The Amazing Race Asia 4 and The Amazing Race 17 winners!

Richard (Hardin) & Richard (Herrera)

I think it's not too late for me to congratulate the winners of The Amazing Race Asia 4 and The Amazing Race 17 winners. Congratulations to Richard (Hardin) & Richard (Herrera) for winning TARA 4 and the amazing doctors Nat & Kat for winning The Amazing Race 17. Both teams have great positive attitudes and I'm glad to see them win.

Claire & Michelle (2nd place!)


Natasha & Hussein (3rd place!)

I would also like to congratulate Claire & Michelle and Natasha & Hussein from TARA4 for making it to the finish line. It was a tough race and they did pretty well despite all the setbacks. It was definitely a fun season and I hope we won't have to wait as long as we had before for another season of TARA. I don't have much to say about TAR 17 because I missed a few episodes of the show but from what I saw, Brook & Claire and Jill & Thomas who came in 2nd and 3rd in the race were good too. So I guess bravo to all of them!

Images courtesy of TARA website.

The Amazing Race Asia 4 ~ Goodbye Jess & Lani

It looks like getting extremely lost is a sure bet to get eliminated from the race. Dimple & Sunaina experienced it in Australia, and now the party girls from The Philippines, Jess & Lani experienced it in South Korea. It was an exciting episode, especially since South Korea is a beautiful country.

It was also an episode where the race started to 'force' the teams to hate each other. That was one part of the episode that I didn't like. It was unnecessary. I mean, it's okay for them to hate each other (for whatever reason), but the show didn't have to push it out from them. It kind of sad. Oh well, it's reality TV.

Aside from Hussein & Natasha, I think Jess & Lani is the team that shown most improvement in the race. Look where they started and look where they ended their race; 4th place. I applauded them for that. Beside that, I also like Jess attitude and personality. She seems like a nice person and she's very sensitive towards animals (sheeps anyone?) and other people's feelings. It's funny how I can see her like that because Lani seems more emotional than her. I may be wrong but with all that editing (of the show), that's how I see them.

Anyway, 2 more episodes and we know who the winning team would be. Great! Can't wait for that! May the best team wins!!!

The Amazing Race Season 4 ~ The journey so far

I completely love this season of TARA (well, I always do actually just like past seasons), and seeing the teams got eliminated one by one got me sad but somehow it also got me excited as we get closer in revealing the winner of this season.



I only posted about the 1st team eliminated from the race in my blog before, so here I'm gonna post about the rest of the teams that had been eliminated so far. First off was the 2nd team who got eliminated, in Sri Lanka, which is Alan & Wendy. Aside from constant bickering, this team just plain unlucky; they did got on the 1st bus to go to a designated place for a task, but unfortunately they were the last to arrive. That just proved that luck plays an important role in the race.



The 3rd team got eliminated was Manas & Sahil. Booted off in the Philippines, this team just...I don't know...seemed to lost their will to race. They looked tired. Maybe the race had taken a toll on them, I mean the race was pretty intense.



Next to went off the race was Ivan & Hilda. I kind of like this team, they were very entertaining. To see them packing in New Zealand was quite sad for me, since they are also Malaysian like me. I like Ivan spirit, competitiveness and over-much love for his wife. Some might labeled them as annoying (poor Hilda) but I think they just a loving, harmless couple. Very cute. ;-)



Sunaina & Dimple, the 5th to get booted off the race, was eliminated in Australia. I see them as a smart, independent, strong and very competitive team. They always try to be at the front of the pack. Unfortunately they got lost, really really lost, and this lead to their downfall in Australia.



The latest team who got eliminated from the race in this week episode of TARA was Ethan & Khairie. It was kind of shocking for me because I really see them as one of the strong team who got potential to get to the top 3. They made a bad choice in Detour, and couldn't bounce back ever since. I was quite sad to see them leave not just because they are Malaysian but also because they are one of my top 3 favourite teams. They were eliminated in Indonesia.

And now they are 4 teams left. I'm glad 2 of my favourite teams are still in the race, hopefully they will be in the top 3 as well. It has been a fun, exciting and entertaining race so far. Lucky for us fans there are more to come. May the best team wins!!!


Images courtesy of AXN.

Nadine & Yani are out from TARA 4

Yes, the lovable and dramatic duo Nadine & Yani is the 1st team to be eliminated from The Amazing Race Asia season 4. I was kind of sad to see them leave as they add quite a drama to the season. They work well together, unfortunately not well enough to avoid elimination.

