Two Amazing Races for an action-packed November

It looks like we have an amazing AXN month ahead of us, with both The Amazing Race 12 beginning today and The Amazing Race Asia 2 set to premiere on November 22. This reality show remains a consistent Primetime Emmy Awards favorite, winning a total of seven Emmys out of 18 nominations. I’m not surprised, because it is really reality television at its finest.

What I’ve always loved about TAR is that it doesn’t reward typical behavior you’d expect from any other reality show. Wheeling and dealing, Survivor-style, didn’t get Rob and Amber (TAR 7 and TAR All Stars) to the finish line first. Explosive, even scandalous, yet publicity-friendly outbursts didn’t win Jonathan and Victoria (TAR 6) the prize. Beauty and sex appeal didn’t get Dustin and Kandice (TAR 10 and TAR All Stars) the million-dollar pot. The bottom-line is that it’s not a popularity contest. The best team—with a lot of luck and, as far as I’m concerned, good TAR karma—wins.

In last year’s TAR-Asia, there were two teams from the Philippines: Jeena & Ernie and Aubrey & Jacqueline. They appeared to be strong contenders, but they were among the first to be eliminated. It was quite unfortunate, because they were the only teams that openly displayed nationalistic pride. Ernie always had a Philippine flag on his shirt or cap, and he passed this on to Aubrey & Jacqueline after he and his wife were eliminated. At some point, Ernie even shouted, “Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!”

I was able to catch The Amazing Race Asia 2 Racers Revealed – A One Hour Special. Again, there are two teams from the Philippines. And again, there’s the celebrity factor. The first Team Philippines tandem to be introduced was some dude named Marc Nelson and his best-and-equally-hunky friend Rovilson Fernandez. Need I say more?

Marc has never struck me as the typical all-brawn guy. I’ve watched some of his shows and seen him host beauty pageants and found him extremely capable as a host. I don’t know a lot about Rovilson, but he’s also a TV host and a magazine editor, so I’ll give him credit for that. I think they have a good chance of winning.

The second couple of Team Philippines is made up of virtual unknowns. I was happy to see, however, that in the TAR Asia website, they’re the only teams proudly wearing the country’s flag. I don’t know if nationalism can propel them to victory, but it makes me feel all fuzzy and warm inside, and I’m rooting for them already. To think one of them is not even Filipino! Henry Reed is a retired US Navy officer. He and his Filipina wife Trinidad now live in the Philippines. They’re one of the underdogs, being the oldest couple this year. From what I’ve seen on the one-hour special, they also have the craziest dynamics. Trinidad has quite a spunk to her. I think they also have a chance.

The original TAR also seems promising. They didn’t have a special like TAR-Asia, but I’ve taken a peek at the teams and what I’ve seen looks promising. One team that struck me was a Goth team, Kynt & Vyxsin. According to their profile, they’ve been dating on and off, but they do each other’s make-up and enjoy shopping together. For more about TAR, we’ll just have to see tonight!

Ze Muzikal to catch

Don’t let the movie discourage you, Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah (Ze Musikal!) is really quite a trip to watch. The musical’s Cebu run has the following play dates: November 16, 17, and 18 at 3pm and 8pm at SM Cebu Cinema 1. I saw it last year (with Eula Valdez as Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah and Agot Isidro as her nemesis Queen Femina Suarestella Baroux) and it was laugh out loud from start to finish. One recommendation though: don’t sit too close to the stage, because if it’s anything like I remembered (I watched it in a tiny CCP theater), the crazy “special effects” are better appreciated from a slight distance. Enjoy and tell me all about it!

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