The Amazing Race Asia 3

The Amazing Race Asia
(season 3)
The Amazing Race Asia logo
Season run September 11 – November 20, 2008
Filming dates May 20 (2008-05-20) – June 8, 2008 (2008-06-08)
No. of episodes 11[1]
Presenter Allan Wu
Winning team Vince Chung & Sam Wu
Season statistics
Continents visited 1
Countries visited 6
Cities visited 11
No. of legs 11
Distance traveled 21,600 km (13,400 mi)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 2
Next →
Season 4

The Amazing Race Asia is a reality television game show based on the American series, The Amazing Race. The third installment of the show features ten teams of two with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around Asia to win US$100,000. The season premiered on September 11, 2008 and consists of 11 episodes, two episodes fewer than the first and second seasons.[1] The season finale aired on November 20, 2008.[2]

In 2009, the series was nominated for an International Emmy Award for Best Non-Scripted Entertainment,[3] losing to the Dutch reality series The Phone.[4]

Friends Vince Chung & Sam Wu, representing Hong Kong, were the winners of the race. Vince also becomes the first non-Asian by nationality to win the race.

Production

Development and filming

The park within the King Rama I Monument in downtown Bangkok was served as the Starting Line for the third installment of The Amazing Race Asia.

The third season of The Amazing Race Asia covered 21,600 kilometres in six countries. Route markers were coloured yellow and white in Vietnam to avoid confusion with the former flag of South Vietnam. This season introduced the U-turn marker, while the Intersection was not included. This season, like the American version's Family Edition and Brazilian version, was the first to have had the entire Race take place in one continent, Asia (previous seasons covered at least two continents). Unlike past seasons, this was the first race to not have the first leg as a non-elimination leg. This season also had the number of episodes decreased from 13 to 11.

According to AXN, this season is dubbed as "the toughest race ever" compared to previous seasons as both contestants and crew personnel experienced high fatigue during the Race due to the faster pace and shorter break times. During filming, one production crew member was even hospitalized.[5]

Cast

Applications for the third season were due on March 3, 2008 (extended from the original deadline on February 25, 2008). Interviews for semi-finalists and finalists were held sometime around March or April 2008. Filming was expected to have taken place around the middle of 2008.[6][7]

This season's cast include cousins, and a father & son team. Like Season 2, the Race featured a large number of local media personalities or their relatives. Natalie is the winner of Miss Universe 2005 and also the wife of Thai tennis player Paradorn Srichaphan.[8] Her teammate, Pailin, is the runner-up in 2006 Miss Thailand Universe and also contested in Miss Earth 2006.[8] Tisha is the ex-girlfriend of Survivor Philippines's host, Paolo Bediones and was once Miss Philippines but had to forgo her crown due to her Canadian citizenship, while Ida, Niroo and Mai are famous actors in their respective homelands and Bernie is the host of Project Runway Malaysia. William and Isaac are sports commentators and football agents for professional players in the Korean K-League. Vince is a leading stand-up comedian in Hong Kong, often performing and hosting at The TakeOut Comedy Club Hong Kong, and was a finalist in Hong Kong's first nationwide stand-up comedy competition.[9]

This season consists of three non-Asians. Natalie and Vince are Canadians (though Natalie was born in Russia; Vince has a Chinese ethnicity), and Geoff is from New Zealand. Additionally, Sam, who was originally from Singapore, is representing Hong Kong. Tisha is of Canadian nationality but of Filipino ethnicity; Henry and Bernie are of Australian nationality but of Chinese ethnicity.

Paula Taylor, one of the racers in Season 2, appeared as the local greeter in the first leg of the Race.

