The Amazing Race Asia 1

The Amazing Race Asia 1
Season run 9 November 2006 – 1 February 2007
No. of episodes 13
Winning team Zabrina Fernandez & Joe Jer Tee
Continents visited 2
Countries visited 8
Cities visited 15
Distance traveled 39,000 kilometres (24,000 mi)
No. of legs 12
Season chronology
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Season 2

The Amazing Race Asia is a reality television game show based on the American series, The Amazing Race. The first season of the show features ten teams of two, with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around Asia and the Pacific Rim to win US$100,000. Applications were accepted through 31 March 2006.[1] The season began on 9 November 2006 and the season finale aired on 1 February 2007.

Malaysian workers Zabrina Fernandez & Joe Jer Tee are the winners of the race. They were the first all female team to win in the "The Amazing Race" franchise and at the time were the first team to win without relying on a Fast Forward or a Yield and also the first winners to win only the final leg of the race.

Production

Kuala Lumpur's Merdeka Square was the starting line of the first season of The Amazing Race Asia.

Development and filming

In October 2005, Buena Vista International Television-Asia Pacific and Sony Pictures Television International's AXN Asia announced that it had earned the right to produce the first localised production of The Amazing Race.[2] AXN Asia, which airs the original American series, had received many written requests for an Asian production from local viewers.

Casting

In July 2006, Singaporean television personality Allan Wu was introduced as the host of The Amazing Race Asia.[3] Ricky Ow, General Manager of SPE Networks Asia described Wu as "a big fan of The Amazing Race" and felt that "his good looks and natural charisma will offer a different appeal from the US version."

Over 1000 teams across Asia applied for the series, with registration accepted through 31 March 2006.[4] Ultimately, ten teams were selected to participate in the race; the cast included expatriates in Thailand and Hong Kong and Indian models.[5] Host Allan Wu commented that "the producers definitely took the time and did their homework to select the most diverse, entertaining, and controversial batch of contestants for our first season."

The cast consisted of a few local media representatives or their relatives. Zabrina is a Ntv7 and Channel V television producer, as well as the sister of Malaysian film director Joshua Fernandez and Hitz.FM DJ JJ Fernandez. Aubrey is a filipina actress who acted in local movies such as Prosti, Xerex, Sanib, A Beautiful Life and Gagamboy; she is also the co-host of noontime show Masayang Tanghali Bayan. Prashant is an Indian actor who starred in the Bollywood movie Aag; he was also the runner-up of Mr. India 2004. Melody is a Singaporean TV and movie actress, having starred in local movies such as Street Angels and The Teenage Textbook Movie; she also played a supporting character in long-running drama Love Blossoms and its sequel, Love Blossoms II.

This season consists of five non-Asians; Andy, Francesca, Howard and Laura are from United Kingdom, both of them have separate representatives in Asian countries (as Andy and Laura representing Thailand), and Sandy is from New Zealand, is representing Hong Kong.

Melody Chen later appeared in The Amazing Race 25 as a Pit Stop greeter in Singapore's Leg 9.

Marketing

The first season of the show was supported by the following regional sponsors: Sony Electronics Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd, AirAsia, Caltex, MSN, Nokia, and Bintan Lagoon Resort.[3] Ford was a local sponsor, while the series was also supported by Tourism Malaysia. The sponsors played a major role in the series by providing prizes and integrating their products into various tasks. In addition, AirAsia was the sole airline used by racers, while Bintan Lagoon Resort was the sequestered location for eliminated teams.[6]

To introduce the new series to an Asian audience, a promotional tour visited Seoul, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Delhi prior to the series premiere.[3] An additional episode, subtitled Memories was an after-race interview special that aired one week after the season finale.[7]

