The Amazing Race Asia Season 3 Concludes

Another season of TARA ends and (spoilers ahead, please stop reading if you don't know the winners yet)... team Hongkong wins! 2nd place again goes to Team Philippines. Third place goes to the team I was rooting for - Ida and Tania. I must say that I never expected Sam and Vince to go that far, their performance at the first leg, during the bus wash was disappointing, and I felt that they lacked both physical and mental strength. I guess I was wrong hehe ;)

I expected both Geoff/Tisha and Ida/Tania to make it to top 3 though so I'm 2/3 correct! :) I'm really proud of Ida and Tania because they were two girls who lead sheltered lives and are used to luxury, and yet they were able to really rise up to every challenge. They even picked several physically-intensive challenges that the others did not! (example: carrying that water all the way to the top, or hauling that cart full of breakable jars) I also admire their teamwork, they hardly fought.

I don't know why there is so much animosity towards Geoff, he's a nice guy, he was a good sport (esp. seen during the first leg). And in this competitive game, of course there will be things that he will do to get ahead of the race. Besides, at least he is more interesting than his overly serious girlfriend, Tisha.

Congratulations to Team Hongkong and hope next year will be a fun TARA season again!

The Amazing Race Asia Season 3 Episode 1 has kicked off... and it's a blast!

The first episode of The Amazing Race Asia Season 3 finally premiered this week and it was a blast! First destination? Thailand! The main challenges? Eating fried scorpions, frogs and roaches at a street-side area which Team India (both) and the Filipina vomited out later on, models were surprisingly not squeamish about it, the Filipino chomping away like a mad man. An EXTREMELY dirty bus, Ida saying her husband would be proud if he saw her clean it (and the rich duo did amazing well I must say, even though I'm sure they've never cleaned a car before), vertically-challenged Team Hong Kong the LAST to finish, Visa hardly cooperating as her beau washed with vigor, Brother and Siblings Bernie and Henry finishing first.

Then, a hunt for some tickets in a dark area with Golden Buddhas followed. For some, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack (ie. Tania and Ida). Sister and Brother, Team Philippines, and Thailand were the first three to finish. Team Philippines teamed up somewhat with Team Thailand, as they were leading the pack.

Then, a detour followed between RACE and RICE. Only 2 teams chose RACE initially, quite surprisingly. The dad and son duo and the heiress and the actress. Tania RIPPED IT in the race - even the buggy personnel praised her after giving her a ticket. Several teams changed from RICE to RACE after they realized how grueling pounding rice into paste could be.

At the last leg, team Thailand and team Philippines did a rock-paper-scissors to determine who gets to score their first 1st place of the race, an idea that funny guy Filipino model Geoff thought of. In the end, luck was on team Thailand (must have something to do with the fact that the leg was in Thailand) and they got a whopping $5000 they can use after the race. Team Philippines was a huge sport, and applauded them (although I'm guessing they had to be cursing themselves inward after). The Thailand couple, instead of enjoying the spoils of their victory, had an argument, which started when Visa acted like a b**** and said she wanted to quit.

Tania and Ida, the hilarious duo, ran towards the finish line, looking for their porters, and managed to score a decent fourth place. Neena and Amit were the last team to arrive because of their taxi cab mishap, although maybe if Neena didn't pressure the drivers to drive quickly all the time, the driver would not have gotten lost in the first place.

Favorite teams? I'm rooting for Team Philippines (they're a good sport, Geoff is funny as hell, Tish is super in it to win it), The Heiress and the Actress (because they're a wild card for me and they know how to have fun during the race), and Bernie and Henry (because their sibling relationship is quite adorable to watch).

At this point of the game, I must say that all the teams are still relatively likable. I think out of everyone, the only one I hate now is Visa. She was really lazy in all the challenges.

Observations? Did anyone notice how many of the contestants were models/actresses/TV personalities? Where's the variety in that? I do hope they're going to give their winnings to charity at the end of the race - a lot of them don't really seem to need the moolah anyway.

The Amazing Race Asia (TARA) Season 3 Contestants

The Amazing Race Asia Season 3 is finally here! And the makers say it's the toughest race ever! The contestants were introduced yesterday, and it's sure to be quite the cast. We have a handful of eccentrics, obsessive compulsive's; as always, the pretty faces; then we have the extremely competitive teams (who I surmise will be Team Korea); and finally, the heiress and the actress, who I'm currently rooting for - Ida Nerina (actress) and Tania Khan (heiress) of Malaysia.

Their chemistry together is just great! They're funny, witty, intelligent, and surprisingly, despite their social status, are not afraid to make an outright fool of themselves (Their answer to the superhero nickname was pretty funny - Ida saying she'll use the power of her big eyes, and Tania saying that she's going to use the power of her smile then laughing like hell after).

What I feel is most interesting about them is that they're totally clueless about this whole race thing. They haven't gone backpacking yet, and are only used to a glamorous way of traveling, complete with Four Season pillows! (the two actually asked TARA if they will be providing those huge thread-count comfy pillows for them). So it will be a laugh to see them adjust to this high-paced 'cowboy' race!

I'm guessing they're going to be like Danny and Oswald of Amazing Race 2, stopping by midway through the race to go shopping in a nearby boutique, or taking a sip of espresso at an outdoor cafe.