I was beginning to warm up to the teams for this season after watching episode 2, and to be frank, they are all very entertaining. All of them have their own strengths and weaknesses. The Malaysian teams (Ivan/Hilda and Ethan/Khairie) did pretty well thus far and the Singaporean girls (Claire/Michelle) and the Indian teams (Dimple/Sunaina and Manas/Sahil) were pretty good too. But the team to watch this season, in my opinion, is the Philippines boys (Rich/Rich). They argue a bit here and there, they got lost easily, but they still manage to come in 2nd place for both 1st and 2nd leg of the race. If they keep up the momentum, they could win the race.

I do have a bit of a problem though about this season of TARA, I can't remember the contestant's names! I have to search the internet every time I want to type their names. The only teams that I remember are Ivan/Hilda and Rich/Rich (the latter team is easy right?). I don't think I have much of a problem in last season. Either their names are hard to remember or I am getting old. I'm not that old right? Right?

Anyways, it's a great season so far and hopefully things will get more and more exciting.

TARA 4...coming really soon!!!

Here something to post about.

The Amazing Race Asia Season 4 is coming!!! It will premiere on 23 Sept. 2010 on AXN Asia at 9pm for Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia and India; 10pm for Hong Kong; and 11pm for Taiwan and Korea.

The racers had been revealed a week back and as usual, they took a couple of local celebrities for this season (they always does!). So far, the teams that I'm quite interested in are Claire/Michelle from Singapore, Nadine/Hilyani from Indonesia and Richard/Richard from Philippines. I wonder if they will go far in the competition. Overall, this season have 2 teams from India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines each, 1 team from Singapore and 1 team from Hong Kong.

By the way, you can watch the premiere episode for this season on their website starting today! Click here to go to the webpage. May the best team wins!

TARA 4 is coming!!!

At last! After a long wait, The Amazing Race Asia 4 is finally going to happen! You think you got what it takes to win this race? If your answer is YES, then apply to be one of the team for this incredible adventure. Just click here to learn more about it.

The Amazing Race Asia always give me a different kind of excitement compared to its original US counterpart. I'm not sure what, but it surely felt different. I wonder why it was delayed for so long?

TARA 3 memories

Ok guys, I know TARA 3 has already finish but the excitement still hasn't gone yet. So tonight AXN will air TARA 3 Memories to look back at the activities that the teams did outside of the race. This should be fun! So don't forget tonight's show TARA fans!

Vince & Sam the winners of TARA3!!!

Finally, we have the winners! Congratulations to Vince & Sam for winning The Amazing Race Asia season 3!!! I had goosebumps watching them racing to the last pit stop.

And here is my review for the last leg of TARA3.




Teams first started off making their way to Muscat Office for their next clue. Then, they must make their way to Said's Camel Farm and transfer 10 camels into a holding pit before they can get their next clue. Ida & Tania completed the task without having much trouble while Sam & Vince were really struggling with their camels. And I think Tisha looked really cute while pulling and communicating with the camels to get them into the holding pit.





Next, the final Roadblock. Teams must drive to Uber Sands and use a metal detector to locate a key that will unlock a box containing their next clue. The teams vehicles got stuck in the sand quite several times. The wheather was too hot and the tire became soft and buried in the sand. Ida & Tania were the worst team affected by this. After that, they must travel to Phuket, Thailand and take a taxi to Sam Kong Temple for their next clue. Ida & Tania made a bad flight choices and ended up stranded at the airport. This lead them to lost precious time and being the last team to arrive in Phuket behind Geoff & Tisha and Vince & Sam who were on the same flight.






Teams then made their way to Thai Trade Food Ice Factory and searched through a barrel of shaved ice to locate an ice cube before receiving their next clue. Teams then must go to Lam Hin Pier for their next clue. After that, they must take a traditional Thai long tail fishing boat and locate a fisherman who has their next clue.

Next, the final Detour. Teams must pick between Pull and Plunge. In Pull, teams must locate a marked oyster in an oyster farm and exchange it for their next clue. In Plunge, teams must dive and search the sea floor for giant clamshell. They will find a pearl inside the clamshell and must exchange it for their next clue. Vince & Sam and Geoff & Tisha completed the Pull task while Ida & Tania chose Plunge. Ida & Tania really enjoyed themselves in the water.





After that, the final task. Teams must dig in a marked area in Rang Yai Beach for a buried treasure chest. The 1st team to place their treasure chest on the map at the final pit stop will be the winner of The Amazing Race Asia season 3 and also win USD100,000.

