabs!

Teams must make their way to Red House Seafood Restaurant where they must extract 1 kilogram worth of crab meat from a pile of steaming chili crabs.

When the Indonesians arrived, they found an Hours of Operation for 10 in the morning. Yes! The other teams can catch up. Father and daughter decided to sleep on benches nearby to save money.

Unfortunately for Michelle and Claire, their flight via Bangkok to Singapore will arrive at 10:25 AM. The first two teams will have a very considerable lead.

Come morning, the Richards were happy to see Hussein and Natasha and they were wondering where the Singaporeans were.

After dealing with some hot crabs, the Richards managed to reach the 1-kilo mark first to get their next clue.

Vintage cars, that’s how we roll

Next task is for teams to go to any four Caltex service stations where they will see a marked vintage car. They will receive their clue and must use that car to travel around Singapore. It’s a first come first serve thing so if the car’s already taken, teams must proceed to a different service station.

Hussein and Natasha finished their crabs while the Richards were still waiting for a taxi. Unfortunately for the boys, they didn’t notice the taxi on a nearby corner which the Indonesians managed to snag. They headed to the nearest service station where they got their clue and their vintage ride.

Instead of going to the next nearest service station, the Richards went to the same station as the Indonesians and true enough, the car’s already taken so they went to the next spot.

Detour: Stay Up or Add Up

In Stay Up, teams must make their way to the Wavehouse at Sentosa where they must ride the simulated wave and stay up for a combined 2 minutes. This looks difficult if you’re not good at balancing.

In Add Up, teams must go to Clark Quay where they must ride the GMAX reverse bungee. It’s a seated ride where two people are shot up and will bounce up and down for 10 seconds. While in mid-air, teams must add up three numbers that the host will shout just before the ride starts. They have 10 seconds to shout their answer or else they will have to do it again with different numbers.

Although Add Up requires a lot of concentration, I think it’s the easier of the two. Besides it’s nearer from their current location as compared to going to Sentosa Island.

Hussein and Natasha chose Stay Up since Natasha doesn’t want to deal with heights.

Surprisingly, the Richards chose to do Add Up considering that they look like they have good balance for Stay Up and RHAR is afraid of heights.

The Richards arrived at Clark Quay and at this point, Michelle and Claire just arrived at the restaurant. Claire got disheartened after seeing the empty crab parts littering the table. They are way behind.

On their first try, the Richards forgot the third number as they ran out of time. It looked harder than it seems. RHER mentioned that it was a sick, sadistic challenge.

Hussein and Natasha were having trouble staying up. They could only manage to do it a few seconds at most. Hussein wanted to switch but Natasha said she can’t do the bungee so they stayed on the waves.

Meanwhile, the Richards got the answer right on their second attempt and they were off to the next task.

Wanna try some magic?

Next is for teams to make their way to St. James Power Station where they had to perform an magic trick. They must watch this Singaporean illusionist and his assistant perform an illusion and copy it.

One member is handcuffed and placed inside a box. When the person outside opens the box the first time, it must be empty. When he opens it the second time around, his partner must reappear without the handcuffs. The performance must take only 2 minutes max.

Hussein and Natasha were finally done with their surfing task.

The Richards were taking their time performing the trick and it was funny watching them on their first attempt. The box was kinda cramped for RHAR so when RHER opened it, he was still there. Hahaha. They switched places on their second attempt.

Michelle and Claire found their vintage Rolls Royce and Claire wanted to do surf because she’s afraid of heights. Not the right choice in my opinion if they want to save time.

The Richards failed on their second attempt when RHER didn’t get his handcuffs off on time. Hussein and Natasha arrived and the Richards must give way. The Indonesians where all business and Natasha won’t have problems maneuvering inside the box. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to get her cuffs off.

With the arrival of another team, the Richards were more focused on their third attempt and they were able to do the performance correctly for their next clue.

Roadblock: Tightrope Walking

Teams must make their way on top of Marina Bay Sands Hotel. A member must walk a tightrope 55 stories above ground from Tower 1 to Tower 2 and back. This is a similar task as that of the canopy walk in episode 4 but only longer. It was the task where Hussein had trouble hanging onto the rope and fell so they switched task.

RHAR is afraid of heights so RHER chose to do the roadblock.

Hussein and Natasha finished their magic trick and upon reading the next task. Natasha quickly asked her dad to do it. What?! It’s a physical task and Hussein already had trouble with the same task in Sri Lanka and the Acrobat task in Sydney. Uh-oh, this doesn’t sound good.

Back to the Singaporeans, Claire sucked at surfing but good thing Michelle had really good balance and they were able to finish their task faster than the Indonesians.

RHER was pumped and raring to go. More than halfway to Tower 2, the Indonesians arrived. RHER got the clue and was able to get back to Tower 1 before a hesitant Hussein could even start.

How good is your memory?

Teams must then travel by marked elevator to the Sky Park swimming pool of the hotel. They must answer 7 multiple questions about trivia from the places they’ve been to during the race by placing a colored ring (lifesaver) that corresponds to the right answer on clue boxes in the pool.

More drama

Hussein still wouldn’t do the task. Too bad it was a roadblock so he couldn’t switch with her daughter. He wanted to take the 4-hour penalty but Natasha said there’s no such thing because it’s the last leg already. Tension arises between father and daughter. Yikes!

Meanwhile, Michelle and Claire were done at the magic trick. Claire is afraid of heights so she asked Michelle to do the tightrope. They were emotional on the way to their next task. They think that everyone’s finished already with their 10-hour head start and Michelle was tearing up. They decided not to give up and just finish the race properly. Way to go girls!

Hussein still won’t budge. He told Natasha that he was traumatized from what happened in the tightrope task in Sri Lanka. He was giving up. Natasha was disappointed. Hussein says there’s no point trying to catch up with the Richards anyway and really wants to give up. Natasha was already crying, she just wants to finish the race the right way.

The Richards really thought hard answering the questions but they didn’t feel the pressure.

Natasha wants her father to just try. Hussein obliged but after taking the first step on the tight rope, he wavered and said that he just couldn’t do it. He gave up and the team had to wait 4 hours before proceeding to the next task.

