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TARA 3 Henry & Bernie (Malaysia)

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puddin:



Fans of Asian reality television might recognize model and host Bernie Chan – she was the face of Project Runway Malaysia last year. But few would recognize her race teammate and elder brother, Henry Chan.

It is not because the 43 year old isn't famous, but rather because the chef and restaurant owner has had reconstructive surgery done in late 2006. "In Aug 2006, I fell over and broke my jaw very badly. I've had reconstructive surgery on my face and mouth, but I'm all fixed up now," says Henry Chan with a gleaming smile that shows no record of his accident.

But it is what's inside that counts and the siblings are hoping that their 39 year old relationship will give them an edge. Says Bernie, 39, "Finding the right partner to do it with is half the race won and Hen is the only person who understands what I'm trying to say half the time."

Hen, of course, is her nickname for her brother, in response to the name Bernie he coined, since he could not pronounce her actual name, Bernadette, as a child.

"I thought it would be fun, stressful but fun. I love traveling and I thought, if I get in, it would be the biggest challenge of my life," she adds.

Sums up Henry on the natural choice of picking each other as teammate, "We don't really fight, we think alike and we get on crazily well."

But if there is one thing the siblings do not share, is their behavior. Henry is the more contemplative of the two, preferring to sit back and analyze the situation while his sister leaps at every available opportunity. Like Henry says, "I tend to think about things too much, while she tends to just act and think about things later."

Explains Bernie, "I'm too impulsive! If I want to do something, it has to be done now," and adds, "My strategy is to try and stay calm but with have a sense of urgency and just go with our instinct. Luck plays a big part too which to me comes with being positive and happy, which Hen and I are."

As for preparing, one thing Henry did have to pick up was learning how to drive a manual transmission. Naturally, his coach was his baby sister and given their hectic schedule, it wasn't the best of lessons. Groans Henry, "Bernie gave me a crash-course in the pouring rain, at night, in peak hour Kuala Lumpur traffic.

But learn he did and the driving lessons show the extent that the duo has worked together. Admits Bernie, "Even though I shout at Hen, he will know it's not personal and in the next second we will be buddies again. And he won't quit on me."

Quitting is the last thing on Henry's mind though, as he had already mapped out a plan on how to celebrate if they win. "We go back to one of the favourite countries we visited in the race but this time round, we do it in five-star style."

http://amazing-race-asia.axn-asia.com/season3/teams/henry-bernie/index.html

puddin:



Tuesday September 2, 2008
The highs, the lows
By S. INDRAMALAR


Being one of the two Malaysian teams in The Amazing Race Asia 3, the Chan siblings have much to share.

It's almost like watching a soap opera, a comedy and a high-speed race all rolled into one. In the first two seasons of The Amazing Race Asia (TARA), we’ve witnessed plenty of meltdowns (Vanessa and Pamela in season two, Sahran and Howard in season one), we’ve seen relationships break down (Edwin and Monica and Terri and Henry in season two) and we’ve cheered along to some pretty tense showdowns.

Yes, viewers across Asia loved the Asian edition of the multiple Emmy Award-winning reality race around the world – more than 19 million viewers across Asia tuned in to the weekly episodes last season.

 
Bernie and Henry can hardly wait to see themselves on air.
 And now, the third season – touted by producers as “The Toughest Race” – is about to kick off and, judging by the number of actors, models and beauty queens on board, I think we can pretty much expect lots of drama. And action too.

This season will see 10 teams from India, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore and, for the first time, from South Korea.

Once again, Malaysia is represented by two teams: model/actress Bernie Chan and her older brother, Henry, a chef; and actress Ida Nerina and her friend Tania Khan who is profiled on the show as “the heiress”.

As entertaining as the race is for us at home, for the racers it was one arduous task after another.

“It was relentless ... everything was a blur. It is like nothing you have ever experienced before, really. I have worked in busy kitchens where I had to cook 100 dinners ... but in no way did it compare to what we had to go through in the race. You never really know what is going to happen. Sometimes you think it is the end of the leg and then no, we get another clue and realise the race is still on,” says 43-year-old Henry during a recent interview with The Star.

