The Amazing Race is no walk in the park

It feels good to reach the finish line ahead of everybody. To be booted out first from the race is another story.

Ernie and Jeena Lopez of Team Philippines 1, two of the strongest contenders in the ongoing The Amazing Race Asia on AXN, which airs every Thursday night at 9, know this too well.

"We were disappointed even when we came home to Manila," the couple blurted out when asked how was it like to be the first to go.

But that’s the beauty of any reality TV shows, everything is unpredictable up to the last second. Everybody has the chance to catch up. Time can only tell who’s ahead and who will be left behind.

Ernie and Jeena’s early exit was unexpected to many. Among the finalists, they are among the few who are athletic. Their interests like running and mountain climbing, are at their peak, and they can endure physical challenges.

But then again, it’s surprise, surprise. That’s why many love the show. It teems with uncertainty. And this, they see before their eyes.

Who would have thought Ernie and Jeena would end up this way? They placed second overall in the first episode.

What really went wrong? In the second episode, Ernie and Jeena took the fast-forward challenge. Contestants had two options to reach the first pit stop. The first was to get the clue inside a pen filled with snakes, perform an Indonesian native dance and push a cart without spilling the sauce of the noodles. The other was to take the fast-forward by traveling to a local school and find the student listening to MP3 player with a voice congratulating the contestant.

The Lopezes took the fast-forward and as a privilege, skipped the first option’s two extra challenges. Since the roads were uncharted and the taxi driver unreliable, the Indian guys, who also decided to do the fast-forward, went ahead of them and Ernie and Jeena had to take the last challenge of option one. As expected, they were delayed and arrived last to the pit stop.

"We should have done it harder," wished Jeena. "But, The Amazing Race Asia is an experience we will treasure."

But the surprise didn’t stop from there.

Aubrey Miles and Jacqueline Yu of Team Philippines 2, our last hope for the show, followed the Lopezes too soon.

"We didn’t expect it," said Aubrey of her and Jacqueline’s exit. "We were really upset," added Jacqueline. "We can’t do anything about. We can’t turn back time."

"It’s all about navigation and decision making," explained Aubrey.

In the third episode, the Paris-Nicole tandem had trouble locating the next clue buried underneath the sand. They spent four to five hours digging the sand to find it. It exhausted Aubrey’s energy and the two decided to proceed to the next challenge. What the ladies didn’t know is that they were lagging behind. Since they didn’t finish the first task of the day, they received a four-hour penalty that lowered their ranking. Like the Lopezes, Aubrey and Jacqueline will just charge everything to experience.

"It has changed my perspective in life," said Jacqueline of her Amazing experience. "I have learned to appreciate every little thing in life. You don’t need a cellphone and other material things to survive."

Aubrey realized that it’s better to "celebrate life and face all its challenges."

"It (Amazing Race) has made me love my family and people dear to me more."

Even if the campaign of Ernie, Jeena, Aubrey and Jacqueline to win The Amazing Race Asia has ended, life must go on and they have made their countrymen proud.