Michelle and Claire finally caught up and they were really happy. You can see the glow in Michelle’s face as she stepped onto the tight rope. She was glad that they were given a chance not to finish last. Hussein and Natasha were staring at her helplessly.

End game

At this point, the editing made it seem that the girls can still catch up with the Riches who were still at the pool. But when Michelle and Claire made their way to the pool for their last task, the Riches were nowhere to be seen. Yes, the Riches won. RHAR even took his time to tie his laces.

I have to point out that the Singaporeans were prepared for the task as Michelle was looking at her notes while Claire was placing the correct colored rings. Good job girls.

The pit stop was at the Sky Park observation deck where the other racers were waiting. The Richards won The Amazing Race Asia 4 and $100,000. They did the country proud! Woohoo!! After two almost-but-not-quite finish in the past two seasons, we finally won TARA!

Thoughts:

First of all, congratulations to all three teams. I’m so happy that Philippines finally won TARA. Congrats to Michelle and Claire too for not giving up even after trailing so far behind. Good job on the notes too!

The tasks on this last leg are in favor of the Richards especially the tightrope where you need to be physically fit. All teams have one member who’s afraid of heights but RHAR could suck up his fear for his partner and they saved a lot of time doing the Add Up task.

If only Michelle and Claire made it to Singapore before the Chili Crab restaurant opened, they would be giving the Riches a run for their money. Not making an earlier flight was a bad blow for the girls.

Now I don’t really understand why Natasha can’t just conquer her fear of heights. Even if his dad is not afraid of heights, he’s in no shape to do the task as evident with what happened in Sri Lanka. It’s the end game already and Natasha has more chance of completing the task than her dad. Oh well.

Rich Hardin proposes to his girl, Andrea at the TARA 4 Finale Viewing Party in Singapore

On a side note, at the viewing party in Singapore, Rich Hardin proposed to his girl Andrea who said “yes” so it’s a double win for him! Congratulations Rich!

Now I’m sad. TARA’s over. Thank you for those of you who stuck with me to read my lengthy recaps. I hope I did a good job. Can’t wait for next season which I hope will be an all-star TARA season because I want to see Jess and Lani compete again. =)

The Amazing Race Asia 4 Episode 10

Calvin — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 15:35:11 +0000

It’s now down to the final four as we are coming to a close. After this there’s only one more episode before the finale. Teams are currently in Lombok, Indonesia but they’re bound to leave the country on this leg.

Leading the pack are Jess and Lani from the Philippines and coming in at last place are the other Philippine team, the Richards who had a nail-biting finish in the last episode which eliminated Ethan and Khairie. Hussein and Natasha, Michelle and Claire are second and third respectively.

Let’s get this show on the road and find out who will be in the final three.

Fly to South Korea

Teams must fly to Pohang, South Korea and from their they must decode the clue (something to do with hands) to get to the location for their next clue.

Jess and Lani moved out at 3:10 AM followed immediately by Hussein and Natasha. Almost two hours later, the Richards took a cab to the airport. There they met the rest of the teams.

Jess and Lani decided to move away from the group. They used their charm to talk to an airport officer who let them inside where they were able to book their tickets. This drew some snide comments from the other teams who were stuck at the other side of the room.

The strategy didn’t really gave Jess and Lani an advantage since all teams were still able to board the same flight. It only gave the other teams a reason to dislike them.

Looking for the hand

Decoding the clue meant that the teams must get to the bronze sculpture called the Hands of Harmony where they will find their next clue.

Landing at Pohang Airport, Jess and Lani went to an internet kiosk to search about the “hand” and they were able to figure out their destination and headed out to get a taxi. Good thinking girls!

The rest of the teams went outside the airport thinking that the clue was somewhere in the area. Michelle and Claire boarded a taxi and simply asked the driver to take them to the “hand”. Good thing he understood them.

The Richards got into a taxi and asked the driver to follow Michelle and Claire’s taxi. Hussein and Natasha told their driver to follow the Richards’ taxi.

Unsure of themselves, the Richards told their driver to take them back to the airport where they might have missed looking for the clue. Hussein and Natasha followed them back as well.

Back at the airport, the Richards thought the clue meant a casino and they asked a local if there’s a casino around. Fortunately, there’s none or else they will be on a wild goose chase. They headed back inside the airport where RHAR found a photo of a hand sculpture. They asked information who gave them a map and marked the place for them. Hussein and Natasha saw them and also asked help from information.

Jess and Lani were the first to arrive at the Hands of Harmony.

Getting to Girimsa

Next is for teams to drive a marked vehicle to Girimsa Temple where they will find their clue.

Michelle and Claire arrived just as Jess and Lani were leaving the place. Jess and Lani were conserving their cash and opted not to hire a taxi to lead them to the temple. They just decided to wing it. Michelle and Claire however, hired a taxi to lead the way.

The Richards arrived next. Good thing information gave them a map but too bad it’s in Korean. They were able to ask a local driving a vehicle if they could follow him to Girimsa.

Jess and Lani couldn’t read their Korean map and they stopped by a house on the side of the road to ask directions. Fortunately, they were able to ask a local to join them in their vehicle to point the way.

Hussein and Natasha hired their taxi to lead them to the temple.

First to arrive at the temple were Claire and Michelle but the Richards who ran faster beat them to the clue box.

How well do you know your teammate

Next task is for team members to answer a series of questions one at a time regarding their thoughts on other teams. The second member must match his answers with his partner to receive the next clue.

This one’s tough especially for teams who don’t talk to each other about their feelings regarding other teams, like the Richards for instance.

Jess and Lani finally arrived at the temple thanks to their friendly passenger.

After spending a lot of time figuring the correct answer, Michelle was finally able to match her answer with Claire’s and they were off.

For whom the bell tolls

Next up is for teams to drive to Seokguram Grotto and ring the unification bell three times.

Michelle and Claire still have their taxi driver to lead them the way.

Hussein and Natasha finally caught up with the remaining two teams at the temple.

After a few more tries, RHAR was able to get his answers right. Jess finally got hers right as well. Natasha was the last to complete the task but they still have their taxi driver with them to lead the way.

Michelle and Claire arrived at the grotto first and they got their clue after ringing the bell three times.