And as you guys already know by now (the title of this post is obvious enough), Vince and Sam are the winners of TARA 3 with Geoff & Tisha in 2nd place and Tania & Ida in 3rd place. It was an amazing race from the start to the finish. I also want to congratulate Geoff & Tisha and Tania & Ida for making it to the final. You guys race really well. Well done!

Any bold prediction?

So tonight is the finale of TARA 3. I can't wait! Who's gonna win it this time? The Philippines couple, Geoff & Tisha? The Malaysian moms Ida & Tania? The Hong Kong friends Sam & Vince?

In my humble opinion, all 3 teams had a good chance in winning this. My guess would be Geoff & Tisha 1st, Ida & Tania 2nd and Sam & Vince 3rd. But if based on favorites, of course I want Ida & Tania to win this race, they are my favourite team! But it could be Sam & Vince too based on Sony commercial. Argh...I don't know! Anyway, I don't really mind coz I think all 3 teams deserve to win. So I'm happy whatever the result will be.

Anything could happen in this race. You'll never know until you watch it to the end.

Let the countdown begins.

From India to Oman...and the Final 3!

We are almost at the end of the race. Here's my review of episode 10 of TARA 3.

Teams first made their way to Bhaja Caves to get their clue. Then they must travel by train and after they had arrived at the central railway station they must take note of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi near the station. Then they must make their way to a Standard Chartered bank branch for their next clue. At the bank, teams had to use an ATM card and the birth date of Mahatma Gandhi as the PIN number to get their next clue. If they didn't get the clue in 3 attempts, they will have to face 10 minute time penalty. Geoff & Tisha was the only team who got the penalty for failing to complete the task.




Teams then travelled to Muscat, Oman and they have to find a marked vehicle to know their next destination. After that, they must drive to Al Alam Palace to get the next clue which stated that they must make their way to Nizwah Fort for their next clue (sound confusing? I hope not. They didn't do any particular task so far except finding the clue box). At the Nizwah Fort however are a lot of clue boxes, and teams must search for the right clue box for their next clue.




Teams then headed for Mutrah Souq and faced with a Detour. This time, it's between Carpet and Count It. In Carpet, teams must match a unique piece of design on a carpet with the one caught on a Sony Cybershot camera. There are hundreds (I think) of carpets in the shop so this may be difficult. In Count It, teams must count the number of dried limes in a basket at a local perfume store. This may sound easy but they had not have enough rest or sleep so counting more than a thousand dried limes can be confusing. All teams completed Count It with Geoff & Tisha kept running back and forth between the 2 tasks when finally they chose to stick with Count It.





Teams then headed to Wadi Tanuf and unfortunately, all teams were lost. They worked together and finally found the place and the clue box. Teams then faced with a Roadblock. One team member must cross a canyon gap using Tyrolean traverse and get the clue hanging from the other side, and then make their way back. Ida and Geoff completed the Roadblock while Sam and Fuzzie failed to do so and incurred a 4 hour time penalty. I think it was not entirely Sam's and Fuzzie's fault. Sam is short so he must use a lot of energy to pull himself up as he was hanging lower from the main rope while Fuzzie is quite a big person so she had to use a lot of energy too to pull her body weight up. On the other hand, Ida and Geoff are both quite tall and slim so it will be easier for them to complete the Roadblock, at least that's what I think.




Teams then made their way by foot to the pit stop. Ida & Tania were 1st (yay!), Geoff & Tisha were 2nd and Sam & Vince were 3rd. Sam & Vince will also incurred a 4 hour time penalty at the beginning of the next leg. AD and Fuzzie were the last team to arrive and so were eliminated from the race.







I will miss AD & Fuzzie, they are such 'real' people. I'm so impressed that they managed to finish 4th in this race. Well done girls!

And so we have our final 3 teams. Sam & Vince will definitely have some disadvantage as they had the time penalty, hopefully hours of operation and flights delay will help them to catch up with the other 2 teams. But aside from that, I think all 3 teams have a good chance in winning this race. Good luck to all!!!

Crickets, pheta, jokes, pots, sugarcane...& U-Turn!

I'm back. Here's my review of TARA3 episode 9.

I know I'm more than a week late but bare with me...please!!!

I watched this episode with mixed feelings. We go into that later. First, let's find out what the teams did for this leg of the race.

Teams started off in Cochin, India. Then they must made their way to a local cricket stadium in Pune, west India for their next task. All teams made it on the same flight, then rushed for taxi when they arrived.

Their first task was to play a game of cricket. Teams must play against the local team and strike the boundary by hitting the board painted in race colors with the cricket ball. If teams failed to do so after 36 balls, they will face a 10 minute time penalty before they can have their next clue.




