Supreme scoop! Painful glory for Team Philippines in the toughest race ever
Thursday night at the Bangkok Centara Hotel where the Amazing Race Asia began, Geoff Brizz (known to us as former Powerboy Geoff Rodriguez) and Tisha Silang are back to where they started. There is a sentimental mood this time, unlike when they, along with other teams all across Asia, began the “toughest race ever.” But this time, after three months of silence, it can be told. Geoff and Tisha came in second place in the recently concluded and much-talked-about Amazing Race Asia on AXN.
Fans who have been following the show had high hopes for the couple, especially after the second place finish of last season’s Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez, Supreme to the Extreme awardees for Reality TV Stars of the Year. “It was a very close fight,” gushes Tisha. “We were neck and neck with the first placers. We got in first from Oman and Dubai, and then from Bangkok and Phuket, our fate was sealed when we got our taxi driver. We grabbed the first one, but he didn’t know where he was going.” I could still feel the bittersweet tone in Tisha’s voice. Remember it was in The Philippine Star Supreme where they first had their photo shoot to anounce that they were the official Pilippine team to the race.
“We tried to look for another taxi driver, but by the time we got to the final detour, we already came in second,” explains Tisha, who was pretty transparent about her disappointment over the result. “We’re pretty sad. We knew how close we were. We had everything planned out. It hurts because it was out of our control. We were really determined.” she adds.
Despite their mixed emotions, both Geoff and Tish still choose to look at the brght side. “But we’re still happy. We would have been happy to be part of the top five, then we got into top three so for us to come in second, we’re really quite happy already.” They come home to Manila on the 24th, and not empty-handed. For winning first in a couple of legs at the race, Geoff and Tish each get to take home a 40-inch Sony Bravia, PlayStation 3, and a trip to Hong Kong for two to watch JVC tennis tourney plus 1k dollars spending money.”
Sam and Vince from Hong Kong came in first place, while Ida and Tanya from Malaysia came in third place. After months of trying to get the scoop from Geoff, he now breaks his silence.
“Now that we are talking about it for the first time, for us it was a painful glory Our hearts would wince everytime people would ask us if we had won. When we got into the airport, people would congratulate us. We live with Marc so there would be moments when we’d wake up with an epiphany — we should have done this, we should have done that...,” Geoff recalls, the incident still fresh in his memory.
“We were behind by exactly 36 minutes and 11 seconds. I timed everything so I knew exactly how everything would turn out,” says Geoff, revealing his OC side. ”I guess that’s the common denominatror among us friends — we’re all really competitiive.” Geoff gives off a smile of relief. “But hey, we were ourselves, and we did our best. We didn’t try to hide what kind of people we were during the race and we’re more secure about ourselves even more so now. And I told Tish, `Babe, at least we beat the boys,’” referering to close buddies and last season’s stars Marc and Rovilson. “Somehow that was what kept us in the race — we were pretending that we were racing with Marc and Rovi,” Geoff confesses to us lunch time before the announcement and episode screening that same evening in Bangkok. “Yes, it is true what the show claims that this is the toughest race ever. Marc and Rovislon had a Club Med compared to us,” Geoff reveals to us in his usual uncanny sense of candor and humor. Supreme was supposed to come and party with them, but we chose to deliver the news to you fresh, hot and fast — first place.
So what are their immediate plans after the race? “I’m planning to move back to Canada by early next year and take up dental hygiene. I have been living for 10 years in the Philippines,” says the former Miss Philippines. “So I guess I am leaving on a high note after the race.” Tisha smiles and realizes that the past decade has been very fruitful for her.
“We’ve been waiting for this day of glory— I just want to enjoy the three minutes left of this 15 minutes of fame,” Geoff, the ever-so-grounded person that he is, shares with us — but not without sending out hints to new prospects. “And I’m also happy to do hostings and endorsements, etc. ...The best thing for me would be Stresstabs. I think I should have taken a lot during the race.”