Detour: Bow n’ Arrow or Rock n’ Roll

Teams must make their way to this school where they will have to choose between Bow n’ Arrow and Rock n’ Roll tasks.

Bow n’ Arrow is just an archery task. They must choose a team photograph as target and must hit it three times with their arrows. In Rock n’ Roll, teams must build a ceremonial pagoda by stacking rocks until it reaches a certain height.

Michelle and Claire chose Bow n’ Arrow and followed their taxi to the detour task.

At the grotto, it was Jess and Lani who arrived ahead of the Richards who got lost themselves. The girls chose Bow n’ Arrow.

Michelle and Claire arrived at the archery range and chose Jess and Lani as their targets.

Hussein and Natasha arrived at the grotto and chose Bow n’ Arrow as their task. They met the Richards on their way out who also chose Bow n’ Arrow.

Freeloaders

Hussein and Natasha still had their taxi to lead them the way. The Richards saw them and hanged back to follow the Indonesians and their taxi. This infuriated Natasha who thought that the Richards were having a free ride. She asked the Richards to share the taxi fare and the boys agreed to give them extra money.

Rock on!

Michelle and Claire spent a lot of time at the archery task without getting a single hit in so they decided to do the rock stacking task instead.

Meanwhile, Hussein and Natasha and the Richards arrived at the archery range. They chose Jess and Lani and ~~Ethan and Khairi~~e Sahil and Manas respectively as their targets. Jess and Lani were still driving around and they realized that they went to the wrong place.

Michelle and Claire finally got their pagoda approved and got their next clue just as their stack of rocks crashed down.

Roadblock: Warrior Code

This is a nice roadblock. It is a course with three levels being guarded by warriors. Each level has 5 doors and a member must enter in the correct door to proceed to the next level until they reach the warrior master. He/she will have three tries before going back at the start to let the other teams try.

What’s nice about this is that Jess and Lani can still catch up because there’s only one team that can do the roadblock at a time. Hehehe. Other than that, it’s such an easy task.

Michelle chose to do it for her team. They still have their taxi with them to lead them to the course.

The Richards finally completed their archery task and RHER chose to do the roadblock.

Meanwhile, Jess and Lani were still lost and they couldn’t figure out the map. Lani was already stressed from driving around. Finally they found and asked a taxi to lead them to the detour task.

Hussein and Natasha were finally done with archery and Natasha chose to do the roadblock.

Trailing behind

Jess and Lani finally got to the archery range and they chose themselves as their targets. Hahaha. Way to go girls. They quickly completed hitting their targets as the other teams were still figuring out the warrior code.

At the roadblock, it was RHAR who got to finish the course first. They hurried off to their next destination which was the pit stop at Anapji Pond after giving Natasha some money for the taxi.

Michelle finished the detour next and they caught up with the Richards at the parking lot. It seemed that they didn’t hire their taxi any more. Probably ran out of money?

Natasha cracked the code next and they still had their taxi with them to lead them to the pit stop.

At this point, Lani completed the roadblock after three attempts. At first she didn’t know what to do as she tried to outran the warriors after each wrong guess. Hahaha. Cute Lani.

Michelle and Claire got lost on the way to the pit stop that they had to stop and ask a local for directions. A bad time to get lost.

Unfortunately for the Richards, the Indonesians can’t get lost with their taxi leading the way and for the first time, Hussein and Natasha arrived first at the Pit Stop. Good job guys. You deserve it!

Jess and Lani couldn’t catch up as they came in last and got eliminated. Ouch. Don’t worry girls, we’re really proud of you.

Hussein and Natasha – 7-night vacation package at Hilton Maldives
Richard and Richard
Michelle and Claire
Jess and Lani (eliminated)

Thoughts:

Well, it is the end of the road for Jess and Lani. They were doing good at the start of the leg but they got lost big time going to the detour. Sigh. I pegged them to be the most likely to win the race. Was it karma for what they did at the airport in Indonesia? They should’ve paid the taxi like the other teams. It’s really difficult to travel around a non-English speaking country.

Oh well, we still have the Richards.

Hussein and Natasha really surprised me. Using a taxi all throughout the leg really paid off for them. It was also good that they were the third team to finish the task or else the other teams would just follow them.

It’s a good final three. All teams are evenly matched. Michelle and Claire silently made their way to the top three. Who would’ve thought right? I’m still rooting for the Richards though. Go Philippines.

I’ll be skipping the episode next week which will be featuring the best moments of TARA 4. I’ll be in Vietnam by then but I’ll be back in time for the finale.

Philippines welcomes Singapore’s Michelle Ng

Calvin — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 11:00:43 +0000

If you don’t know who Michelle S. Ng is then maybe one, you’re not a fan of The Amazing Race Asia or two, you’re not Singaporean and you don’t watch a lot of TV in Singapore.

Michelle Ng is a 23-year old Singaporean model/actress who joined the current season of The Amazing Race Asia (4) as part of Team SG with her gal pal Claire. When I saw her at the SM North Edsa last weekend we got to chat a bit and she told me that she decided to move here in the Philippines.

We got into a question and answer session via Facebook not to talk about her experience with TARA but to learn more about her big move to try make a name here in the Philippines. Enjoy!

Calvin: What made you decide to move here in the Philippines?

Michelle: I’m blessed and am very lucky to have travelled to many parts of the world and take in different cultures, meet different people from all walks of life and make new friends. But no country has ever had an effect on me like the Philippines; to want to actually move here. Many locals are still appalled by the love that I have for the Philippines, but, I am truly loving it here.

Calvin: Wow! We Pinoys warmly welcome you! So what are your plans here in the near future?

Michelle: It is a huge risk to take, to leave my acting career in Singapore and start from 1 again in the Philippines. But I’m young- it’s now or never. I’m planning to put my 7 years of experience in the entertainment industry to the test. Hopefully you get to see more of me here in the Philippines. Haha. And of course, am learning Tagalog right now.

Calvin: Would love to ask what Rovilson and the other TARA peeps are teaching you but anyway, do you have any showbiz stints coming up here? Commercials? Modeling? Tv shows?

Michelle: A lot of projects are still in discussion. But I’ll be shooting my very first job here this weekend for a Telecom commercial. =) It’s just a support role, but like I said; I got to start from 1 again.