Kynt Cothron and Vyxsin Fiala's audition video was shown on the Racers Revealed episode. Michael McKay, the executive producer of the show, confirmed that Kynt and Vyxsin of season 12 of The original American version of the race did really submit an audition tape but did not made it because according to McKay "we felt it would be unfair to have a team that had already raced (and raced very well I might add) and also we take teams from Asia. But if we do an All Star version down the track you never know."[10]

Marketing

The third season of The Amazing Race Asia had six official sponsors, they are Caltex, MASkargo, Nokia, Singha, Sony and Standard Chartered Bank.[11] A special episode known as Racers Revealed was aired one week before the actual premiere, on September 4, 2008, and a special "Memories" episode aired after the season finale on November 27, 2008, similar to the second season.[1]

Results

The following teams participated in the Race, with their relationships at the time of filming. Placements are listed in finishing order:

Team Relationship Position (by leg) Roadblocks performed
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Hong Kong Vince & Sam Best Buddies 7th1 3rd 2nd 2nd 1stƒ 1st 2nd 4th 1st 3rd5 1st Vince 4, Sam 5
Philippines Geoff & Tisha Dating 2nd 5th 5th 6th 4th 3rd 1st> 1st 3rd⊃ 2nd 2nd Geoff 5, Tisha 5
Malaysia Ida & Tania Actress & Heiress 5th 6th 3rd 1st 5th 5th 5th 3rd4 2nd 1st 3rd Ida 5, Tania 5
Singapore A.D. & Fuzzie Friends 15 Years 8th 2nd 4th 5th 3rd 4th 3rd 2nd 4th⊂ 4th5 A.D. 4, Fuzzie 5
Malaysia Henry & Bernie Brother & Sister 3rd 1st 1st 4th 2nd 2nd 4th< 5th Henry 3, Bernie 4
Thailand Mai & Oliver Friends 1st 8th 6th 3rd 6th3 Mai 1, Oliver 2
India Niroo & Kapil Father & Son 9th 4th 7th 7th2 Niroo 1, Kapil 23
Thailand Pailin & Natalie Beauty Queens 4th 7th 8th2 Pailin 1, Natalie 12
South Korea Isaac & William Brothers 6th 9th Isaac 0, William 1
India Neena & Amit Cousins 10th Neena 0, Amit 0
  • A red team placement indicates that the team was eliminated.
  • A blue team placement indicates the team was the last to arrive at a pit stop in a non-elimination leg of the race.
    • An italicised blue placement indicates that the team had to relinquish all of their money and were not allotted money for the next leg.
    • An underlined blue placement indicates that the team was "Marked for Elimination"; if the team did not place 1st in the next leg, they would receive a 30-minute penalty.
  • A green ƒ indicates that the team won a Fast forward clue.
  • A yellow > indicates that the team chose to use the Yield; < indicates the team who received it.
  • A brown ⊃ means the team chose to use a U-Turn; ⊂ indicates the team who received it.

  1. ^ Vince & Sam initially arrived 5th, but they did not pay the taxi driver. They were asked to pay the taxi first before they could be checked in. Ida & Tania and Isaac & William checked in while they went back, dropping them to 7th.
  2. ^ Pailin & Natalie (Leg 3) and Niroo & Kapil (Leg 4) were issued a 4-hour penalty at the respective elimination legs after Natalie and Kapil, respectively, had failed to complete their respective Roadblocks; however, since the teams arrived in last on each leg, each team were eliminated without being assessed the 4-hour penalty.
  3. ^ Mai & Oliver failed to complete the leg after having fallen too far behind the other teams during the leg's first task. Hours after all the teams had checked in, Mai & Oliver still had not completed neither the Roadblock nor the Detour. Allan came over to the area where they had spent the night to inform of their elimination.
  4. ^ Ida & Tania initially arrived 2nd, but were issued a 30-minute penalty for being "marked for elimination" and not arriving 1st. A.D & Fuzzie checked during their penalty time, dropping Ida & Tania to 3rd.
  5. ^ Vince & Sam and A.D. & Fuzzie were each issued a 4-hour penalty after Sam and Fuzzie, respectively, had failed to complete the Roadblock. A.D. & Fuzzie were further issued another 30-minute penalty for being "marked for elimination" and not arriving 1st. At that time they were the only two teams left to check in at that point, and since A.D. & Fuzzie's penalty time was longer, Vince & Sam were allowed to check-in with their penalty time to be assessed at the start of the next leg, while A.D. & Fuzzie were eliminated without the 4-hour 30-minute penalty being issued.