Then, teams must use the maps on the Nokia Navigator 6210 and use the directions to guide their auto rickshaw driver to the next destination, Shaniwar Wada. There, teams were faced with a Roadblock. In this Roadblock, one team member must search through a field of 50 men wearing a pheta, and locate the right pheta with the word "Correct" written inside.

After finding the right man with a "Correct" pheta, teams headed to the Sony World Showroom at Equity Tower for their next task, which was to convince someone to tell a joke and record it on a Sony Handycam. A group of judges will determine if the joke is funny enough before rewarding them with the next clue.




Next, Detour. In this Detour, teams must choose between Push and Crush. In Push, teams must load a cart with 75 pots and deliver at least 70 of them (without breaking them) to a market stall about 1km away. While in Crush, teams must crush enough sugarcane using a sugarcane juice cart (very ancient machine if u ask me) to fill 40 glasses and then sell the drinks and earn at least 200 rupees. All teams picked Crush while only Ida & Tania picked Push. Tough girls!






Then came the interesting part, U-Turn. If a team U-turned another team, the latter will have to complete the other Detour task before they can proceed. Geoff & Tisha once again in the spirit of playing the game had u-turned A.D & Fuzzie who were not far behind them. Before that, Sam wanted to u-turned Ida & Tania but Vince convinced him that they were already ahead of the other teams, so there was no need to use it (thank u and love u Vince!). Then, Ida & Tania wanted to u-turned Geoff & Tisha but they didn't bring the racers' pics so they just had to pass the opportunity.





Teams then headed for the pit stop at Gokhale Institute. Sam & Vince were 1st to arrive followed by Ida & Tania and Geoff & Tisha. As expected, after having to do both of the Detour tasks, A.D & Fuzzie arrived last at the pit stop. Luckily, they weren't eliminated because it was a pre-determined non-elimination leg. But they must come in first in the next leg or face with a 30 minute time penalty.



I feel bad for A.D & Fuzzie, they were already tired from the sugarcane task and they had to do the other task too. Pity. At first I was angry at Geoff & Tisha because they saw that A.D & Fuzzie were already sore from the task but they still u-turned them. But on 2nd thought, I can't blamed them coz it's part of the game. Besides, A.D & Fuzzie would probably do the same to Geoff & Tisha if they arrived at the U-Turn station 1st. But if I was in this race, I don't think I have the heart to yield or u-turn anyone, I would feel so bad and guilty. I know it's there to be used for our advantage but I don't think I can! I rather be competitive in completing the task than using the Yield or U-Turn options.

But still, I'm proud of A.D and Fuzzie for completing both tasks and not giving up eventhough they almost did. Great job girls!!!

The strongest team???...A race to India!

I'm happy, ecstatic, impressed, sad and shocked, all at the same time. Wanna know why? Continue on reading.

Last night episode of TARA 3 was such a roller-coaster ride. First off, teams were faced with Roadblock where one member from each team was required to do a bungee jump off Macau Tower. Scary! Geoff & Tisha who were the 1st to complete the task (with Tisha doing the high jump - she looks cute when she was scared) were given an exclusive helicopter ride from Macau to Hong Kong. Lucky them. While the rest of the teams had no choice but to travel by ferry to get back to Hong Kong.





Then they headed to the MASkargo warehouse for their next task, which was to find a box containing their names. In that box were letters for them from home. This scene was quite touching as the racers read aloud the letters sent by their relatives.

Teams then headed to Cochin, India. Wrong choice of flight left Henry & Bernie and Sam & Vince far behind the other teams. Geoff & Tisha who arrived way early than the rest had the chance to relax at a hotel before headed to a temple (that will only open at 6 a.m.) for their next clue.





After they had a good luck blessing at the temple, they headed to Kumbalam for a bizarre task, wash an elephant using dry coconut shells! Ida & Tania who arrived there 1st were lucky because their elephant submerged into the water and basically washed most of the mud and dirt away. They have been very lucky lately.

Next, a Detour. This time, teams must pick between Fish and Fill. In Fish, teams must deliver 6 fishes, each weighing 20kg, to a seafood restaurant. In Fill, teams have to use coloured rice powder to completely fill an intricate geometric column design drawn on the floor. Geoff & Tisha and Sam & Vince chose Fish while the rest of the teams chose Fill. After that, it was a race to the pit stop which was at the Bolgatty Palace.