Calvin: That’s for Globe Telecom folks so watch out for it. This next question is for your male Filipino fans out there, do you have a boyfriend? If not, are you open to having a Filipino boyfriend?

Michelle: I’m single. Boyfriends aren’t really a priority for me to have now, my main goal is still to build my career. But, with such things, you never know. Filipino boyfriend? Why not? If he can please my parents, he’s won half the battle. Haha.

Calvin: Take note guys. Ok last question, what’s the best Filipino dish that you’ve tried already?

Michelle: CHICKEN ADOBO!!!! Ohhh yummm! Hahahaha. And Rice Vermicelli Noodles (pansit bihon/canton)… YUMMMMMMM…. but but but… my favorite of all time… wait for it….. JOLLIBEE!!!! I LOVE JOLLIBEE!!!!!!!!!!

Hahaha. Go Jollibee!

There you have it guys. Let’s give Michelle a very warm welcome and expect her to appear on our TV screens soon. Feel free to check out her website or follow her on Twitter. Fun girl. Thanks Michelle for answering the questions!

Met with some of the TARA 4 Racers in SM North Edsa

Calvin — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 04:33:00 +0000

Last Saturday, there was this Amazing Race Asia event at SM North Edsa. I wasn’t able to sign up for the actual mini-race so we just went there to see the racers again. I heard that other teams will be there.

When we got there, the mini-race was underway. I guess I’m kinda cool with not being able to join that race. It looked really tiring. Lots of teams running around the mall accomplishing tasks.

I was surprised to see Between Bites blogger, Jane Chua, doing one of the tasks. For those who don’t know, she was also part of the mini-race a couple of years ago. Hmm, how come my friend and TARA fan, Marc, was not able to get into the race?

Anyway after shooting some photos around, we went backstage where we saw Lani of Team Philippines. It’s cool that she remembered me, well my face anyway. Hahaha. She’s really cute and bubbly and energetic. She told me that her buddy Jess was running late.

The Richards were also there and even though they were smothered by fans they tried really hard to accommodate them all until they were called on stage. Really nice and outgoing guys. They even tried the pendulum-thingy ride. And they also went to the photo booth with some of the fans to get some pictures taken. These two guys are cool in my book.

Aside from Team Philippines, Michelle of Team Singapore, Ethan of Team Malaysia and Alan of Team HK were also at the event.

Seems like Alan had a lot of girl fans here. I wonder where her partner Wendy’s at.

Ethan was also very nice especially to those who want to take photos with him. He even excused himself out of an interview when he saw a mom and his son looking at him waiting for an opportunity to take a photo.

It was hard to take a photo of Michelle since she was always inside the cordoned area. She was nice though when I called her out for a photo and she remembered me from the Vibram Five Fingers event. I was able to chat with her a bit before other fans asked her for photos. She said she’s moving here in the Philippines.

We didn’t stay long to see who won the mini-race. We just listened to the racers being interviewed on stage and headed out after some more photos.

Marc and Chichi, it was nice seeing you again. Sorry hindi na ako nakapag-paalam.

Here are some more photos of the event.

TARA 4 time tonight. Too bad I can’t join another viewing party if there’s one since I’m at Coron right now.

The Amazing Race Asia 4 Episode 9

Calvin — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:06:40 +0000

And we’re down to the final 5 teams as we start this leg. Leading the pack are still Team Philippines Jess and Lani followed by the Richards. Despite starting at the same foot in the last leg, they still manage to go number 1 and 2.

Currently at the last spot are Indonesian father and daughter tandem, Hussein and Natasha. But their luck might change as it’s rumored that they might be headed home for this episode. Let’s see how things pan out and if somebody’s going home after this leg.

Fly to Bali, Indonesia

At 4:43 AM, Jess and Lani got their clue which was to fly to Bali, Indonesia. From there, they must travel by fast boat to Lombok and search the fishing village for their next clue. The first fast boat will only carry 2 teams and the rest will be on the second boat which will depart 30 minutes later.

An hour later, the Richards departed for the airport. The other three teams followed shortly.

Even at an early time, Jess and Lani got a flight and were the only teams to board the first plane out to Bali. The rest of the teams got in the second plane out.

Arriving in Bali and tension between two teams

Jess and Lani landed in Bali at 6PM and when they got to the fast boat operator, they found out that the boat will leave at 7AM the following morning so they just signed up for the first boat and stayed at a hotel.

At 10 PM, the other teams arrived. Michelle and Claire, the Richards, and Ethan and Khairie got out of the airport quickly and got a taxi. Hussein and Natasha seemed to be taking things slowly.

Somehow, the three teams bunched up at a police station to ask for directions. Ethan convinced the other two teams to sign up for the 2nd boat and hope they get to leave first. All three teams agreed not knowing there’s already a pre-set time of departure for each boat.

When they got to the fast boat operator, Ethan was the first at the blackboard and when he saw that the first boat will be the one leaving early, he just signed up their team and apologized profusely to the other two teams especially the Richards.

The Richards were pissed. RHAR said that they should be on the first boat. If they only knew about the time, he could outrun Ethan to the board. He left the group to get some rest while Ethan was feeling pretty bad all the while. Eventually, RHAR cooled off and accepted Ethan’s apology.

Searching Lombok

Morning arrived and Ethan was still feeling kinda bad. They got on the first boat with Jess and Lani and when they get to Lombok, they started searching for the clue at the small fishing village.

The clue was hidden in a boat near the beach covered with some net but the teams started searching in the village itself. It took them a while but Jess and Lani found the clue first. They hid somewhere to read it but it Ethan heard them and was able to get the clue as well.

At this point, the 2nd boat was just arriving.

Head to Pura Meru

Next up is to travel by taxi to the Pura Meru temple and get their next clue from the priest.

Jess and Lani were ahead with Ethan and Khairie close behind them as they left the village.

The last three teams also started searching for the clue in the village. However, the Richards found the clue first and too bad for them, Hussein and Natasha saw them. They left the village leaving Michelle and Claire clueless.

I think the locals tipped our racers as to where the clues are located. Anyway, Michelle and Claire eventually got their clue.