Prizes

Individual prizes were awarded to the first team to complete a leg.

  • Leg 1 – US$2,500 for each team member, courtesy of Standard Chartered Bank.
  • Leg 2 – Free fuel with techron for a year, courtesy of Caltex.
  • Leg 3 – A Sony Handycam for each team member.
  • Leg 4 – A Nokia N96 handphone for each team member.
  • Leg 5 – A three-day, two-night holiday in Ko Samui, Thailand, courtesy of Singha Beer.
  • Leg 6 – A three-day, two-night holiday in Ko Samui, Thailand, courtesy of Singha Beer.
  • Leg 7 – A Sony BRAVIA and Sony PlayStation 3 for each team member.
  • Leg 8 – A holiday in Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, courtesy of Caltex.
  • Leg 9 – A Nokia N96 handphone for each team member.
  • Leg 10 – US$2,500 for each team member, courtesy of Standard Chartered Bank.
  • Leg 11 – US$100,000

Episode title quotes

Episode titles are often taken from quotes made by the racers.

  1. "The Toughest Race Ever" – Season Tagline
  2. "I Wanna Be A Man" – Bernie
  3. "You Are Running Away, Nobody's Helping Me" – Niroo
  4. "Where's Our Car?" – Kapil
  5. "You See How They're Not Fighting All The Time" – Oliver
  6. "I Think I'm Cuter" – Sam
  7. "What The Fish?" – Tania
  8. "The Gloves Are Coming Off, The War Paint Is Coming On" – Vince
  9. "Are People Here Funny?" – A.D.
  10. "I'm Telling You Right Now There's No Giving Up" – Vince
  11. "The Moment You've Been Racing For And The Moment We've Been Waiting For" – Allan Wu

Race summary

Complete Route Map
Destinations Air travel    Rail travel    Water travel    Bus travel
Route Markers Detour    Roadblock    Fast Forward    Yield    U-Turn    Pit Stop

Leg 1 (Thailand)

Airdate: September 11, 2008

Teams ended the first leg of the race in Chiang Mai Province at Ho Kham Royal Pavilion, on the center of Royal Ratchaphruek Garden.

The first Detour of the race was a choice between Race or Rice. In Race, teams had to proceed to the Chiang Mai X-Centre and drive an off-road buggy over an 8 km track to receive their next clue. In Rice, teams must work together to pound rice into paste and make two rice balls using a traditional method, subjected to approval.

Additional tasks
  • At Khaosan Road, each team had to consume large bowl of Thai "delicacies", consisting of assorted fried bugs, frogs and scorpions.
  • At the Caltex Service Station, each team had to completely clean a 22-seat passenger bus, to the Caltex's staff satisfaction. Once they have finished, they will have to register themselves to three different buses which depart on different times to Suphanburi Province, which will then depart to Chiang Mai.
  • At Wat Phai Rong Wua, teams had to search the temple grounds amongst hundreds of Buddha statues for their next clue. The first two buses, however, will depart 20 minutes after they've arrive at the temple. Teams had to try to find their clue within this time if they want to catch the same bus.

Leg 2 (Thailand → Vietnam)

Airdate: September 18, 2008

One of the Detour choices in Cái Bè required teams to row a sampan with a traditional Vietnamese method along the town's famous floating market.

In the first Roadblock of this season, one team member had to cross the plantation and retrieve a clue from a hanging backpack. The catch was that along the way, snipers brandishing paintball guns would fire at the team member; once shot, the team member must return to the starting point and perform the task again until successful. In this leg's Detour, the choice was between Sampan and Some Walk. In Sampan, teams must transport fruits on a sampan and row across the river to a designated fruit stall along the river. In Some Walk, teams must gather twenty live chickens and bring them to a designated retailer in the nearby market.