Ida & Tania who were hoping to reach 1st at the pit stop were disappointed to find out that they were only 2nd to arrive behind Geoff & Tisha. Because of that, they were given 30-minute time penalty (they were last in the previous leg but were not eliminated. Instead, they must arrive 1st in this leg or they will be given 30-minute time penalty).

While serving their time penalty (I made it sound like prison, sorry!), A.D. & Fuzzie arrived at the pit stop and were the 2nd team to check in. Luckily, no other teams arrive during that time and Ida & Tania were the 3rd team to check in at the pit stop. Amazing! Way to go girls! The 4th team to arrive were Sam & Vince while the 5th and last team to arrive was Henry & Bernie. Therefore, Henry & Bernie were eliminated from the race.

Shocking rite? I always thought that Henry & Bernie was one of the strongest team in this race. The other team would be Geoff & Tisha but you didn't quite see it at first because of the constant tension between them. But now with the improving relationship and stress-control between the couple, Geoff & Tisha were getting stronger. Congratulations to both of them for coming in 1st at the pit stop for 2 consecutive time.

I'm happy and ecstatic that Tania & Ida were still in the race. I'm impressed by their determination. I'm also impressed with A.D & Fuzzie that they managed to come this far (which proves that you don't have to be physically fit to be in this race - maybe I should apply for TARA 4!). I'm sad and shocked that Henry & Bernie were eliminated. I had this kind of heavy feeling in my chest when I watched that scene. So painful.... Well Geoff & Tisha, this race might just be yours.

To Henry & Bernie, as a Malaysian, I'm very proud of your achievement and determination in this race. You guys have really done it well. Cheers to the effort!

P/S: Forgot to mention that I'm impressed with Vince too. He carried 2 fishes, which means he had about 40kg on his shoulders at 1 time. He's a Hulk!

From Hong Kong to Macau

Before I start, I want to apologize for the blurry pictures. I can't find nicer pics from the official site. I don't know what happen to the photographer. Thankfully we still got pics (although they are video cap) so we have to be grateful. ;-)

Okay, move on with the race. First thing teams gotta do in this leg was delivering 2 bags of fishes (ornamental fish, not dead fish for eating) to a designated pet shop. After that, they must make their way to Macau by ferry and then travel by pedicab to the fountain in Senado Square for their next clue.

The next clue stated that they need to go to Macau Tower and there was also a Yield ahead. Sam & Vince who were 1st arrived at the Yield chose not to use the Yield but Geoff & Tisha who arrived there 2nd yielded Henry and Bernie. Henry seemed really pissed off while Bernie seemed calm. Good girl Bernie!

At the Macau Tower, teams must perform a Roadblock, which was (one of the team member) to climb the tower to retrieve the next clue. After that, they must make their way to the Dragon Boat Pier at Sai Van Lake. At the lake, teams must paddle a dragon boat around the buoy in the lake and return to the pier.

Next, a Detour. Teams must choose between Dance or Chance. In Dance, teams must learn and complete a lion dance routine while in Chance, teams have to dress in formal attire and play a blackjack game in which they must win it 9 times and spell the word COMPLETED in order to get their next clue (they will be given one letter each time they win). All teams chose Chance while only Geoff & Tisha chose Dance, which in my opinion was a wise decision.

After that, they must make their way to A-Ma Culture Village which was the pit stop of this leg of the race. But before that, they must complete a task which was to arrange 12 lanterns, which were painted with animals from the 12 Chinese Zodiac, in a correct order. Geoff & Tisha were 1st to arrive at the pit stop followed by Sam & Vince, A.D. & Fuzzie, Henry & Bernie and lastly, Ida & Tania, making this their 2nd time to arive last at the pit stop. However, this leg was a predetermined non-elimination leg and therefore they were not eliminated. Thank God again! I would be so devastated if they were eliminated. However, Ida & Tania must arrive first in the next leg or they will have to take a 30-minute penalty.

Geoff & Tisha won themselves a Sony Bravia TV and a Sony Playstation 3 each for winning this leg. OMG, I want them too!!! In this episode, we can also see the tension that building up between Geoff & Tisha and Henry & Bernie. There were also some funny moments, one of them was when A.D & Fuzzie wore the formal attire to play the blackjack. Bernie kept teasing them and it was so funny. They look hot though. ;-D

One of the anonymous visitor to this blog also alerted me on the nasty comments that have been popping up on the official TARA site. C'mon guys, it was just a race. I know everyone being patriotic and all that stuff but please try to avoid hate comments. It's not healthy....

I wonder if Ida & Tania will survive the next leg? I hope they did. Can't wait for Thursday.