There’s no such thing as free ride

While looking for a taxi outside the village, the Richards stopped a private vehicle to ask for directions. However, the driver offered them a ride to Pura Meru instead which they accepted. It’s free anyway! When Hussein and Natasha got onboard a taxi, they wondered if what the Richards did was against the rules.

Jess and Lani were still in the lead when they received their next clue. Ethan and Khairie were still close behind them.

Head to Pura Lingsar

Next is for teams to travel to Pura Lingsar which is another temple where they will get their next clue.

When the Richards arrived at Pura Meru, they were told that they can’t travel on a private vehicle. They had to go back to the fishing village and touch the boat where the clues was located then take a taxi back to Pura Meru. Oh no! This is really bad news for the boys. They had no choice but to comply.

For some reason, Ethan and Khairie managed to arrive at Pura Lingsar first. They had to cross the courtyard where there were people at the sides throwing powder and stuff at them. I feel sorry for the teams who got hit in the face.

Anyway, they got their clue with Jess and Lani trailing behind them shortly.

Detour: Above or Beyond

In Above, teams must go to a vegetable stall in Pasar Mandalika market. They must deliver a basket of vegetables by carrying it on top of their head. They must not use their hand at all or they had to go back to the starting point.

In Beyond, teams must go to a Chinese cemetery and search for Fam Sam Moy’s grave. This one’s tough. You know how disorganized rural cemeteries can be.

The first two teams chose Above. However, when Ethan saw that they can’t use their hands while carrying the basket, they immediately switched to Beyond.

Back to the Richards. Their taxi got lost while going to the fishing village. Instead of going near the beach, they found their taxi travelling in dirt roads going inland. Oh no. It was getting frustrating for them. At this point, Michelle and Claire were done at Pura Lingsar.

Basket of produce? No problemo

Ethan and Khairie arrived at the cemetery and they had no idea how to systematically search for the grave.

At the market, Jess and Lani were able to complete the task without having to go back. This got them back to first place. Yay. Go girls!

Go to Malimbu Beach

Next task is for teams to go to Malimbu Beach where they will find their next clue.

Back at the market, Hussein and Natasha were able to complete the task after a couple of tries. They got their clue and are now in second place. On the way back to their taxi, they passed by Michelle and Claire who were having trouble with their baskets.

At the cemetery, Ethan and Khaire were still looking for the correct grave.

The Richards finally got to the fishing village and they hurriedly touch the boat at the beach. They quickly told their driver to get them back to Pura Meru.

Michelle and Claire were finally done with their vegetable delivery while Ethan and Khairie were still searching at the cemetery.

Jess and Lani arrived at Marimbu Beach and found the clue box without any problem.

Roadblock: Dive Halik Reef

Teams must travel by outrigger to Gili Trawangan island. There they must ride a cimodo which is a horse cart and go to a scuba diving school. One member must take a crash course in scuba diving. Then they must take a boat to Halik Reef and one member must go scuba diving to look for a briefcase.

Jess chose to do the roadblock for their team.

Now this is a race

The Richards finally finished Pura Meru and they were off to Pura Lingsar. Ethan and Khairie were still looking for the grave.

After Pura Lingsar, the Richards chose Above and were headed to the market. At this point, Ethan and Khairie gave up at the cemetery and decided to switch back to the Above task instead.

The Richards arrived at the market first and they finished their delivery quickly without having to go back. When they made their way back, they saw Ethan and Khairie just starting with the task and that really gave them hope. Go Richards! They’re back in the game.

Jess was done with her scuba lessons as Hussein and Natasha were just arriving. Michelle and Claire were trailing a little bit behind. Hussein and Claire chose to do the roadblock for their respective teams.

Ethan and Khairie managed to catch up with the Richards as they boarded their outrigger at Malimbu Beach.

There was some lull time for the teams as their partners were searching for the briefcase underwater. Lani was dancing in front of the camera. Natasha was thinking that she should be chilling with her friends instead of her dad in that place.

Jess found her briefcase first as Claire just started to dive. Hussein found his briefcase 5 minutes later.

Ethan and Khairie arrived first at diving school with the Richards trailing shortly behind.

Let’s count some money

With the briefcase, teams must go back to the diving school by horse cart and count the money inside the briefcase. Jess and Lani were still in the lead but Hussein and Natasha were just right behind them.

Teams must enter the correct amount on a Sony Vaio laptop to get their next clue. They have three guesses to get the right answer. After the first guess, there’s a 10-minute countdown and they must get the answer right within that time on their next 2 guesses. Else, they need to wait 10 minutes before they can guess again.

Khairie found the briefcase first for his team and RHAR found theirs shortly.

There was poor editing done at the money counting task. We didn’t get to know exactly how many guesses each team made or who had to wait for 10-minutes to guess again.

Jess and Lani finished first as they were able to get it right on their second guess. Shortly after, Hussein and Natasha got the right answer as well. That leaves Michelle and Claire counting their money while waiting for the last two teams.

To the Pit Stop

Next task is to take a horse cart again to get to Sunset Point which is the Pit Stop for this leg.

The Richards were the last to arrive for the counting task. Pressure situation.

Jess and Lani were still in the lead with their horse cart but the Indonesians are right behind them. Luckily, it was only a one lane road and they didn’t allow the other team’s horse cart to overtake them.

Jess and Lani arrived at the Pit Stop first and they let Hussein and Natasha join them at the finish mat. Great job girls! Good job Hussein and Natasha.

The great comeback

Back at the counting task, Michelle and Claire got the correct answer on their third try. The Richards and Ethan and Khairie were making wrong guesses. It was a real stressful situation because they don’t know when the other team will finish and this really affected their counting.

Eventually, the Richards got it right with seconds to spare on their 10-minute countdown. They left for the pit stop quickly.

Poor editing. It was funny that TARA showed the Richards having trouble with their horse who kept on stopping for no reason. They made it look like Ethan and Khairie can catch up even with the Richards’ stubborn horse.

It’s clear though that it was already late in the afternoon when Ethan and Khairie finished counting their money. Ethan was at the viewing party here in Manila and he said that it took them 5 attempts to get the right amount. That sealed the deal for their team.