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 33 4 5 6 7 8 98 <10> 11 12
Malaysia Zabrina & Joe Jer Co-Workers 3rd 4th 5th 6th 3rd 3rd 6th 5th 4th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st Zabrina 6, Joe Jer 6
Hong Kong Sandy & Francesca Dating 10th 9th 2nd 3rd 5th 1st 4th 3rd 5th 1st> 1st 3rd 2nd Sandy 6, Francesca 6
Malaysia Andrew & Syeon Dating 5th1 8th 8th 1st 2nd 4th 2nd 4th 2nd 3rd 2nd 1st 3rd Andrew 6, Syeon 6
Indonesia Mardy & Marsio Brothers 1st 2nd 6th 4th 6th 5th 5th 1stƒ 3rd 2nd 4th 4th Mardy 4, Marsio 6
Thailand Andy & Laura Engaged 7th 7th 7th 7th4 1st 2nd7 1st 2nd 1st 5th< Andy 5, Laura 4
Sri Lanka Howard & Sahran Best Friends 9th2 3rd 1st 8th5 4th 6th 3rd 6th Howard 4, Sahran 3
Singapore Melody & Sharon Best Friends 6th 5th 3rd 2nd 7th 7th Melody 3, Sharon 2
India Sahil & Prashant Models 8th2 1stƒ 4th 5th 8th6 Sahil 2, Prashant 2
Philippines Aubrey & Jacqueline Actress/Model 4th 6th 9th Aubrey 1, Jacqueline 1
Philippines Ernie & Jeena Married 2nd 10th Ernie 1, Jeena 0
  1. ^ Andrew & Syeon initially arrived 1st. However, they did not follow the trail as instructed in their clue to the Pit Stop, and were asked to complete it before checking in. Four teams checked in during that time period, dropping them to 5th.
  2. ^a b For unknown reasons on the subsequent Leg, the starting placements of Howard & Sahran and Sahil & Prashant were switched, resulting in Howard & Sahran starting in 8th place and Sahil & Prashant starting in 9th.
  3. ^ Five of the nine teams arrived at the Pit Stop after applied a four-hour penalty for failed to complete the Roadblock (only Joe Jer, Marsio, Andy, Syeon and Aubrey). The initial placements for all teams are as follows (The four boldfaced teams were not given the penalty):
    1st: Zabrina & Joe Jer; 2nd: Howard & Sahran; 3rd: Sandy & Francesca; 4th: Mardy & Marsio; 5th: Andy & Laura; 6th: Andrew & Syeon; 7th: Melody & Sharon; 8th: Sahil & Prashant; 9th: Aubrey & Jacqueline. However, Aubrey & Jacqueline were the last team to arrive and were instead eliminated from the Race.
  4. ^ Laura suffered an injury to her left Leg on the way to Oceanworld. After the tests were done, she was allowed to continue the next Leg of the race.
  5. ^ Howard and Sahran were issued a four-hour penalty because Howard failed to complete the Roadblock. They checked in the Pit Stop last, but were notified as a non-elimination Leg. The 4-hour penalty they took from the roadblock would be instead applied at the starting time at Leg 5.
  6. ^ Sahil & Prashant initially arrived 5th, but were issued a 1-hour penalty because they were driven around in a private vehicle in Devonport, breaking a Race rule prohibiting hitch-hiking. The last three teams (Sandy & Francesca, Mardy & Marsio and Melody & Sharon) checked in during their penalty time and were eliminated before the one-hour penalty had elapsed.
  7. ^ Andy and Laura were caught speeding at 146 km/h while the speed limit was 100 km/h. The penalty was 2 minutes times the number of km/h by which they had exceeded the speed limit. They were issued a 92-minute penalty to be assessed at the start of the following Leg, therefore departing at the pit-start last.
  8. ^ Leg 9 is a double-length Leg with two Detours and two Roadblocks, shown over two episodes. The Yield appeared before the second Detour.

Episode title quotes

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

  1. I Don't Think I Can Do This – Sahran
  2. They're Speedy, They're Fast And They're First – Howard
  3. Give Me The Strength, Give Me The Strength – Howard
  4. Just Shut Up And Do It – Mardy
  5. It's Blowing Like Your Mum's Pants On A Windy Day – Howard
  6. What Have You Been Eating! – Zabrina
  7. Don't Stand There Doing Nothing! – Andy
  8. My Legs Are Shaking Like Jelly – Andrew
  9. This Is Totally, Totally Out Of This World! – Marsio
  10. War Has Begun! – Andy
  11. This Is Going To Be Embarrassing! – Zabrina
  12. Oh My Goodness, I Have To Eat A Brain! – Syeon
  13. 24 Days, 15 Cities, 39,000 Kilometres And It Comes Down To This – Allan Wu

Prizes

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

Race summary

Complete route map Note: the green dot reperesents both the starting city and the transfer point of the final leg.
Destinations Air travel    Rail travel    Water travel    Bus travel
Route Markers Detour    Roadblock    Fast Forward    Yield    Pit Stop

Leg 1 (Malaysia)

Airdate: 9 November 2006

Teams finished the inaugural leg of The Amazing Race Asia in Bukit Nanas, at the top of KL Tower.

The Detour for this Leg was Paint or Pot, which describes two craft techniques. In Paint, members of each team would work together to make a batik painting based on the design shown to them. In Pot, one team member would make a pot from clay using a pottery wheel while the other member controlled the wheel's spin. In both cases, teams would receive the next clue if the person in charge of the Detour option selected was satisfied with the result.

Additional tasks

Leg 2 (Malaysia → Indonesia)

Airdate: 16 November 2006

The National Monument in Indonesia's capital city of Jakarta was served a sthe Pit Stop of this leg of the race.