Though based in Australia for the last few years, Henry recently returned to Malaysia for a break.

Adds Bernie, 39: “It really pushes you to your limit and you will be surprised to know how tough our bodies are. I think I stepped it up by at least 50%.

“The hardest part of the race for me were the roadblocks where you would be torn away from your teammate. I did not like it because Henry would go off to do the roadblock while I waited and I would have no idea what was happening or how things were going.”

Another challenge for Bernie, shares her brother, was having to be in-communicado with family and friends for the entire duration of the race.

“It was easier for me because I told everyone in Australia that I would be in Malaysia and vice versa. And, I am hopeless at replying my e-mail and SMS-es. But for Bernie, she could be in a Turkish prison and she’d still be sending out messages on her phone,” says Henry.

“Not that I have ever been in a Turkish prison,” Bernie clarifies.

TARA premiered for the first in 2006 and follows the same format as the original American version. However, only 10 teams compete for the ultimate prize of US$100,000 (RM321,000) in the Asian version, compared to 12 teams vying for US$1mil in the original Race.

The 36-year-old American-born, Singapore-based Allan Wu will return as TARA 3 host.

So will we get to see a more frazzled, rowdy side of the usually composed and perfectly styled runway beauty?

“You will see the girl from PJ Old Town,” says Bernie with a laugh. “I have never been so filthy in all my life. If this was a holiday, it would have been the holiday from hell.”

Nevertheless, Bernie admits that she did bring along her flat iron in an attempt to look as presentable as possible.

“I started off looking presentable and after a while you will think, ‘Is that her?’ After a while I just stopped thinking about it. You are going to see a different side of me,” she warns.

Apart from a decent level of physical fitness, choosing the right teammate is vital in a race like this, reckons Bernie.

“I realised during the race that our race partner is the most important thing to have in the race. I mean we had our fair share of disagreements but we are not really the bickering type. We just shout a lot.”

Explains Henry: “As the youngest two siblings in the family ... it was always us against the other four. We get along really well but I think the whole notion of working as a team has never been so strong (as in the Race). I definitely saw a really tough side of Bernie ... I’d always be watching her to see if I could push her harder and she always could meet the challenges.”

“He never once carried my bag for me ...” taunts Bernie, “not that I ever asked him to.”

Although they did not really form a strategy or game plan for the race, the two decided that Henry would tackle the more mental challenges while Bernie would go for the physical ones.

“Did you hear what he said? That he would do the mental ones and I would be more suitable for the brainless ones!” quips Bernie, adding that she is more impulsive than her brother who thinks things through.

“You will probably see us laughing a lot throughout the race because we both find the strangest things funny,” shares Henry.

Though they may have made some mistakes along the way, the siblings are proud of the way they ran the race.

“We were always in our own zone and we were open to everything. I have no regrets about what we did or said throughout the race,” says Henry, refusing to divulge any more.

“And we were good sportsmen and we did not ride on anyone’s wave,” says Bernie, adding that they made “friends for life” with “some” of the teams.

Does this spell conflict among some teams then?

“Well, let’s just say we saw some people for what they really are. Thankfully, there was never a situation where we had to rely on another team. We always had a choice ... whether or not we wanted to work with another team,” says Bernie candidly.

Having said that, the two clarify that what you see of the people on the race is not always who they really are. The intensity of the race, they claim, causes tempers to flare and people to lash out.

“It is really a high pressured race. Sometimes, you see a person react on TV and you assume that that’s the character of the person. I think it’s the other way round really. I think you see who they really are in the short snippets of interviews done with the teams in each episode,” says Henry.

Having never seen footage of the race, the two Chan siblings are as eager as fans of the series for TARA 3 to go on air. And what have they learnt?

“I learnt to live with very little,” says Bernie with a laugh.

http://star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2008/9/2/tvnradio/1900957&sec=tvnradio

georgiapeach:
:hearts:

georgiapeach:
New TV interview w/ Bernie and Henry:

Alan:
They remind me of Blake and Paige, that closeness/understanding and like-friends relationship. :yess:

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