Episode 9 pit stop – Sunset Point, Gili Trawangan

Jess and Lani – each gets a year’s supply of petrol from Caltex
Hussein and Natasha (close second)
Michelle and Claire
Richard and Richard
Ethan and Khairie (eliminated)

Thoughts:

I would say that Ethan was thinking of karma after they got eliminated. I wonder if they offered the Richards their spot at the first boat. Anyway, they shouldn’t have spent that much of a time at the cemetery before deciding to switch.

I’m really surprised with Jess and Lani. They don’t appear strong and competitive yet they always amaze me. I really like their fun and light attitude on the race.

The Richards had the greatest comeback of the race. They were probably an hour and a half behind before they reached the fishing village. It was hard to look for that place because it wasn’t written on the clue. Remember that the fast boat already knew where to take them so going back from Pura Maru was a challenge.

Props to Hussein and Natasha. I doubt if being in their home country gave them an advantage. They just finished their tasks without running into any problems.

Overall, it was a really good episode because of the Richards come-from-behind win. Task-wise, they’re pretty easy. There were a lot of “go to tasks” without any challenge to find the clues at all. The counting money as the end task was the killer and it provided the suspense for this leg.

I’m fearing that the Richards might still be the last team next week. It looks like they are far behind Michelle and Claire. However, I think there’s still one more non-elimination round right? That would probably be next week.

The Amazing Race Asia 4 Episode 8

Calvin — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 16:51:01 +0000

This leg is the continuation of the last one which was the first (and possibly the only) virtual pit of the race. Teams are in Sydney, Australia with Fil-Australian team Jess and Lani leading the pack followed closely by the Richards. Natasha and Hussein will be trailing by 4 hours as they took the penalty for not completing the last roadblock.

I won’t be surprised if Natasha and Hussein will be the next team to be eliminated unless of course they manage to catch up if the teams will be encountering a Hours of Operation or they all had to wait for a flight at the airport.

Let’s see how it will turn out for Natasha and Hussein.

Fly to Brisbane

As luck would have it, the first task is for teams to fly to Brisbane, Australia and look for marked vans for their clue. Since it was already evening, it’s highly possible that flights would resume in the morning.

Jess and Lani arrived a teeny bit late to make the last flight out at 9:30 PM. The next flight was in the morning at 6:05 AM. After the Richards, it was a two-hour gap from the rest of the teams. Even Hussein and Natasha, much to their delight, caught up when they arrived at the airport at around 5AM. So much for the Team Philippines’ lead.

Landing in Brisbane, Jess and Lani hurriedly went out the door and got into their vans before other teams could follow them.

Make My Day

Their next destination was the Southport Indoor Pistol Club where they each member had to fire a .44 magnum pistol and hit two red targets.

Jess and Lani were able to get to the firing range without any trouble. Having some experience in shooting, Jess managed to hit the targets in just two shots. She was even disappointed that she couldn’t fire the pistol anymore. Lani didn’t have any trouble as well and they were out of the parking lot where they saw the Richards arriving.

Eagle Eye

Next stop is at Dreamworld Fun Park where teams must ride the highest free fall in the world. While on top, they had to search the grounds for a koala mascot waving a race flag and take a picture of it with a Sony Cyber-shot camera. They have to take the shot before the ride drops or else they need to go up again.

The Richards arrived at the pistol club followed by Ethan and Khairie. The gun instructor were impressed with the Richards for finishing the task quickly. But Ethan and Khairie were no slouch either as they were just behind by a few minutes.

Michelle and Claire finished the task before the last two teams arrived.

Sunaina and Dimple eventually arrived and completed the task without running into Hussein and Natasha.

Still doing good

Jess and Lani almost missed the shot of the koala bear mascot as Lani had trouble operating the camera. Luckily, they took the shot on time just before the ride dropped. They were off before they saw the other teams. Go girls!

Roadblock: Who is the most driven

Teams must then make their way to the WRX Experience Rally Circuit. A member must ride a rally car and complete the circuit in less than 1:42 or else go do the track again.

Back at the pistol club, Hussein and Natasha finally arrived. You gotta see Hussein’s face when he was shocked at the sound as he fired the pistol. Anyway, it took them more than the average time before they hit the targets.

At Dreamland, the Richards were able to complete the shot in one go. And so does Ethan and Khairie who were just behind them.

When it was Claire and Michelle’s turn to do the freefall ride, they weren’t able to see the koala mascot on their first go so they had to do it again. Claire was talking about how she didn’t like the ride at all. Unfortunately, they had to do it again before getting the picture on the third go.

Sunaina and Dimple went the wrong way going to Dreamland.

Slowly gaining

Jess and Lani were the 1st team at the track. Lani didn’t make the time on her first round missing it by just 2 seconds. At this point, the Richards finally arrived and RHAR wasted no time getting into the rally car.

Lani zoomed like a pro from the starting line on her second attempt while RHAR took off like a grandpa according to Jess. Hahaha. Lani completed the circuit on her second attempt with 2 seconds to spare and the girls were off.

Dig for their clue

Next up is for teams to head to Kurrawa Beach and dig under the sand on a marked area for their clue. This will be a hard task for the latter teams since there will be less and less clues to find.

On his second attempt at the circuit, RHAR got it with a time of 1:41. Ethan finished the course on his first attempt with 2 seconds to spare just as Michelle suited up.

For the last two teams, Sunaina and Dimple arrived at Dreamland before the Indonesians. However, they had to go back up one more time to get the shot.

Hussein and Natasha eventually arrived and they completed the Cyber-shot task in one go.

At the race track, Michelle got it on her first try. She was the fastest at 1:39. Way to go Michelle!

It looked like it’s going to rain already when Jess and Lani arrived at Kurrawa beach. They were surprised when they found out that they had to dig with toy shovels. It was taking a bit long before Lani eventually found a clue and before the other teams got there. So far so good girls.

Detour: Bush Hunter or Bush Chucker

Teams must then drive to this area where some aborigines are hanging out. They must paint their face aborigine style before doing the detour.

In Bush Hunter, teams must hit a bale of hay with a hunting spear once. In Bush Chucker, teams must throw a boomerang and it must land on the way back within a circular area. Afterwards, one member must eat a freshly killed, gross, fat worm before receiving their clue.