The first Roadblock in the race was that a team member must retrieve the clue in a box located inside a snake pit containing dangerous species second to anaconda in size, within 2 minutes. The teams received a Fast Forward clue after the completion of the Roadblock. In this Leg's Fast Forward, teams must search among students at the school's courtyard listening to a Sony Walkman MP3 player that plays the "Fast Forward Award" message. In this Leg's Detour teams must choose between Push or Sell. Both Detours were located at Panglima Polim Street. In Push, teams had to push their bakso carts 500 metres (0.31 mi) along a marked route, without spilling any soy sauce, while singing a traditional child song, "Abang Tukang Bakso". In Sell, teams had to sell (or eat) 15 bowls of bakso, each with a minimum selling price of Rp 2,000 to get their next clue.

Additional tasks

Leg 3 (Indonesia)

Airdate: 23 November 2006

Tanah Lot temple in the island of Bali is the third Pit Stop for this Leg of the Race.

This Leg's Roadblock required a team member to dig in a marked area of sand on the beach for a small wooden surfboard token hidden up to 40 cm beneath the sand. In this Leg's Detour was Wet or Dry. In Wet, teams had to traverse down 500 steps to the Ayung River, ride through the white water rapids and complete a two-mile course on the water. In Dry, teams had to ride on an elephant and go through a course after which they will be given the next clue.

Additional tasks

Leg 4 (Indonesia → Australia)

Airdate: 30 November 2006

Oceanworld Manly in Sydney suburb of Manly was the location for the Leg's Roadblock where one team member doing an aquatic tasks.

In this Leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Elevation and Crustacean. In Elevation, teams climbed up a large number of steps to get to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, where they received their next clue. In Crustacean, teams made their way on foot to Circular Quay, where they searched for the seafood restaurant Doyle's at the Quay. Once there, they shelled 14 kilograms of cold prawns. They had to ensure that the tail, the head and the back were properly removed. Once the restaurant chef/waiter gave his approval, they received their next clue, on a silver platter. In this Leg's Roadblock, one team member had to dive into the Aquarium in Oceanworld Manly, where they had to swim with sharks, stingrays, turtles, fishes, etc. Once inside, they had to look for their clue underwater and swim to it in order to retrieve it.

Additional tasks

Leg 5 (Australia → New Zealand)

Airdate: 7 December 2006

While in Auckland, teams visited the Sky Tower and climb it to the top.

In this Leg's Detour, teams have to choose between Rugby or Rigging. In Rugby, teams have to take a taxi to Victoria Park. Once there, they will have put on rugby jerseys and kick rugby balls to score 3 goals. The goals would only be counted if the rugby ball is kicked into the enclosed posts and is 22 metres and above. In Rigging, teams would have to travel to Westhaven Marina and find the yachts. Once there, the instructor will give the teams instructions on how to use ropes and knots to get the sail up. Once everything is done correctly and the instructor is happy, teams will receive their next clue. In this Roadblock, that person has to jump 192 metres off the Sky Jump while their teammate, who is below, uses a Sony Ericsson Cybershot camera to take a picture of them doing this task.

Additional tasks

Leg 6 (New Zealand)

Airdate: 14 December 2006

Melody took part the bungee jump Roadblock at Nevis Highwire Platform at Nevis River along with other racers.

In this Detour, teams can choose between Ledge or Luge. In Ledge, each team member will take turns performing the ledge swing, which hurls them 400m above Queenstown. In Luge, each team member must complete an 830m circuit on a luge 4 times before getting their next clue. In this Leg's Roadblock one team member will have to bungee jump 134 metres (440 ft) over Nevis Valley, reputedly the world’s wildest bungee jump. They only have 2 minutes after they step on the platform to do so, or forfeit their turn.

Additional tasks

Leg 7 (New Zealand → Singapore → Thailand)

Airdate: 21 December 2006

The Roadblock in Bangkok took place in the famous Golden Mount, depicted on the Thai 2 Baht coin

In this Roadblock, one member of each team has to climb to the top of the temple and then search through 560 golden bells for 100 clue capsules containing silver slips of paper. Out of the 100 silver slips of paper, only 6 would contain the correct slip of paper. They would have to show it to a temple worker, who will give them the teams their next clue if it is indeed the correct clue. In this Leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Bacon or Eggs. In Bacon, teams would have to find marked Tuk-Tuks on Larn Luang Road and then direct their Tuk-Tuk drivers to drive them to Sahachat Memorial, which is a Memorial for People Born in the Year of Pig (called Pig Monument by the racers). Teams are allowed to seek directions from locals, but must not get assistance from the driver. In Eggs, teams would have to travel to Pak Khlong Talat and find an egg stall and using a trolley, deliver 26 trays of eggs to a nearby egg market at Asadang Road. However, if any eggs are delivered broken, the stall owner would instruct the teams to re-deliver that number of unbroken eggs.

Additional tasks

Leg 8 (Thailand)

Airdate: 28 December 2006

The Roadblock in Krabi required teams to climb the Railay East rock wall.