Additional tasks
  • At the Flight of the Gibbon, teams had to go through a jungle heights course consisting of zip-lines and parallel drops.
  • At Saigon Phố Cafe, team had to play a Nokia N-Gage game, known as System Rush: Evolution, on a Nokia N82 handphone and complete three rounds of a specified track to receive their next clue.
  • At Thánh Nữ Jeanne D'Arc Church, teams had to choose one of the nine available charity organisations, for which they will purchase, using US$500 from Singha, supplies as donations to the organization.

Leg 3 (Vietnam)

Airdate: September 25, 2008

Teams finished this leg of the race in Huế, Vietnam's ancient capital, at Thế Miếu Temple inside its old citadel.

During the Pit Stop, teams were moved to the gate of Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens to begin this leg of the Race. In this Roadblock, one team member had to retrieve seven coins representing the seven emperors of the Nguyễn Dynasty in Vietnam at the tomb of Minh Mạng, bring them back to Khải Định Tomb and put the coins in the correct order of the reign of the emperors. In this leg's Detour, the choice was between Sticks and Stalks. In Sticks, teams must make ten incense sticks using the demonstrated method. In Stalks, teams must whack rice stalks to fill two platters of unhusked rice.

Additional tasks
  • In Caltex service facility, teams must pick a marked jeep to change the tire and engine oil.
  • At Quốc Học Park, teams must search a marked cyclo for their next clue and use it on their way to the Pit Stop.

Leg 4 (Vietnam → Taiwan)

Airdate: October 2, 2008

Upon arriving in Taipei, teams involved in a Detour based on the famous Taiwanese night market in Songshan.

In this leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Shoot It or Shape It. In Shoot It, teams drive themselves to the Miniatures Museum of Taiwan and are told to use a Sony Cybershot camera to shoot a very miniature model of a yellow-race envelope hidden inside one of the dioramas. After the photo was printed, the next clue could be found behind their new photo. In Shape It, teams drive themselves to Raohe Street Night Market where they will have to solve four sets of figures using a large tangram set. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to completely consume an entire bowl of a Taiwanese/Chinese delicacy: stinky tofu.

Additional tasks
  • At the Institute for the Blind of Taiwan, one team member had to be blindfolded and then using their hands only to feel the braille message, translate, letter by letter to the other teammate who may not see their teammate's board to get the correct phrase "Go to Shenkeng". When they correctly give this message, teams will receive their next clue. One team would find a check worth NT$612,000 (US$20,000) courtesy of Standard Chartered along with their next clue and donate it to the said institute before proceeding.

Leg 5 (Taiwan)

Airdate: October 9, 2008

The Roadblock in Pingsi had teams involved in its coal mining industry.

This Leg's Fast Forward had teams travel to a certain street, where there will find a clue box. The clue would then instruct them to get a permanent tattoo at Kevin's Tattoo. The Roadblock was to find a souvenir, which would later be revealed to be a small silver token that had the AXN logo on one side and The Amazing Race Asia logo on the other side in a cart of coal. In this leg's Detour the choice was between Pick or Pail. In Pick, teams had to drive themselves to Wan Nian Building and retrieve three soft toys from a game machine. In Pail, teams had to go to the Grand Tong Temple and must fill a bucket full of water and carry it to the top of the mountain where a monk will check to see if they had enough water. If they have enough they will receive their next clue.

Additional task
  • In the Sony Style Store, teams must find one of thousands of discs in the racks available that displays "Correct! You may receive your next clue." when played on their Blu-ray player, while the others will display "Sorry. Try again."

Leg 6 (Taiwan → Hong Kong, China)

Airdate: October 16, 2008

The Roadblock in Hong Kong required teams to search through the busy Ladies' Market for a women that wore a matching handbags.