At the rally circuit, Dimple was able to complete the course in one go with a time of 1:41. They were off before Hussein and Natasha arrived. Natasha finished the task in one go as well with a time of 1:40.

Thanks for the help

The Richards arrived at Kurrawa Beach where they started digging with their toy shovels. Shortly after, Ethan and Khairie arrived. The Richards found a clue first but unknowingly, they also unearthed another one which Ethan luckily saw.

Lost big time

On their way to Kurrawa Beach, Sunaina and Dimple were lost again. They were far off from the correct direction as some locals they asked where unfamiliar of the place. One guy eventually told them that they were an hour and a half away from the beach. Yikes!

It’s not easy being a bushman

Jess and Lani arrived at the bushmen place first and they quickly painted each other’s face. They eventually found that it was not easy to throw a hunting spear.

The Richards got lost and had to ask for directions. This allowed Ethan and Khairie to get to the task before them who also chose to do Bush Hunter.

Seeing Ethan and Khairie, Jess and Lani decided to switch to Bush Chucker. It took them quite a while before Lani was able to chuck the boomerang correctly. Luckily for them, Ethan and Khairie were still trying to hit the bale of hay. After some hesitation and pleading from Jess, Lani ate a big, fat worm to get their next clue.

Next task is to get to the Pit Stop at Kangaroo Point.

Hussein and Natasha managed to arrive at Kurrawa Beach and find the clue before Sunaina and Dimple arrived. They think that they were still the last team.

It was already raining when the Richards get to the bushmen. At this point, Ethan and Khairie were not having any luck with the spears so they switched to boomerangs. Ethan eventually got to land the boomerang correctly and asked Khairie to eat the worm which he did easily while Michelle and Claire were looking at him disgusted.

Michelle and Claire went on to chucking boomerangs as the Richards hit the bale of hay. RHER ate the gummi worms and they were off before the girls were done.

Sunaina and Dimple eventually arrived at Kurrawa Beach and they managed to find the clue as the tide was closing in.

It was up to Michelle to eat the worm who was really disgusted after seeing it move even as the head was already cut off. She asked Claire to count her in before she gulped the thing down. She looked cute afterwards. Hahaha.

The Richards managed to catch up with Ethan and Khairie on their way to the pit stop. Ethan and Khairie saw them and not wanting to take any chances, they to stopped and asked for a local to hop in and point them the way while the Richards zoomed on.

Natasha and Hussein who were doing the Bush Hunting switched to Bush Chucking as well and they completed the task with Hussein calmly eating the worm. Sunaina and Dimple are still nowhere to be seen.

The Richards managed to get ahead of Ethan and Khairie who fell into third place.

It was already evening when Hussein and Natasha arrived at the pit stop and Natasha couldn’t believe that they were team number 5.

Sunaina and Dimple were summoned to the pit stop without doing the detour anymore.

Episode 8 Pit Stop – Kangaroo Point

Jess and Lani – 4-night ski package for two at Hilton Village in Japan.
Richard and Richard
Ethan and Khairie (won fastest bed-making back at Hilton get a free upgrade to suite on their next stay at a Hilton Hotel).
Claire and Michelle
Hussein and Natasha
Sunaina and Dimple (eliminated)

Thoughts:

Go Team Philippines. I’m really happy for Jess and Lani who still managed to come in first even when all teams started on the same foot. I guess homecourt advantage really helps as they didn’t seem to encounter any problem getting to each destinations. You just got to love their attitude on this race.

Props to the Richards for being the only team to accomplish the Bush Hunter task. Now if only they can shake off Ethan and Khairie.

Speaking of Bush Hunter, the detour here was pretty balanced. Physically fit would finish the hunting spear easily while those who don’t have the strength can go with the boomerangs.

Too bad for Sunaina and Dimple, those wrong ways really took them out of the game.

The first four teams look very strong and each of them deserves to be in the top three. Tune in next week for the next leg. I’m guessing it’s time for Hussein and Natasha to go home.

The Amazing Race Asia 4 Episode 7

Calvin — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 17:51:22 +0000

Ivan and Hilda are out and the teams are down to six. They’re currently in New Zealand and leading the pack are the Richards who still have a nice lead and brining in the rear are Ethan and Khairie and Sunaina and Dimple.

I would like to point out that I watched this leg with other Filipino TARA fans on a viewing party hosted by Jess and Lani who were present along with Rich Herrera. Digital Spidey has the photos.

Let’s get this show started.

Slalom time

First task is for teams to travel by foot up the peak and ski down a slalom course without falling over. The Richards got there first and was able to complete the task in good time despite being their first time to ski. They finished before the next team arrived.

Detour: Pen or Pinot

In Pen, teams must herd 3 marked sheep among a flock of 15 sheep into a pen. This one can be pretty easy or quite frustrating because sheep can get really stubborn and teams will just end up chasing them around. Just learned that the plural of sheep is also sheep.

In Pinot, teams must roll an empty but heavy barrel of wine up a steep hill and then fill it with wine from a nearby winepress using only a bucket and a funnel. This one’s physically tasking and can take a lot of trips back and forth because of the small container.

The Richards not wanting to deal with animals anymore after the pig chasing task in Episode 5 chose to do Pinot.

Hussein and Natasha managed to complete the slalom without much action. Claire had to do it again because she skied on the sides instead of between the poles. Jess and Lani really enjoyed themselves skiing down the slope while making fun of themselves.

Hussein and Natasha chose to do Pinot. Claire and Michelle and Jess and Lani chose to do sheep.

Ethan and Khairie and Sunaina and Dimple looked like they’re having a good time on the snow. They kept on falling especially Sunaina and Dimple. Ethan and Khairie managed to finish first while the Indians were still having trouble completing the course.

At the winery, it took the Richards 10 trips filling the wine barrel. They were frustrated at themselves for taking that long to do the task. I think it’s still better for them than doing sheep. They were done just as Hussein and Natasha arrived.

Message to families

After the detour, teams must mail a recorded message they did with a Sony Handycam during their mandatory rest. They need to drive to Arrowtown Post Office and mail their videos to receive their clue.

On the way to the sheep pen, Michelle and Claire were ahead of Jess and Lani. When they saw that Jess and Lani were just following them, they tried to lose them. They succeeded but what they didn’t know was that they took a wrong turn instead.

