Filming dates 10 June – 30 June 2010 Countries visited 8 | Continents visited 2 | |
 | ||
Season Run 23 September – 9 December 2010 No. of Episodes 11 (12 including recap) Winning team Richard Hardin &
Richard Herrera | ||
The Amazing Race Asia is a reality television game show based on the American series, The Amazing Race. The fourth installment of the show features several teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around Asia and the Pacific Rim. Production for this installment was delayed in 2009. It is also the first Amazing Race series to be filmed and broadcast in high-definition.
Contents
- Development and filming
- Cast
- Marketing
- Results
- Prizes
- Leg 1 Malaysia
- Leg 2 Malaysia
- Leg 3 Malaysia Sri Lanka
- Leg 4 Sri Lanka
- Leg 5 Sri Lanka Philippines
- Leg 6 Philippines New Zealand
- Leg 7 New Zealand Australia
- Leg 8 Australia
- Leg 9 Australia Indonesia
- Leg 10 Indonesia South Korea
- Leg 11 South Korea Singapore
- References
Applications ended 31 March 2010, after a short extension due to popular demand. Semi-finalist and finalist interviews were held between March/April. Filming took place June to July 2010.
The season premiered on 23 September 2010. The identities of the contestants were revealed on 2 September 2010. The premiere episode also shown on AXN's website on 16 September 2010.
A special episode was aired on 2 December 2010, a week before the season finale.
Filipino friends Richard Hardin & Richard Herrera were the winners of the race.
Development and filming
The fourth season of The Amazing Race Asia is the first Amazing Race to be broadcast in high-definition television. Besides the switch to high-definition, updated on-screen graphics (similar in appearance to those introduced in season 14 of the US Amazing Race) and music, were introduced. The opening intro was also updated with a new title card and tuneup in the music. Of note, is the addition of the use of split-screens.
According to AXN, this season is dubbed as "Ride of a Lifetime". Allan noted that this season will travel to exotic locations and feature new challenges. This season features a first-time visit to Sri Lanka, as well as visits to far-flung areas including Invercargill, New Zealand, and Legazpi City, Albay, Philippines. Indonesia was also a previously visited country and was never visited in the original American edition, but later was visited in the nineteenth season, in 2011.
Leg 5 was said to be the most expensive production to date. It features teams riding numerous forms of transportations: airplanes, bus, passenger jeep, carrier jeep, jet ski and an all-terrain vehicle.
Leg 7 once again featured a Virtual Pit Stop, returning from Season 2, creating a superleg with leg 8. Similar to previous superlegs, teams are ordered to continue racing from the Virtual Pit Stop until reaching a real Pit Stop in the next leg. Teams are not awarded a prize for coming first at the Virtual Pit Stop, however teams positions are reflected in the table below.
This is the first Amazing Race Asia season to start and end in two different countries, starting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and ending in Singapore, albeit having close proximity of the two locations. In some foreign editions, starting and ending locations are in different countries (such as Brazil, Israel and Latin America), but not in the original American edition, which starts and ends in the same country.
This also marks the first time wherein a contestant was absent at the final pitstop, specifically Lani Pillinger due to a broken collar bone.
Cast
Season 4's cast include the show's first father-daughter team, as well as martial arts experts, tattooists, social workers and musicians. Like in previous Asian editions, this season features a large number of media personalities or their relatives. Wendy was a finalist in Miss Hong Kong 2006, Nadine was Miss Indonesia Earth 2009, while Natasha was Miss South Jakarta 2007. Dimple is a Hindi soap actress who starred in the serial Aathvaan Vachan while her friend Sunaina is an Indian TV actress, who is currently starring in Dill Mill Gayye, as well as a movie actress who starred in Hindi movie Kyun! Ho Gaya Na.... Manas finished runner-up as a contestant on the Indian reality-dating show Rakhi Ka Swayamwar, similar in format to The Bachelorette of the American series. Jess and Lani as well as Richard Herrera have appeared in numerous media and print advertisements and commercials in the Philippines. Richard Hardin is a former pro-basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. Claire is a prominent bar musician who plays at numerous gigs around Singapore while Michelle was a reality TV contestant on the Singaporean series S Factor. At the ages of 21 and 22 respectively, Claire and Michelle also form the youngest team in Amazing Race Asia history.
This season features two non-Asians, Ivan, who is from Hungary and races with his Malaysian wife Hilda; and Australian Jess (tattooist Jacinta James), who races with fellow countrywoman Lani Pillinger (though Lani is of Filipino ethnicity); Richard (Hardin) & Richard (Herrera) were raised in the United States. This was the first time that Thailand was not represented this season.
Marketing
The fourth season of The Amazing Race Asia has three official sponsors, they are Axiata, Caltex and Sony. The official hotel partner is Hilton, while the series is supported by Tourism Malaysia and Mix FM.
A week before the premiere of Racers Revealed, the show was released on its official website. The first episode premiered on the official website one week before the season debut as well.
Results
The following teams participated in the race, with their relationships at the time of filming. Placements are listed in finishing order:
Prizes
Individual prizes were awarded to the first team to complete a leg.
Leg 1 (Malaysia)
Airdate: 23 September 2010
In this Leg's Roadblock required one team member to ascend the stairs at the Batu Caves complex while carrying an offering and counting the number of steps. Once at the top, they had to exchange their offering and the correct answer of 272 steps to receive their next clue. In this Leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Flags or Rags. In Flags, teams must search five flags around the ship using ship lingo. In Rags, one team member must lower themselves down to clean windows of the ship, while the other must search for and take a photo of their partner to receive their next clue.
