On your mark, let’s race... go

It’s going to be survival of the fittest on The Amazing Race Asia Season Two as the 10 participating teams are described as fit and feisty. The reality show premieres tomorrow night at 9 on AXN and airs thereafter every Thursday night.

Of the 10 groups of two, two teams each come from the Philippines, Hong Kong and Malaysia; and one each from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Japan.

Allan Wu, who will host The Amazing Race Asia for the second time, says the contestants are competitive and have set their eyes to win.

They are different from the previous participants who were generally nice people and found time to get to know the other teams and their cultures. Many think batch one of Amazing Race Asia treated the competition light because it was the maiden season.

Season two promises to be action and temper-filled. Better ask Allan, who, according to reports, almost figured out in a fight with one of the contestants. We can’t fault the Amazing racers if they will show their claws and true colors early on in the competition because what at stake is $100,000.

As a host, Allan says he will be more comfortable this time around to show his personality on the small screen. He will try to veer away from the stoic, straightforward image of Phil Keoghan, host of The Amazing Race. Allan says he will be just himself.

Let’s see what the former Fear Factor US Edition contestant means when the cameras start to grind.

This year, Marc Nelson, host of ABS-CBN’s Sports Unlimited, and Rovilson Fernandez, executive editor of Maxim, represent the Philippines. Everybody hopes that Marc and Rovilson’s love for sports and friendship will help them advance to the finals and improve the country’s rank from Season One.

Couples Ernie and Jeena Lopez were the first to leave the competition because of a fast-forward challenge. Then, best friends Aubrey Miles and Jacqueline Yu followed suit due to a four-hour penalty in the sand digging challenge.

Henry Reed, a retired US navy man, and his Pinay wife Terri, make up the second team from the Philippines.

With Marc and Rovilson and Henry and Terri, Team Philippines has two chances to win the race this year. Local fans wish they will be able to endure every fast-forward or roadblock challenge that might come their way.

Aside from this year’s interesting mix of contestants, televiewers should look forward to the bigger playing field The Amazing Race Asia Season Two offers the teams. It covers four continents with a travel span of 50,000 kilometers. That statistics is way beyond the eight countries, 15 cities and 36,000 kilometers Asia-trotting made by the Season One finalists.

Is there a winning formula or strategy for the race?

“We didn’t make it easy for the other contestants,” replied B.J.Averell and Tyler MacNiven, winners of The Amazing Race Season Nine, in an interview. “We didn’t play it dirty. Luck is just as important as skills and abilities.”

Winning, however, is not to get eliminated first in the competition, shared The Amazing Race Asia Season One winners Joe Jer Tee and Zabrina Fernandez in a phone patch interview following their big win. Contestants have to be in control all the time, the Malaysian girls added.