In this Detour, teams had to choose between Get Fishy or Get Lucky. In Get Fishy, teams had to find a seafood store in Graham Street to scale and gut 12 fishes to the satisfaction of a fishmonger, before they would receive their next clue. In Get Lucky, teams had to head to one of the designated tables at Mee Lun St. and bite into hundreds of fortune cookies in a marked jar and only when they find the one cookie which contains a fortune regarding their next clue can they proceed. In this Roadblock, one team member had to choose one of the provided handbags and search through the crowded market for the lady who is carrying the same handbag as the one the team member has chosen. This lady will hand them their final clue for the leg.

Additional tasks
  • Teams had to get through the rugby field while the Standard Chartered rugby team tries to prevent them from getting to the clue box at the opposite end of the field.

Leg 7 (Hong Kong, China → Macau, China)

Airdate: October 23, 2008

The Macau Tower in Macau was the location for both the Roadblocks of Legs 7 and 8 of the Race.

In this leg's Roadblock, the chosen team member must climb to the top of the Macau Tower, obtain their next clue there, and go down back to their partner before reading their next clue. However, due to the storm, not all the teams who were still performing the Roadblock at the time were allowed to climb to the top as a precaution. In this leg's Detour, the choice was between Dance or Chance. In Dance, the team members must correctly perform a lion dance routine to the satisfaction of the performance troupe. In Chance, teams must don formal attire and play a game of blackjack in the casino of Hotel Royal Macau; they must beat the dealer nine times (as denoted by the letters of the word COMPLETED) before receiving their next clue.

Additional tasks
  • At Mong Kok, teams must pick up four goldfish and bring them to a designated pet shop at Bonham Strand.
  • At Sai Van Lake, teams must paddle a dragon boat around a floating Caltex buoy.
  • At Ama Culture Village, teams must rearrange lanterns bearing the animals in the Chinese zodiac in their correct order before being let into the Village and the Pit Stop.

Leg 8 (Macau, China → Hong Kong, China → India)

Airdate: October 30, 2008

One side of the Detours in Kochi required teams to make an intricate colored rice pattern used for Hindu festivals, locally known as Rangoli.

In this leg's Roadblock, the chosen team member must perform a bungee jump from the top of the Macau Tower to receive their next clue. The first team to complete the task will receive a helicopter ride from Macau to Hong Kong instead of the TurboJET ferry ride. In this leg's Detour, the choice was between Fish or Fill. In Fish, the team members must carry six large swordfish to a nearby restaurant before receiving their next clue. In Fill, teams must fill an intricate floor pattern using coloured rice, known as Rangoli, before receiving their next clue.

Additional tasks
  • At the MASkargo Warehouse, teams must search and open their box containing letters from their loved ones before receiving their next clue.
  • At the Neelam Kulangara Devi Temple, teams had to get a blessing from the Indian priest before they received their next clue.
  • At the Elephant Wash Area in SPS Temple, teams must wash an elephant using the traditional way of using coconut husks as abrasives.

Leg 9 (India)

Airdate: November 6, 2008

In Pune, teams visited Shaniwar Wada for the Roadblock, the team member find one of the 50 men on a pheta with a correct written over it to get the next clue.

In this leg's roadblock, one team member had to find the correct pheta from 50 men who were walking around the castle. If that person found the pheta with the word "Correct" inside, they received the next clue. In this leg's detour, teams had to choose between Push and Crush. In Push, teams had to go to Datta Shinde Pottery Shop and push the cart with 75 pots one kilometre to Rajkumar Provision Stores in Mahatma Phule Market with 70 or more pots unbroken at the destination before receiving the next clue. In Crush teams had to go to the market, make 40 glasses of sugar cane juice and sell them to earn ₹200 or more to receive the next clue.