Leg 2 (Malaysia)
Airdate: 30 September 2010
'The Roadblock required one team member to guide a ring through an underwater rope maze whilst using diving equipment. If the team member did not finish the puzzle in time (which is when the diver instructor told them the time is up), the team would incur a four-hour penalty for not completing the Roadblock (which would be assessed at the pit-stop). The Detour was a choice between Rapid Water or Rapid Fire. In Rapid Water, teams had to sail a bamboo raft down river rapids and across the river to retrieve their next clue. In Rapid Fire, both teammates had to shoot Malaysian slingshots at two targets to receive their next clue.
Leg 3 (Malaysia → Sri Lanka)
Airdate: 7 October 2010
The Detour was a choice between Carry It or Count It. In Carry It, teams had to carry 12 blocks of ice to a market vendor across the fish market. In Count It, teams had to count fish and give the correct amount of 1100 fish to receive their next clue. In this Roadblock, one team member to sew a shirt to receive their next clue.
Leg 4 (Sri Lanka)
Airdate: 14 October 2010
In the only Fast Forward of the race, a team had to proceed to the Galle Bus Station and have their heads shaved at a nearby street barber. Once completed, the team had to bring a Hilton Duck and proceed using a marked taxi to the pit stop. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member has to know the year when Sri Lanka became a sovereign state and changed its name from Ceylon to its present name. The team member had to use this year to unlock a treasure chest located along a beach outside the Galle Lighthouse. (The Answer needed to unlock the chest is 1-9-7-2.) In this leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Coconut Course and Language Course. In Coconut Course, teams had climb up a laddered coconut tree and traverse on a hanging rope between two coconut trees. Once done, they will each receive a coconut which they have to give to the chieftain to get their next clue. In Language Course, teams had to go to school and learn from a student ten Sinhalese words. Once they think they have mastered all ten words, they must recite it to a teacher. If they get all ten correct, the teacher will hand them their next clue.
Leg 5 (Sri Lanka → Philippines)
Airdate: 21 October 2010
In this Leg's Detour teams had to choose between Jig and Pig. In Jig, teams would have to don costumes and perform a traditional Ibalong dance to the satisfaction of two judges. In Pig, teams would compete in a game of catching an oiled pig. They would have to collect two pigs to receive their next clue. In this Leg's Roadblock, one team member must kayak to the flagged fish farm and find one of the hundreds of clues as only ten hold the next clue (the one that says "Correct!").
Leg 6 (Philippines → New Zealand)
Airdate: 28 October 2010
In this leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Plunge or Swing. Both detours are located at Nevis Highwire Platform in Nevis River. In Plunge, each team member must make a bungee jump from a height of 134 metres (440 ft) above the Nevis River to receive their next clue. In Swing, both team members will be seated side by side and swing from a platform 300 metres (980 ft) above the Nevis Canyon to receive their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, teams travel to Coronet Peak and one team member to find a clue buried in the snow hill using their avalanche rescue transceiver.
Leg 7 (New Zealand → Australia)
Airdate: 4 November 2010
In this leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Pen or Pinot. In Pen, teams must separate three marked sheep from a flock to another pen to receive their next clue. In Pinot, teams must carry and fill a wine barrel with wine to receive their next clue. For the leg's Roadblock, teams took a taxi to Circus Art School, one team member must perform flying trapeze routine to receive their next clue.
Leg 8 (Australia)
Airdate: 11 November 2010
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member must take a Subaru Impreza WRX and make a lap within 102 seconds to get their next clue. If they did not made the lap after the correct time, they would do it again. In this Detour, teams must first participate in an Aborigine tradition of face-painting before doing one of the Detours, Bush Chucker and Bush Hunter. In Bush Chucker, teams must throw a boomerang and have it land within a marked circular area. In Bush Hunter, teams must throw a hunting spear to a hay bale. After doing their Detour, one team member must eat a live witchetty grub, an Aborigine delicacy, to receive their next clue.
Leg 9 (Australia → Indonesia)
Airdate: 18 November 2010
In this leg's Detour, teams chose between Above or Beyond. In Above, teams travelled to Mandalika Market and had to carry a basket of vegetables above their heads without their hands touching the basket, for a distance of 50 meters. In Beyond, teams had to search Kuburan Cina for the tomb of Fam Sam Moy. In this leg's Roadblock, teams rode an outrigger to Gili Trawangan, where one team member took scuba diving lessons at the Blue Marlin Dive Resort before diving into Halik Reef to retrieve a briefcase. They then returned to Gili Trawangan Island and rode a cidomo, a local horse carriage to the aforementioned resort.
Leg 10 (Indonesia → South Korea)
Airdate: 25 November 2010
In this leg's Detour, teams had to choose between Bow N' Arrow or Rock N' Roll. In Bow N' Arrow, they must choose another team's photograph as target and hit the target three times with a traditional arrow to receive their next clue. In Rock N' Roll, teams must build a ceremonial pagoda to a certain height using rocks to receive their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, teams must drive to Daereungwon Tomb Complex and one team member must figure out the correct set of three gates to receive their next clue. If the team member incorrectly chooses a gate, she/he will be blocked by warriors. Each team member will be given three attempts to correctly decode the warrior's code or else they have to go back to the starting line.
Leg 11 (South Korea → Singapore)
Airdate: 9 December 2010
In this leg's Detour, teams must choose between Stay Up and Add Up. In Stay Up, teams must successfully ride a wave for an accumulated time of two minutes at the Wave House. In Add Up, teams must head to the Gmax Reverse Bungee and add up three numbers called out by the host and get the sum correctly to receive their next clue. In this leg's Roadblock, one team member must make a tightrope walk from tower 1 to tower 2 of the Marina Bay Sands Resort to get their clue. They must then make their way back to tower 1 to finish the task.