The Amazing Race Asia 3 (also known as The Amazing Race Asia: Toughest Race Ever) is the third season of The Amazing Race Asia, an Asian reality competition show based on the American series The Amazing Race. It featured ten teams of two with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around Asia to win US$100,000. This season visited the entirety of Asia and six countries and travelled over during eleven legs. Starting in Bangkok, teams travelled through Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, India, and Oman, before finishing in Phuket. The season premiered on AXN Asia on September 11, 2008 and consisted of 11 episodes, two episodes fewer than the first and second seasons. The season finale aired on November 20, 2008.
Friends Vince Chung and Sam Wu, representing Hong Kong, were the winners of this season. Vince also became the first non-Asian by nationality to win The Amazing Race Asia, while Philippine dating couple Geoff Rodriguez and Tisha Silang finished in second place and Malaysian actress and heiress Ida Nerina and Tania Khan finished in third place.
Production Development and filming
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 the Brazilian version, was the first time The Amazing Race Asia traveled across one continent, Asia (previous seasons covered at least two continents). Unlike past seasons, this was the first season 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 was dubbed as "the toughest Race ever" compared to previous seasons as both contestants and crew personnel experienced high fatigue during this season due to the faster pace and shorter break times. During filming, one production crew member was even hospitalized.
This was the only season of The Amazing Race Asia did not visit the country of Singapore.
Footage from the start of the season was shown on the ninth episode of The Amazing Race 16.
Casting 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.
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 & Vyxsin of season 12 of the original American version of The Amazing Race did really submit an audition tape but did not make 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."
Release Marketing The third season of The Amazing Race Asia had six official sponsors: Caltex, MASkargo, Nokia, Singha, Sony and Standard Chartered Bank.
Broadcasting A special episode known as "Racers Revealed" 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.
Cast
This season's cast include cousins, and a father & son team. Like Season 2, this season featured a large number of local media personalities or their relatives. Natalie Glebova is the winner of Miss Universe 2005 and also the wife of Thai tennis player Paradorn Srichaphan. Her teammate, Pailin, is the runner-up in 2006 Miss Thailand Universe and also contested in Miss Earth 2006. Tisha Silang 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. Isaac & William are sports commentators and football agents for professional players in the Korean K-League. Vince Matthew Chung 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.
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, however they are representing Malaysia.
Tania Khan died in late 2020 at the age of 48.
ContestantsAgeRelationshipHometownStatus 24CousinsDelhi, IndiaEliminated 1st(in Mae Hia, Thailand) 27 29BrothersSeoul, South KoreaEliminated 2nd(in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) 26 25Beauty QueensBangkok, ThailandEliminated 3rd(in Huế, Vietnam) 26 53Father & SonMumbai, IndiaEliminated 4th(in Taipei, Taiwan) 25 24FriendsBangkok, ThailandEliminated 5th(in Taipei, Taiwan) 25 43Brother & SisterKuala Lumpur, MalaysiaEliminated 6th(in Kochi, India) 39 34Friends 15 YearsSingaporeEliminated 7th(in Tanuf, Oman) 34 44Actress & HeiressKuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThird Place 36 26DatingBatangas, PhilippinesSecond Place 32 32Best BuddiesHong KongWinners 32
Results The following teams participated in the season, with their relationships at the time of filming. Placements are listed in finishing order: A placement with a dagger () indicates that the team was eliminated. A placement with a double-dagger () indicates that the team was the last to arrive at a Pit Stop in a non-elimination leg. An 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. An placement indicates that the team had to relinquish all of their money and were not allotted money for the next leg. A indicates that the team won a Fast Forward. A indicates that the team chose to use the Yield, and a indicates the team who received it. A means the team chose to use a U-Turn, and a indicates the team who received it. +Team placement (by leg) Team1234567891011 Vince & Sam7th3rd2nd2nd1st1st2nd4th1st3rd1st Geoff & Tisha2nd5th5th6th4th3rd1st1st3rd2nd2nd Ida & Tania5th6th3rd1st5th3rd2nd1st3rd A.D. & Fuzzie8th2nd4th5th3rd4th3rd2nd Henry & Bernie3rd1st1st4th2nd2nd4th Mai & Oliver1st8th6th3rd Niroo & Kapil9th4th7th Pailin & Natalie4th7th Isaac & William6th Neena & Amit Notes
Race summary
Leg 1 (Thailand)