Additional tasks
  • At Nehru Stadium, teams must hit a cricket ball onto a board decorated with the Race colours. If they did not manage to do so in 36 balls or under, teams incurred a ten-minute penalty.
  • After the cricket task, teams use a map application on the Nokia 6210 Navigator to direct their auto rickshaw driver to their next destination, the Shaniwar Wada.
  • At the Sony World teams had to persuade the locals to tell them a joke while one team member recorded this story into the Sony Handycam camera, then teams have to come back and replay the video to the staff. If they think the joke is funny enough, they gave teams the next clue.

Leg 10 (India → Oman)

Airdate: November 13, 2008

Teams ended this leg of the race in Oman's Wadi Tanuf, located at the outskirt of Nizwa.

In this leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Carpet and Count It. In Carpet, team had to walk to the carpet shop and find two exact carpets, using the images in the Sony Cybershot as references. In Count It team had to walk to a shop and count the dry lime and will only receive their clue once they state the correct amount to the shop owner (correct numbers were 1601, 1595, 1598 and 1577). This leg's Roadblock, one team member must zip across the canyon to the other side to receive the next clue.

Additional tasks:

  • Upon arriving at the Standard Chartered Bank building, they would insert the ATM card provided to them and punch in the year of Mahatma Gandhi's birth (1869) as the PIN. The next clue would be printed on the receipt. If a team made three unsuccessful attempts, they would incur a ten-minute time penalty before receiving their next clue. This is why teams must take note of the plaque at Gandhi's statue on the way to the bank building, although some teams did not do this and still got the correct answer just by asking several passers-by.
  • At Nizwa Fort, teams search the correct clue box containing their next clue from among the other clue boxes scattered around the fort.

Leg 11 (Oman → Thailand)

Airdate: November 20, 2008

The last Detour of the race in Phuket paid tributes to the pearl cultivation of Thailand.

During the Pit Stop, teams were moved to Al Jabal Al Akhdar to begin this leg of the Race. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member must locate one of seven special keys out of seventy keys buried in the sand using the metal detector to unlock the clue box. In this leg's Detour, teams have to choose between Pull or Plunge. In Pull, teams must kayak to Rang Yai pearl farm and find the marked shell by pulling among the 900 oyster lines, then the teams must bring the marked shell back to the beach to exchange it with their next clue. In Plunge, teams must snorkel and search for a giant clam shell with a pearl inside; the pearl should be exchanged with their next clue.

Additional tasks
  • In Said's Camel Farm, teams must move ten camels into the holding pens.
  • In Thai Trade Food Ice Factory, teams must search a small Amazing Race ice cube buried in a barrel of ice to get the next clue.
  • In Lam Hin Pier, teams must ride a traditional Thai fishing boat, known as the long-tail boat, and look for a fisherman in a marked boat located between Cape Yamu and Rang Noi Island to get the next clue.
  • After finishing the Detour, teams must dig up a treasure chest within a marked area and carry it to the Finish Line in the nearby coconut plantation.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "AXN-Asia September 2008 Schedule" (PDF). AXN Asia. August 2, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 11, 2016. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
  2. ↑ "Two-and-a-half S'poreans in new race". TODAYonline. Archived from the original on August 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  3. ↑ Gaita, Paul (November 18, 2009). "Nominations for International Emmys announced". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
  4. ↑ "Brits dominate International Emmy Awards". ABCNews. November 25, 2009. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
  5. ↑ "RP duo in 2nd spot on 'Amazing Race Asia'". Inquirer.net. September 8, 2008. Archived from the original on September 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
  6. ↑ "Application Procedure and Eligibility Requirements" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 29, 2009. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
  7. ↑ "Application Form" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 29, 2009. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
  8. 1 2 "Natalie & Pailin Bio". AXN-Asia. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  9. ↑ "Sam & Vince's bio". AXN-Asia. August 4, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
  10. ↑ "Fang's Bites: Interview with the Amazing Race Asia Executive Producer Michael McKay". Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
  11. ↑ "The Amazing Race Asia 3 Is The Toughest Race Ever. Teams & Global Partners Gear Up for a Season Bar None!". AXN-Asia. August 4, 2008. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
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