The Fast Forward in this Leg involved teams having to find a kayak on Pranang Bay and then using it to look for a Fast Forward clue in one of the many hidden caves near the area. In this Leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Smash or Grab. In Smash, teams would have to smash 75 coconuts with a hammer to find one with red ink inside it. In Grab, teams would have to snorkel and swim around 100 buoys which contain 100 clues, only ten of which are the correct clue. In this Leg's Roadblock, one team member will have to climb up the face of Railay East 123 Wall in order to retrieve the next clue.

Additional tasks

Starting at Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, teams will take a long-tail boat to their next destinations for the rest of the Leg.

Leg 9 (Thailand → India)

Airdate: 4 January 2007

The Detour choices in Kolkata required teams to get involved in India's everyday spice market life.

Airdate: 11 January 2007

Upon arriving in Delhi, teams visited the famous Red Fort where they encountered a Yield.

The Roadblock of the first half of the Leg was to have one team member polish 7 bystanders' shoes and charge at least ₹5 for their service. Once they are done, the professional would hand them their next clue. The Detour in the first half of the Leg was to choose between Carry or Count. In Carry, teams would have to deliver 80 litres of milk by carrying the jugs on their heads and pour them into a metal bucket a distance away. Once all the milk have been delivered, teams would receive their next clue. In Count, teams would have to go to a market and then count the number of betel nuts in a basket. Teams can only guess once per time they are seen counting the entire basket of nuts.

The Detour of the second half of the Leg was Deliver or Donkey. In Deliver, teams would have to carry sacks of spices and deliver them to a spice shop which they only have a picture for reference. In Donkey, teams would have to transport onions using a donkey and walk it to the onion store before the vendor will hand teams their next clue. In the Roadblock for the second half of the Leg, one team member from each team had to carry pails of cow manure and then use it to make dung cakes by adding water and sticking them onto the wall. If they drop, teams would have to re-do that one.

Additional tasks

Leg 10 (India → United Arab Emirates)

Airdate: 18 January 2007

Ski Dubai was the site for this Leg's Detour, contrasting to the outside hot weather of Dubai.

The Roadblock required one team member to complete a 9-hole golf course using only a putter and a club. A lost ball or a broken club requires the player to return to the first tee for a replacement. In the detour, teams had to choose between Hack or Hike. In Hack, teams had to chisel their way through a 150 kg block of ice to release their next clue, using only a chisel and a hammer. In Hike, teams had to climb the steepest slope in Ski Dubai while carrying 25 kg worth of skiing equipment. Their next clue would be collected at the top of the slope.

Leg 11 (United Arab Emirates)

Airdate: 25 January 2007

Teams visited the Eyes of the Emirates in Sharjah on this leg of the race.

Teams had to choose between Ride or Seek in this Leg's detour. In Ride, the Team members had to sit on a camel and guide it through a marked course and collect five flags while using only a camel stick. In Seek, Teams must find a souvenir in a marked plot of sand, using a metal detector. The roadblock called for one team member to eat an Arabian specialty dish, which consisted of brains and bread.

Additional tasks

Leg 12 (United Arab Emirates → Malaysia)

Airdate: 1 February 2007

Upon arriving at Kuching, the final destination city, teams had to scour the town for a specific cat statue, which is located in its Chinatown.

Teams had to choose between Brain or Brawn in this Leg's detour. In Brain, teams had to assemble a bench using only a Sony Cybershot picture as reference. In Brawn, teams had to go to a wet market and use traditional methods to carry 30 kg of fruits a certain distance. The roadblock required one team member to complete a rope-based obstacle course.

Additional tasks

References

  1. ↑ "AXN unveils the identity of the reality show's host and regional sponsors as production reaches a new milestone". Archived from the original on 2006-07-15. Retrieved 2006-10-06.
  2. ↑ "The Amazing Race Format makes a Pit Stop in ASIA PACIFIC". Thailand News and Press Releases. 2006-10-19. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
  3. 1 2 3 "And the Host of The Amazing Race Asia is...". The Amazing Race Asia. 2006-07-04. Retrieved 2007-02-23.
  4. ↑ "Over 1000 teams apply for The Amazing Race Asia". The Amazing Race Asia. 2006-04-10. Retrieved 2007-02-24.
  5. ↑ "Asia Is Waiting - Teams Revealed!". The Amazing Race Asia. 2006-09-25. Retrieved 2007-02-24.
  6. ↑ "BINTAN LAGOON RESORT OFFICIAL HOSPITALITY PARTNER FOR AMAZING RACE" (PDF). Bintan Lagoon Resort. July 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-23.
  7. ↑ "HE AMAZING RACE ASIA: MEMORIES". T4. 2006-12-29. Retrieved 2007-02-23.
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