Ladies and gentlemen, we are down to the last few legs of the Amazing Race Asia, and what a ride it’s been so far! The show’s keeping its fans at the edges of their seats — especially since Team Philippines’ Geoff Rodriguez and Tisha Silang are hanging in there. Supreme sources say Geoff and Tisha have a pretty good chance of bagging the Emmy Award-winning franchise’s $100,000 top prize. Of course, details are all under wraps, but we phoned in on the couple to see just how they’re holding up at the pit stop.
What are your thoughts on how the show has portrayed you so far?
Geoff Rodriguez: I guess this is a Geoff question. (Laughs.) I understand that at the end of of the day, The Amazing Race is a TV show. It’s not the Olympic games. There are things in the program that are sensationalized. I mean, I know I don’t go to a restaurant, get the wrong order, and start blowing my whistle. (Laughs.). But I’m not going to hide behind, “Oh, it’s all editing!” I don’t have any problems about the way we’ve been portrayed as a team. I don’t see anything I would object to. Bottom line: It’s reality TV. And what happened on the show was reality. At the time.
Talk a bit about your conflict with the other teams.
Tisha Silang: Well, in one episode, we did yield a team. But we don’t see that at conflict. We wanted to get ahead, and we yielded a strong competitor. It wasn’t out of a personal vendetta or anything — of course, others do it for that reason — but in our case, it was just the spirit of competition. That’s the only reason we used it.
Geoff: The conflict comes with the territory. Some people get along with others better. Other teams formed alliances. And that only forced us to work harder and be stronger. This last episode definitely showcases that.
What’s the toughest thing you’ve had to do on the race so far?
Geoff: Stay together. (Laughs.)
You two are still together, right?
Geoff: Oh yeah.
Tisha: I guess the toughest thing on the race is just dealing with things you don’t usually do — like not eating or sleeping. And there’s the pressure and the physical tasks. It’s just trying to keep everything together. If you lose your composure on the race, it’s your downfall. But in terms of tasks, I think the toughest thing I’ve had to do so far is eat stinky tofu. (Laughs.)
Does it get worse from here?
Geoff: The last two episodes have been really hard, but expect things to let up. From here on, it’s back to normal all the way.
What’s one thing you’ve learned from watching Mark Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez last season?
Geoff: I was gonna say know your flags, but I think the whole nation learned that. (Laughs.)
Tisha: For me, it’s that you can run the race and be very nice and be happy and stuff —
Geoff: But that’s when you’re so far ahead...
Tisha: Yeah, and I think the biggest lesson is to race smart; pay attention to details. There are physical and mental aspects to this race. You need to combine the two.
Will you win the race?
Geoff: This is me dodging the question! (Laughs.)
Tisha: I’ll say, we’ve already won just by being selected. We’ve already won just by running the race. It’s like the Emmys — you know, just to be nominated is such an honor.
Geoff: Yeah, and to be this far in the race is not only a cherry on top of the cake, but a bunch of cherries.
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The Amazing Race Asia airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on cable channel AXN.