RP team takes the lead on Amazing Race Asia 2

In the first season of Amazing Race Asia, the two teams from the Philippines fared poorly. Couple Ernie and Jeena Lopez were the first ones to be booted out. Best friends Aubrey Miles and Jacqueline Yu, meanwhile, merely finished only up to the fourth leg of the race. Their early exit dashed hopes of Filipinos to continue rooting for them to win and perhaps curtailed interest to stay glued to the race.

The second season, however, sees the Philippine teams faring superbly, with buddies Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez consistently at the forefront of the race. The two have placed first in six out of the seven legs of the race, with the most recent one last Thursday ending in Prague, the picturesque capital of the Czech Republic. Thus, their consistent first-place finish makes them the strongest and the most competitive team, if not the unbeatable one, in the race.

The other team from the Philippines, married couple Henry and Terry Reed, has managed to stay as one of the remaining six teams in the current race despite being nearly booted out twice, only saved by pre-determined non-elimination legs. Henry is a retired US navy senior chief petty officer, while Terry is his domineering housewife. They have been married for 13 years now. They are perhaps the best “characters” in the race, what with their unceasing spats, constant bickering and seemingly endless shouting matches in the midst of doing the road blocks, detours, other challenges and tasks in every leg.

Last season, favorites Zabrina and Joe Jer became the first all-female team to win any version of The Amazing Race. But Marc and Rovilson are perhaps the only contestants who have done first place finish for six consecutive times.

Following the formula of the highly-successful The Amazing Race in the US, The Amazing Race Asia has 10 teams of two who prove that the new season poses more cutthroat competition. The current season also yielded twice as many applicants as the last one.

For season two, the race has added a team from Japan for the first time, with siblings Sawaka and Daichi. The other teams are gym buddies Collin Low and Adrian Yap from Singapore; dating couples Brett Money and Kinaryosi from Indonesia; Monica and Edwin Lo from Hong Kong; childhood friends Paula Taylor and Natasha Monks from Thailand; ex-housemates Aurelia Chenat and Sophie Teng from Hong Kong; sisters Pamela and Vanessa Chong from Malaysia; and moms Ann Tan and Diane Douglas from Malaysia (who have been interestingly tagged “Desperate Housewives” or “Malaysian Mums”).

Starting in Singapore with the pilot airing last Nov. 22, The Amazing Race Asia 2 has taken the teams, so far, to the Philippines, China, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Germany and the Czech Republic. While the first leg that ended with a pit stop at the Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila was won by sisters Pamela and Vanessa, Marc and Rovilson won the succeeding legs consistently.

Marc is a familiar face in Philippine showbiz. As most everyone knows, he is a celebrity model and TV host, the partner of Diane Castillejo on the weekly late-night show, Sports Unlimited. Rovilson also hosts the sports show, Game Plan, and is the executive editor of Maxim Magazine.

Marc and Rovilson do the country proud. While their hunk factor is a big edge, they work well together and display teamwork to the hilt. Theirs is a potent combination, making their sharp wit and strong, sporty physique work to their advantage. They are also the perfect foil to each other, punctuating their tasks with their distinct sense of humor and always with a good laugh.

Amusingly enough, while waiting for the next available train to Prague from Frankfurt during the seventh leg, Rovilson decided to while away the time by gamely heading out to a nearby strip club and doing some impromptu pole dancing to get some spare cash.

In The Amazing Race Asia 2 website, Marc and Rovilson have been described as “one team with two flamboyant individuals who dish out a mixture of comedy and ego with a ton of sass.” They are apparently enjoying what they do, which they spice up with their constant ribbing but all in the name of friendship.

They never argued throughout the race and never fought with the other teams, too. Even when the hearing-impaired Adrian and his partner Collin (who provide stiff competition) tried to steal a cab that Marc and Rovilson had called, the latter merely gave way. Rovilson was simply heard saying, “You stole our cab. We’ll remember that. There’s karma.”

Of course, not everyone who follows The Amazing Race Asia 2 would favor Marc and Rovilson even if they are ahead of the pack. In the race’s on-line forum, the two have been called “Arrogant Assholes.” Regardless of the negative tag, however, the two hunks have been unbelievably blessed with tremendous luck, virtually without any mistakes in the challenges and ending up first in every pit stop.

The hunks have amassed several prizes, including a total money bonanza of $20,000 through Standard Chartered credit card. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that luck will remain on their side to carry them through the end to win $100,000.

Catch Amazing Race Asia 2 every Thursday night at 9 on AXN, with a replay at midnight of the same day.