Episode 1: “The Toughest Race Ever” (11 September 2008) Prize: for each team member, courtesy of Standard Chartered Bank (awarded to Mai & Oliver) Eliminated: Neena & Amit
Locations Bangkok, Thailand (King Rama I Monument) (Starting Line) Bangkok (Khaosan Road) Pathum Thani (Amphoe Khlong Luang – Caltex Service Station) → Suphan Buri (Wat Phai Rong Wua ) Suphan Buri (Wat Phai Rong Wua) → Chiang Mai (Chiang Mai Arcade Bus Station) Mae Raem (Chiang Mai X-Centre Rice Field) Mae Hia (Ratchaphruek Garden – Ho Kham Royal Pavilion)
Episode summary Teams set off from King Rama I Monument in Bangkok and were instructed to travel to Khaosan Road. There, both team members had to consume one large bowl of Thai street food, consisting of assorted fried bugs, frogs and scorpions, to receive their next clue. The clue instructed teams to head to Caltex Service Station in Pathum Thani and completely clean a 22-seat passenger bus to the supervisor's satisfaction before receiving their next clue. The clue instructed teams had to sign-up for one of three newly washed buses to Suphan Buri, the first and second carried three teams while the last bus would carried four teams. After travelling to Wat Phai Rong Wua, teams had search the temple grounds for their next clue hidden amongst hundreds of Buddha statues. The first two buses, however, would depart 20 minutes after they arrived at the temple. After finding a clue, teams had to board the next available bus to go to Chiang Mai. Upon arrival at the Arcade Bus Station, teams found their next clue. This season's first Detour 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 track to receive their next clue. In Rice, teams had to work together to pound rice into paste and make two rice balls before receiving their next clue. After the Detour, teams had to check in at the Pit Stop: Ratchaphruek Garden.
Additional note Paula Taylor from the previous season was the greeter on this leg.
Leg 2 (Thailand → Vietnam)
Episode 2: “I Wanna Be a Man” (18 September 2008) Prize: Free Caltex fuel with techron for a year (awarded to Henry & Bernie) Eliminated: Isaac & William
Locations Chiang Mai (Ratchaphruek Garden – Ho Kham Royal Pavilion) Mae Kham Pong (Flight of the Gibbon) (Overnight Rest) Chiang Mai (Sathit Buarawong Banana Plantation) Chiang Mai (Chiang Mai International Airport) → Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Tan Son Nhat International Airport) Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon Opera House) Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon Phố Cafe) Ho Chi Minh City (Bến Thành Market) Ho Chi Minh City (Ben Thanh Bus Station) → Cái Bè (Cái Bè Bus Station) Cái Bè (Cao Dai Temple) Cái Bè (Chánh Trần Fruit Depot and Cái Bè Floating Market Bằng Chicken Farm and Cái Bè Land Market) Cái Bè (Cái Bè Bus Station) → Ho Chi Minh City (Thánh Nữ Jeanne D'Arc Church ) Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon Central Post Office) Ho Chi Minh City (Museum of Vietnamese History)
Episode summary At the start of the leg, teams had to travel to Flight of the Gibbon where they had to go through a jungle heights course consisting of zip-lines and a parallel drop before getting their next clue, instructing them to Sathit Buarawong Banana Plantation to search for their next clue. In this season's first Roadblock, one team member had to cross a plantation and retrieve their next clue from a hanging backpack without being hit by snipers brandishing paintball guns, who would fire paintballs at the team member. If the team member was shot, they had to return to the starting point and perform the task again. After the Roadblock, teams were instructed to fly to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Once there, teams made their way to Saigon Opera House to grab their next clue, directing them to Saigon Phố Cafe, where each team member had to play a Nokia N-Gage game, known as System Rush: Evolution, on a Nokia N82 handphone and complete three laps around a track within a time limit to receive their next clue, that would lead to direct them Bến Thành Market, where they find a specific flower stall to the lady that would hand them their next clue, instructed them to travel by bus to Cái Bè. Once there, they made their way to Cao Dai Temple to get their next clue. This leg's Detour was a choice between Sampan and Some Walk. In Sampan, teams would have had to load a sampan with fruit and then row it across the river to a trader, who would give teams their next clue. In Some Walk, teams had to gather twenty live chickens and then deliver then using a đòn gánh to a vendor in the land market to receive their next clue. Some teams attempted Sampan, before switched and completed Some Walk. After the Detour, teams made their way back to Ho Chi Minh City and travelled to Thánh Nữ Jeanne D'Arc Church, teams had to choose a Red Cross aid expert, each representing one of the nine available charity organisations, and use US$500 from Singha to purchase supplies as needed by the organisation. Once complete, team would find their next clue outside the Saigon Central Post Office, instructed them to the Pit Stop at Museum of Vietnamese History.
Additional note