Jess and Lani were the first to arrive at the sheep task. Turned out the Claire and Michelle were the one who got lost. At first, Jess and Lani were having trouble leading the marked sheep to the pen. Luckily, a group of sheep managed get inside the pen by themselves and two of them were marked.

Claire and Michelle finally arrived wondering how Jess and Lani got there before them.

It didn’t take long for the Richards to find the post office and send their videos. RHAR was missing his girlfriend and ended up tearing. Hehe. Too bad he wasn’t at the viewing party.

Fly to Sydney

Teams must then fly to Sydney, Australia and get to Circular Quay. There they must look for the correct man with an umbrella and ask the question “Got a clue about the weather, mate?” before they will receive their next clue.

Jess finally coaxed a third marked sheep inside the pen while Claire and Michelle were having troubles of their own. Only thing left to do was to herd the unmarked sheep out of the pen. Jess had to literally drag the last one out. Hahaha. They were off while Claire and Michelle can’t even get one inside a pen.

The Richards got to the airport and manage to get a 12:30 PM flight via Auckland and will arrive in Sydney at 5:30 PM. According to the ticket counter, there’s no other flight after that. They didn’t bother checking other airlines.

After the post office, Jess and Lani were ecstatic that they will be flying to Sydney. Homecourt advantage! They stopped at a travel agency and was able to book a 3:45PM flight via Christchurch that will arrive in Sydney at 5:15 PM. 15 minutes ahead of the Richards. Way to go girls. Good thinking with the travel agent.

Michelle and Claire gave up on the sheep and switched to Pinot just as Ethan and Khairie arrived.

Hussein and Natasha finished the Pinot task when they saw Michelle and Claire having trouble rolling their barrel up the hill.

It was fun watching Ethan and Khairie herding the sheep. They were able to finish ahead of Sunaina and Dimple who were just starting.

Team Philippines leading the pack

The Richards were on the first plane out while Jess and Lani were on the second one but will arrive earlier than the Richards.

The last four teams caught up with each other at the airport and boarded the same direct flight to Sydney at 4:30 PM. Unfortunately due to bad weather, their flight got delayed and their expected time of arrival was 7:30PM. Good for team Philippines.

Where’s the umbrella man?

It was already dark and raining when Jess and Lani landed at Sydney. This made it harder for them to look for the correct man with an umbrella. Even though they’re only 15 minutes ahead, they know the area and got to the Circular Quay fast.

After a lot of asking, Jess finally found the correct dude even before they saw the Richards.

Hilton Bedmaking Challenge

In this task, teams must make their way to the Hilton Hotel and arrange a bed in 3 minutes the Hilton way. They must accomplish it within 4 attempts and if they fail, they will take a 10-minute penalty.

Jess and Lani weren’t able to complete the task so they just laid on the bed to rest while waiting for their 10 minutes.

The Richards also had trouble looking for the umbrella man and were wondering if Jess and Lani or any other team were already in Australia with them.

The last batch of teams landed later in the evening. Ethan and Kharie and Claire and Michelle who kinda teamed up took the taxi while the other two teams took the train to Circulay Quay.

When the Richards arrived at the Hilton they were really surprised to see Jess and Lani who were just preparing to leave. They thought that they were the only team in Australia at that moment.

Roadblock: Flying Trapeze

Teams must then make their way to Sydney Olympic Park and one member must perform a flying trapeze routine. Jess decided to do the roadblock.

Bunching up

Of the last four teams, Ethan and Kharie were the first to find the umbrella man. They quietly called Michelle and Claire but the others saw them too so they got the clue right after the other.

They also arrived at the Hilton Hotel at the same time. Ethan and Khairie were the fastest to complete the bedmaking task but it was sloppy so it didn’t count. In short, nobody was able to complete the task and they all took the 10-minute penalty.

Back at the trapeze, Jess was having a hard time doing the routine after a few attempts. But when she saw the Richards arrive and waiting, she got her act on and completed it for their clue.

Race to Allan Wu

Next task is for teams to make their way to the Archibald Fountain in Hyde Park where Allan is waiting.

RHER knew what to do at the trapeze and after a nice boost, he completed it in just one attempt. Way to go Rich!

The last four teams

Since the last four teams arrived at the trapeze at the same time, they need to give way to the other team’s representative after a failed attempt. Natasha wasn’t feeling the task so her dad decided to do it. Uh-oh, Natasha seems to be the more agile and flexible one.

Anyway, all four racers were familiarizing the routine on their first attempt. Khairie forgot to bring his legs up. Hussein just can’t hook his leg to the bar. First to finish was Khairie after two attempts, then Michelle who did this cute boxing motion when she landed. Dimple banged her knee on the ledge but was able to complete it eventually.

Hussein just can’t do it. Seems like his muscles were already aching. Eventually, they decided to forego the task and take a 4-hour penalty. Yikes!

At the Pit Stop

Jess and Lani had no trouble finding Allan who told them they were the first team to arrive. They were too excited to be number one that they didn’t allow Allan to quickly hand them their next clue and and tell them that it was just a virtual pit stop. The girls looked confused but understood when Allan told them that the race was still on!

Ack! Poor girls! The episode ends and it will continue next week.

Thoughts

First of all, I’m proud of Team Philippines especially Jess and Lani for thinking of stopping by a travel agency instead of heading straight to the airport like the rest of the teams. Too bad it wasn’t a real pit stop and their efforts kinda got wasted. Oh well, the Richards are at close second anyway.

I enjoyed this episode despite the editing that made us think that the last four teams were just a bit behind the first two teams. It was a 2-hour lead and all teams kinda took the same time to find the umbrella guy and do the Hilton Hotel task.

I think the Detour was pretty balanced. You can’t go wrong on either task. I think the three-minute time for bedmaking was a bit harsh. The roadblock was fair in a way that other teams can take turns after a failed attempt.

I also got some laughs from Ethan and Khairie despite them being my least favorite team. Despite the 4-hour penalty, I think Hussein and Natasha will be able to catch up. I’m fearing that there will be another bunching up on the next episode but Jess and Lani would still probably do good as long as they’re in Sydney.

Tune in next week for the continuation of this leg.